Government response to International Climate Policy
The government takes the recommendations formulated by the AIV in its advisory letter on International Climate Policy to heart, and shares the Council’s conviction that more must be done worldwide if the goals laid down in the Paris Agreement are to be met. The advisory letter highlights various opportunities for the Netherlands to boost its contribution. These fall into the following categories: use of financial incentives, new and supplementary funding, internationally applicable standards and EU leadership.
The government has already embraced many of these ideas. This letter to parliament outlines how the government contributes to achieving the climate goals through diplomatic measures, policy initiatives at national, EU and global level, and the financing of initiatives aimed at climate mitigation and adaptation. As described in the advisory letter, by greening international financing instruments the government offers financial incentives to stimulate the development of sustainable energy and phase out the use of fossil fuel. Together with financial institutions, the Netherlands is a pioneer in mapping the climate impact of financial flows and establishing international standards.
The government works actively to raise awareness of these initiatives in Europe and internationally, so as to magnify their impact. In addition the government is already implementing the recommendation on providing new and supplementary funding: the additional resources allocated to climate action have risen from €40 million in 2018 to €80 million annually as of 2020, and private finance is being mobilised via, for example, the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD).[1]
As previously stated, the government sees climate as a key dimension of the EU’s external policy and of the partnerships between the EU and countries like India and China. Finally, both during and after the UN Climate Summit the Netherlands will work through the relevant initiatives and diplomatic channels (bilateral and via the EU and UN) to step up international, collective climate action in order to keep the Paris goals within reach.
[1] The advisory letter mentions a pledge of $1.25 billion, given by the Netherlands as part of the $100 billion in climate funding that developed countries committed to provide annually to developing countries by 2020. No such pledge was in fact given, though Dutch climate financing has been increasing since 2010, amounting to €1.08 billion in 2018.