The Politics of Dutch Climate Change Mitigation Policy
This chapter considers the political dynamics of Dutch climate policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The main question that this chapter answers is: how have these policies evolved since the 1980s, and how can the developmental pattern be understood and explained? The authors conclude that in the political and bureaucratic arenas where climate policy is made, economic interests have often received greater weight than sustainability concerns. Although the Dutch made a fast start and were an important actor internationally, implementation of lofty goals has been and continues to be the Achilles heel of Dutch climate policy. More recently, the Dutch courts have become more active in this domain and have effectively required greater levels of government activity. At present, there is less disagreement about the goals that need to be attained, but polarization is still evident regarding the concrete policies to be introduced to achieve these goals.
This chapter is part of The Oxford Handbook of Dutch Politics, which presents a comprehensive longitudinal overview of the Dutch political system. It outlines the Dutch political system’s origins, historical development, key institutions, faults, processes, and key public policy dynamics. Old social cleavages of Dutch politics waned following the influence of long-term demographic, socio-economic, and cultural shifts, while new social identities and dividing lines influenced Dutch citizens’ political attitudes, behaviours, and voting patterns. The changing media landscape and the information environment produced shifts in the party system, coalition formation and management process, and executive–legislature relations. The Handbook offers insights into stability and change in a political system that once gained notoriety as a consensual (or consociational) democracy archetype.