Young Climate Movement in the Netherlands calls for a political turnaround after Climate and Energy Exploration The Climate and Energy Outlook (KEV) of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) was published on 1 November. The result, comparable to the KEV from 2021, is poignant. The Netherlands is lagging far behind the climate facts: it is estimated that we will arrive at an emission reduction of 39 to 50 percent compared to 1990. That is considerably lower than the 60 percent that the cabinet wants to aim for. The Netherlands has the opportunity to be an example country. The action must come now, according to the Young Climate Movement. The Financial Times published an article last week in which it became clear that the Netherlands will be the first country to feel the limits to economic growth. The new KEV of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency also shows that the Netherlands will not achieve its own climate goals, not even with a policy on the agenda. Our current system falls short of the climate targets: fossil fuels remain king and emission-free energy sources are only slowly getting started. Chairman Aniek Moonen: “Rutte IV cabinet is shouting from the rooftops that it wants to become the European leader in sustainability. On the first progress test they score a big unsatisfactory. The possibilities for a second chance are really almost gone now." Firstly, the government must start with a clear vision. What will the Netherlands of the future look like? In politics The Hague, the v-word has become dirty, but without a vision for our country we will simply not achieve the climate goals. By indicating what we are working towards, politics offers a foothold and therefore reassurance. "It's clear where the sore points are: infrastructure, agriculture and built environment have remained constant in their emissions since 1990. So it's most efficient to focus on these themes." according to Moonen. The Young Climate Movement has already written a vision on these topics: the Young Climate Agenda. She launched this vision of 2040, written on behalf of one million Dutch young people, last month. “Let the vision of future generations be a signpost,” Moonen says. Government, set your boundaries In line with our vision for the future, we also have to look at what is no longer available in the Netherlands. Companies and industries that do not go along with the transition no longer need to be protected. The 1 in 5 companies that do not yet have plans to become climate neutral according to the Innovation Monitor[1] should no longer be able to count on government support. If you're not thinking about or working on your place in the 2050 economy yet, you don't deserve that place. Good steps are already being taken: all cars must be CO2 emission-free from 2035, the central heating boiler will be phased out and we are deploying environmental zones in city centers. In order to make more progress on the targets, it must also be made clear what we will no longer be doing in 2050. Government, dare to set limits.