Dutch review sustainability progress

Dutch review sustainability progress

Keywords: Globalisation, The Netherlands,Sustainable development, Economic growth

The Netherlands has already implemented "the vast majority" of actions suggested in the Agenda 21 declaration of the 1992 Rio Earth summit, but the sustainability challenge remains very large, concludes a report recently presented to the Dutch parliament.

The report is designed to contribute to the country's first sustainable development strategy, to be proposed by the Government shortly, and gives a sector-by-sector assessment of Dutch efforts since Rio to tackle sustainability. Where action has been inadequate the problem has often been a lack of funds or time, the report says. However, contradictory views on what constitutes sustainability have also played a role.

Arguing that the world is in a "transitional period" as it comes to grips with globalisation, the report says that pro-sustainability efforts will increasingly require action by individual citizens, multinational firms and global NGOs with governments taking on a facilitator role. It emphasises the need to agree an ethical framework for further trade liberalisation.

Key challenges for The Netherlands include: securing a serious commitment to social and environmental responsibility from the financial sector; introduction of measures to control consumption growth that currently "endangers"national climate and acidification policies; new tools to protect open spaces and biological diversity; and better land-use management, by agriculture in particular.