Alarmed by how important messages about the urgency of climate policy seem to barely get through to the public and government, the Dutch IPCC authors (including EP Groningen’s professor Linda Steg, wrote an open letter to the Dutch Cabinet in October.
You can read it in its entirety in English here.
You can find the full version of the letter in Dutch here.
These are the main themes that the researchers stressed to the Dutch cabinet (in light of national elections set to be held in the Netherlands on 22 November)
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Countering climate change is everyone’s responsibility
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Climate targets and cost-effective measures are achievable
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Adaptation and mitigation policies are both necessary and urgent, and must be linked (also to other societal tasks), both in the short and long term.
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International climate cooperation is a responsibility of the Netherlands and reflects well-understood self interest
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Coherence between European, national and regional policies contributes to a long-term perspective
On 30 October, the Dutch IPCC authors presented their open letter calling for urgent climate policy from the Dutch government to demissionary minister of Education, Culture and Science, Robbert Dijkgraaf.
The scientists spoke with the outgoing minister about the necessity of stronger links between academic expertise and policy makers, and the importance of seeking connections rather than divisions.
The researchers described the meeting with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as a good discussion where it was clear that the government officials were very receptive to their message.
The ministry is actively striving to better incorporate scientific knowledge within the Dutch governmental ministeries and told the researchers that they recognise the need for more integral analysis of complex issues (such as climate change).
Photo credit: Bart van den Hurk
