Greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands, 1990–2011: National Inventory Report 2013

In 2011, total direct greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands amounted to 194.4 Tg CO2 equivalents. This is approximately 9% below those in the base year of 1990. This has become apparent in the Netherlands National Inventory Report 2013, published by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). For this report, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency contributed to the calculation and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands.

Dutch submission under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol

This report documents the Netherlands' 2012 annual submission of its greenhouse gas emissions inventory, in accordance with the guidelines provided by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the European Union's Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism. The report comprises explanations for observed trends in emissions, a description of key sources and their uncertainty, documentation of methods, data sources and emission factors applied, and a description of the quality assurance system and data-verification activities.

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

Until 2009, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency was the coordinating institute for the Dutch Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR). This role has since been taken over by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), while PBL continues to be a member of the various task forces of the Dutch PRTR. The PRTR comprises task forces for specific economic sectors, such as transport, industry and agriculture. Task forces both supply and assess emission estimates, guard the quality and robustness of methods, keep pace with new scientific insights and, where necessary, are responsible for implementing new methods. Involvement is important to PBL, in order to remain up to date on emission developments and to use this knowledge in its outlook studies, assessments, evaluations and calculations of policy options.