October 2021 – For the Clingendael Spectator, SPA Sustainable wrote a comment on the sky-high gas prices and the role of gas as a transition fuel helping to pave the way towards a phase-out of fossil fuels energy sector in Europe.
Category Archives: Columns & Reviews
Green versus Red
November 2020 – The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the new presidential team of the United States holds promises for a more sustainable global and American development. An improvement of the environmental policies compared to the Donald Trump era is certain, but the real impact remains to be seen. The announced policies and further shift towards sustainability that are required, might be difficult to realise in the current controversial political context.
Seven years of environmental book reviews
May 2020 – More than 50 reviews of environmental books from authors including William Nordhaus, Kim Putters, Simon Rozendaal, Ben van Beurden, Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Rene ten Bos, Tim Morton, Bas Eickhout, Jan Rotmans, Marjan Minnesma and Stephen Emmott. That is what resulted from more than seven years of book reviews for the Dutch Network of Environmental Professionals VVM. A new review appeared in issue 2020-3 of the magazine ‘Milieu’, this time of the book of Andrew McAfee, ‘More with Less’.
After Corona: The Great Mentality Shift?
April 2020 – Long-term effects on global sustainability of the corona crisis have to be sought in a fundamental and lasting mentality shift in the minds of people because of the crisis. The main change is likely to be the increased perception of vulnerability and dependence on nature by people in industrialised countries. Read more >>
Subsidising Dutch gas fields is not a good idea
February 2020 – Dutch Government and some researchers think that subsidising new investments in Dutch gas fields in the North Sea is beneficial for the climate and for reducing dependency on Russian gas. Stephan Slingerland and Harro van Asselt argue in an opinion article published in the Dutch newspaper Trouw on 21 February 2020 that this is not a good idea for long-term international climate policy.
Will the European Green Deal be successful?
January 2020 – Shortly before the Christmas break the new European Commission published its long-awaited Green Deal. Once more the European Union showed its green ambitions and proclaimed environmental leadership by drafting a document full of strong environmental objectives. However, more will be needed than only big words. The Green Deal will need to make at least three fundamental connections in the coming year in order to be successful. Read more.