Nitrogen policy is a contentious issue during the Provincial Council elections, however Minister Christianne van der Wal of Nature and Nitrogen is confident that the provinces will get to work on nitrogen plans after the elections. According to Van der Wal, change is inevitable: “The only way to realize ambitions within the provinces is to work to reduce nitrogen emissions and restore nature.”
Dreamland
Nitrogen minister says he hears both sense and nonsense in the nitrogen debate. “It’s complicated when you hear someone say we should abolish something, or drive back to Brussels or pass an emergency law to fix it. That’s not true and I sometimes have problems with that.’
According to Van der Wal, we live in a dream world. She says she must remain honest with the agricultural sector and farmers about what is and is not possible. ‘We all know that we need a new agricultural system in the Netherlands and that it will demand a lot from farmers. But we really have to do things differently, that’s inevitable.’
Ambitions
According to Van der Wal, all provinces in the Netherlands have ambitions to build more houses, to invest in affordability or in the energy transition. However, this requires permissions that are currently unavailable. The Nitrogen Minister therefore argues that to achieve the ambitions, therefore, less nitrogen emissions must be achieved.
“We always talk about the end station and we haven’t started yet”
The minister wants to anticipate the law with the objectives from 2035 to 2030, because ‘nature cannot wait’. But although tensions are rising, practically nothing has happened yet. ‘So let’s start now with the acceleration approach and tip loaders. Because the faster we are now and the more we do now, the less important 2030 is anyway.’
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
