Greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands 1990-2009

Dutch greenhouse gas emissions decreased

The 2009 emission of 198.9 Tg CO₂ equivalents was nearly seven per cent below that of the base year 1990 (213.2 Tg CO₂ eq). These numbers do not include emissions from LULUCF (land use, land-use change and forestry).

The Dutch submission is in compliance with the national reporting obligation

The Dutch national inventory report is in compliance with the reporting obligations for 2011, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the Greenhouse gas monitoring mechanism of the European Union. The report comprises an analysis of observed trends in emissions, an assessment of the main emission sources and related uncertainties. In addition, it contains documentation on methods, data sources and emission factors, as well as a description of the quality assurance system and data verification activities.

Role of the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency in the national greenhouse gas inventory

Until recently, the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency was the coordinating institute for the emission inventory. This role has since been taken over by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), while the PBL continues to be a member of the various task forces. For every economic sector there is a task force, such as those on transport and agriculture. Task forces both supply and assess emission estimates, guarding the quality and robustness of methods, keeping pace with new scientific insights and, where necessary, are responsible for implementing new methods. Involvement is important to the PBL, to remain up to date on emission developments and to utilise this knowledge in outlook studies, estimations, evaluations and calculations of policy options.