Today, more than one billion people will celebrate Earth Day in more than 190 countries. The word "celebrate" often has a joyful connotation. But in this case, the question can be asked whether this is appropriate.
Indeed, in a recent report, "Global Environment Outlook 6", prepared at the request of the UN Environment Programme by an impressive number of experts, a relatively bleak picture is painted of the state of the environment on our planet. Although some improvements have taken place, "the overall condition of the global environment has continued to deteriorate".
Ranging from a decrease in air quality, leading to 6 to 7 million premature deaths a year, and an increase in CO² emissions, that has caused an increase of the temperature with 1°C since 1880, to a dramatic decrease in biodiversity and to marine litter including plastics and micro plastics appearing in all oceans at all depths.
At the same time, the Global Carbon Project, an organisation that seeks to quantify global greenhouse gas emissions and their causes, is signalling an increase of 2.7% of CO² emissions in 2018, despite a spectacular rise in the use of renewable energy. The level of CO² particles per million as measured in Mauna Loa on Hawaii was 411 on April 15, confirming a structural increase in the past few years.
In many forums, discussions are taking place to remedy this worrying trend. Particularly important will be the UN Summit of heads of state and government called by the secretary-general of the UN for Sept 23, to discuss a further sharpening of the national climate commitments undertaken by countries at the Paris conference. "Only a significantly higher level of ambition will do", according to Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres.
So the need for action is high, and this action will primarily have to take place at the national level. In Thailand, in the Netherlands, in all countries since we are talking about planetary challenges. We are all working on implementing our Paris commitments. This is by no means an easy task, since it will imply a change in economic model, a different behaviour of consumers and producers.
The Netherlands increased its ambition after the Paris Agreement, and higher climate targets have been set, that is a decrease in CO² emissions of 49% in 2030 and of 95% in 2050 compared to 1990. But this is the easy part. Much more challenging is to decide on specifics. Who has to do what in order to achieve these targets? And who will pay for it, the consumer, the private sector, the public sector? To reach this goal government, businesses and civil society agreed to develop a joint plan of action that will be translated to public policy.
This process, involving all relevant actors in a consensual approach, ensures broad support for the unprecedented energy and climate transition that the Dutch society requires. One of the key ingredients of a policy mix that is on the table is the creation of a national CO² tax over and above the existing Emissions Trading System of the EU. Fundamental undermining of the level playing field, according to some. Absolutely necessary, and will have a catalytic effect, according to others.
To add to the confusion, a group of citizens united in the Urgenda Foundation has sued the Dutch state for not taking sufficient action to prevent dangerous climate change, thereby knowingly exposing its citizens to danger. To the surprise of many, they won their case, legally forcing the government to increase its emission reduction targets. Inspired by this example, more than 17,000 people just filed a lawsuit aiming to force an oil and gas company to reduce its CO² footprint to zero by 2050. The jury is still out, but it is fair to say that a lot is happening on the sustainability front.
A more consensual event was the signing of a Plastic Pact recently by 75 public and private sector actors. The aim of this pact is to have all single use plastics in the Netherlands to be recycled by 2025, and to diminish the use of plastics by 20% in relation to materials in 2025 compared to 2017.
Another sustainability initiative was the adoption of a policy aiming at making the Dutch economy 100% circular by 2050, with a midway target of 50% less use of mineral, fossil and metallic raw materials by 2030. The government wants to achieve these ambitious targets by adapting regulations -- for example, the outdated rules that limit the re-use of waste -- by giving financial incentives and stimulating research. Not only will this policy substantially improve the living environment, it will also generate €7.3 billion (261 billion baht) in extra income and create 54,000 jobs, according to our national statistical office.
This is an important dimension of the discussion, often underestimated: early climate action often leads to innovative businesses and new markets, generating additional economic growth. A clear win-win.
As said, action at the national level is essential, but relatively meaningless if not mirrored by similar actions in other countries and at the international level. The awareness of the need for action seems to be increasing in Thailand as well. The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is working hard to implement the Paris commitments in Thailand.
Furthermore, a lot of attention is given to the single use plastics issue, the worrying level of PM2.5 particles in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and the need to tackle the waste issue. The decision by major supermarkets to start a one-day-a-month, no-plastic-bags policy is a welcome start, although perhaps in need of an upgrade over time. There is an intention to increase the number of charging stations for electronic vehicles (EVs); our experience shows that the availability of sufficient charging stations is essential for an increase of EV sales.
And Thailand has undertaken a number of interesting initiatives in its capacity of Asean chair. In an interesting analysis of the programmes of political parties participating in the recent elections published in the Bangkok Post on March 16, two experts of the Stockholm Environment Institute Asia drew the conclusion that Thailand's political parties are beginning to listen to concerns about environmental issues. This is positive news, even though the experts also note that the focus is mainly on immediately visible issues such as air pollution, plastics and the promotion of public transport.
We hope to be able to share our experiences on our sustainability challenges and learn from the Thai solutions. With the private sector, knowledge institutions, academia, and of course the public sector. At a sustainability dialogue on May 14, we will touch on these issues with a number of experts, and hope to conclude with a number of practical recommendations. Because it is only by sharing knowledge that we will be able to "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs", as former Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland said already in 1987 in her report "Our Common Future".
Kees Rade is Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Thailand. The embassy is hosting Dutch Sustainability Days in May. For more information, please see DutchSustainabilityDays.com