Netherlands Framework Law on Climate Change 

Climate Plan 2021-2030

Plan Approved 

This Plan was created in accordance with the provisions of the Climate Act. It sets out Netherland's climate policy objectives and goals between 2021-2030 in five sectors, namely Electricity, Mobility, Industry, Built Environment, and Agriculture and Land Use.&nbsp;

The Climate Plan (Klimmaat Plan) 2021-2030

Climate Act adopted by the Senate

Climate Act

2026 Amendment

law passed

Amendment

The Climate Act (Klimaatwet) sets legally binding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets for the Netherlands. The Climate Act is driven by international agreements, e.g. the Paris climate agreement, and research, e.g. IPCC. In 2023 the emissions reduction targets were sharpened to meet new European emission targets and regulation. Specifically, it mandates the government to achieve climate neutrality in 2050, and achieve carbon neutrality in the electricity sector by 2050. It also requires the government to reduce its emissions in 2030 by 55% compared to 1990 levels. The law contains provisions for developing 3 policy instruments:
<ol>
<li>Climate Plan (Klimaatplan): which sets out the components of climate policy for a 10-year period, with the first being adopted in 2019 and covering the period 2021-2030</li>
<li>The biennial Progress Report (Voortgangsrapportage): focused on measuring progress</li>
<li>Climate Memorandum (Klimaatnota): a yearly issued Climate Memorandum in which the government accounts for climate policy, reflects on the past year’s progress, and compares this with the (European and national) targets for 2030</li>
</ol>
In the Climate Act the government, businesses, and civil society organisations have jointly agreed on the measures that are necessary in the next 10 years, with different sectors having set their own targets to jointly reach the emission reduction targets. Some cross-sector measurements have also been agreed upon, such as the need for knowledge and innovation for the transition to a more sustainable Netherlands, the impact on the labour market, and the financing of sustainability projects.
On 1st January 2026, new amendments to the Climate Act entered into force, which revised Article 4 of the original law to remove provision Article 4.2 ("Every two years after the adoption of the climate plan, a report shall be submitted on the progress of its implementation and, if this warrants it in light of the objectives of this Act, measures shall be taken."). The amendment also changes the title of Chapter 4 to Advice and Consultation and creates a Scientific Climate Council in Article 8, as follows:
"Article 8
1. There is a Scientific Climate Council.
2. The Scientific Climate Council consists of a chairperson and at moment nine other members.
3. The Scientific Climate Council is tasked with advising the Government and both Houses of the States General on the climate policy to be pursued. In doing so, the Scientific Climate Council issues at least one advisory opinion in preparation for the climate plan referred to in Article 3."

Climate Act (Klimaatwet)

This document was downloaded from the <a href="https://unfccc.int/" target="_blank"> UNFCCC website</a>. Please check <a href="https://unfccc.int/this-site/terms-of-use" target="_blank"> terms of use </a> for citation and licensing of third party data.

UNFCCC Submissions

This document was downloaded from the <a href="https://unccd.int/" target="_blank">UNCCD website</a>. Please check <a href="https://www.unccd.int/terms-of-use" target="_blank">terms of use </a>for citation and licensing of third party data.

UNCCD Submissions

This document was downloaded from the <a href="https://ort.cbd.int/" target="_blank">CBD website</a>. Please check <a href="https://www.cbd.int/terms" target="_blank">terms of use </a>for citation and licensing of third party data.

UNCBD Submissions

The summary of this document was written by researchers at the <a href="http://lse.ac.uk/grantham" target="_blank"> Grantham Research Institute </a> . If you want to use this summary, please check <a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/cclw-terms-and-conditions" target="_blank"> terms of use </a> for citation and licensing of third party data.

CCLW national policies

This entry and summary were provided by the Climate Policy Database. If you want to use the summary, please see the terms of use for citation and licensing of third party data.

Climate Policy Database

Carbon Market Regulations Tracker offers standardised summaries and direct links to relevant regulations concerning baseline-and-crediting market activities, within voluntary carbon markets and those under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

This entry and summary were provided by Gold Standard. If you want to use the summary, please see the terms of use for citation and licensing of third party data.

Gold Standard

This entry was provided by Laws.Africa. Please see the terms of use for citation and licensing of third party data.

Laws Africa

This entry and summary were provided by PreventionWeb. If you want to reference this document, please see the terms of use for citation and licensing of third party data.

PreventionWeb

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

A tax advantage is an economic benefit applied to certain accounts or investments that are, by law, tax-reduced, tax-deferred, or tax-free. This can apply to investments in areas such as green energy projects or the agricultural sector, where tax advantages can help manage financial risks.

Codes and standards are regulatory instruments that specify minimum standards to protect health and safety. This ranges from performance standards, which prescribe outcomes while allowing flexibility to achieve compliance, to the more prescriptive approach of technology-specific standards.

A subsidy is a direct or indirect payment to individuals or businesses, typically provided as a government cash payment or a specific tax reduction.

Tradable permits are market-based tools that grant permission for specific activities, frequently used to regulate emissions. These permits can be issued within a trading system to manage environmental impacts.

Compulsory, required payments to the government that are levied more-or-less in proportion to the services provided. Fees and charges range from entrance fees to national parks, charges on land-based sewage discharge.

Zoning and spatial planning are both methods for guiding the distribution of people and activities in a space, and are regulatory restriction.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

A commitment to balance GHG emissions with removal by a certain point in time, effectively reducing the net emissions to zero

An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

A target to reduce the prevalence of a greenhouse gas over a specific time frame

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

A potent, short-lived greehouse gas, largely released from livestock, fossil fuel extraction and waste management.

Aligning the skills of the workforce with the requirements of the just transition.

Work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for all, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity.

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Social protection systems consist of policies that help people manage social risks in order to prevent poverty and maintain decent incomes and living standards

Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.

Actions or measures to adapt terrestrial systems to climate change.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

Conditions that enhance the feasibility of adaptation options. Enabling conditions include finance, technological innovation, strengthening policy instruments, institutional capacity, multi-level governance and changes in human behaviour and lifestyles.

Energy derived from biological compounds that are renewable due to their short life cycle within the carbon dioxide cycle.

Production of electricity and heat from solar irradiation.

Heat extracted from the ground, usually in the form of hot water or steam and typically referred to as hydrothermal fluid.

Kinetic energy of airflow transformed into useful energy, mostly electrical energy.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets

Activities of businesses and institutions that provide financial services and products to individuals and organisations.

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

Activities that relate to the production of goods and services from forests.

This sector involves managing waste treatment, sanitation, pollution control and environmental cleanup.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector provides communication services, software development, and IT solutions.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

The activities of industries that transforms raw materials into finished goods through industrial processes.

The activities of industries involved in the production, distribution, and sale of energy, including electricity, gas, and renewables.

Activities that involve the cultivation of crops and raising of livestock for food, fibre, and other products essential for human life and industry.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

Terrestrial means "of the earth" and relates to the risks to ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions within land-based environments, such as forests, grasslands, and deserts.

Heavy precipitation refers to any form of weather where substances fall from the sky, including rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

A drought is an extended period of unusually dry weather marked by a significant and sustained lack of precipitation, falling below a specific threshold over a large area for more than a month

Air pollution involves harmful contaminants in the air, affecting both indoor and outdoor environments. It can lead to health issues like respiratory diseases and heart problems, and climate impacts such as global warming. Pollutants can damage plants, trees, habitats, and water bodies like rivers and lakes.

Hot temperature extremes are daily maximum temperatures  that were exceeded on average once in a decade or once in 50 years, and includes heatwaves.

Any substance with chemical properties that can cause physical harm to people or damage the environment, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, phosphine, chlorine, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, pesticides, dioxins, microplastics, benzene, asbestos, aflatoxins, fluoride, methanol, and toxins from marine sources.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Risks to the ecosystem health of the marine environment, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and ocean deoxygenation, harming biodiversity, species health, ecosystem services, and coastal community livelihoods.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

Aruba

Bonaire

Saba

Sint Eustatius

Curaçao

Drenthe

Flevoland

Fryslân

Gelderland

Groningen

Limburg

Noord-Brabant

Noord-Holland

Overijssel

Sint Maarten

Utrecht

Zeeland

Zuid-Holland

Climate Change Laws of the World

Find climate change laws, policies, targets and other climate policy data and indicators for {text}, alongside information about their legislative process.

{text} climate laws and policies

The Climate Change Laws of the World database gives you access to national-level climate change legislation and policies from around the world.

Law and Policy Search

Quickly and easily search through the complete text of thousands of climate change law and policy documents from every country.

The Climate Plan (Klimmaat Plan) 2021-2030

Summary

Documents

Topics mentioned most in this policy
Beta

Part of a collection

Netherlands Framework Law on Climate Change

Note

The Climate Plan (Klimmaat Plan) 2021-2030

Summary

Documents

Topics mentioned most in this policy Beta

Part of a collection

Netherlands Framework Law on Climate Change

Note

Topics mentioned most in this policy
Beta