Sustainable Development Goals in the Netherlands


Figure 1
Environment-related SDG targets covered by existing Dutch policy targets, 2015
25
13
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Number of environment-related SDG targets relevant
in the Dutch context
Fully covered by existing policy targets
Partly covered by existing policy targets
Not covered by existing policy targets
Number of other SDG targets
Not analysed
128
pbl.nl
Source: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
to increase knowledge of sustainability in Dutch society
(SDG targets 4.7 and 12.8).
Policy efforts are falling short of achieving existing Dutch
policy targets
In the Assessment of the Dutch Human Environment 2014,
PBL concluded that the Netherlands is falling behind
on many of its policy targets related to the physical
environment. Targets for air and water quality and nature
conservation will only be achieved if policy efforts are
intensified, while targets aimed at reducing food wastage
and environmental pressure on ecosystems require
fundamental policy redesign. The 2014 assessment
further concluded that progress on various policy targets
had slowed down in recent years, which means that these
targets will not be achieved. The national policy targets
evaluated in the 2014 assessment directly relate to about
half of the 41 environment-related SDG targets.
New national targets and those that need updating could
be based on individual countries’ fair share in the global
sustainability effort and on sufficient absolute decoupling
Translating the global SDG targets into the national
context requires the identification and definition of new
and updated national policy targets. These national
targets should cover the most important elements
of the SDG targets and be relevant in the national
context. The SDG targets leave ample room for
interpretation; most of them are phrased in broad and/
or non-quantitative terms and defined at global level,
leaving it unclear what actions or target levels would be
required on a national level. For SDG targets addressing
global environmental problems (e.g. climate change,
biodiversity loss), national targets may be derived based
on individual countries’ fair share in the global effort;
for instance, by taking into account their environmental
impact beyond national borders. Translating SDG targets
aimed at decoupling (environmental impact decreases
while production increases) could be based on assessing
what level of absolute decoupling would be sufficient to
achieve the underlying target. For example, a national
target for increasing the share of renewable energy
in the energy mix should be based on the share that
would contribute sufficiently to the achievement of a
low-carbon energy system in the long term. Ultimately,
it is up to politicians to define national targets, in close
consultation with actors within society, such as NGOs,
businesses and academics.
SDG implementation in the Netherlands can build on
existing national policy programmes
The themes addressed by the environment-related SDG
targets are not new to Dutch policy. New and updated
policy targets for 2030 can be integrated in existing or
planned policy processes, such as the Green Growth
policy, the Government Vision on Nature and the Future
Agenda for Environment and Sustainability. Other
European countries are also working on integrating
the SDGs into existing policy processes. For example,
Germany aims to integrate the SDGs into its national
sustainable development strategy, while Sweden aims
to base national SDG implementation on the principle
that all its national and international policies should
contribute to fair and sustainable global development.
The broad range of themes addressed by the SDGs calls
for clearly defined policy responsibilities with regard to
specific policy targets and ensuring policy coherence
Establishing clearly who would be responsible for
the implementation of specific SDG targets and for
Main findings |
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