Overview of news items 2007
Here you will find the news items of the selected year listed in chronological order.
Industrialised countries to collectively meet 2010 Kyoto target
Newsitem | 11-12-2007
In 2010 the total greenhouse gases emissions produced by industrialised countries with a Kyoto target, will probably be about 11% lower than in the base year 1990. If the present trend (2000-2005) continues, the countries with a quantitative emission ... read more
IPCC Co-chair Bert Metz of the Netherlands’ MNP at the Nobel Prize ceremony
Newsitem | 06-12-2007
On the 10th of December the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to co-laureates, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore, at the prize-giving ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Bert Metz, co-chair of the IPCC working group III on mitigation ... read more
UN Climate Conference 3-14 December 2007 in Bali (COP13)
Newsitem | 03-12-2007
The aim of this ministerial summit of 190 nations is to reach a world wide agreement on a ‘road map’ after the Kyoto climate commitments in 2012. The Bali ‘road map’ should mark the start of the negotiations on long-term global greenhouse gas ... read more
Peaking profiles can achieve global temperature targets with more likelihood at lower costs
Newsitem | 16-11-2007
The current focus in climate research and policy is on stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. By switching to scenarios in which a peak concentration is reached which is then reduced, it is possible to save costs and increase ... read more
Beyond GDP: measuring progress, true wealth and the well-being of nations
Newsitem | 15-11-2007
The EU’s fundamental purpose has always been to prevent another war in Europe. Economic prosperity and integration are means to that end. However, over the years, a misunderstanding has crept in, as if market-oriented competiveness were the overriding ... read more
New particulate matter standards require new policy actions in the Netherlands
Newsitem | 30-10-2007
Based on new findings of the WHO, policy attention in the EU regarding particulate matter has shifted from PM10 to the finer fraction (PM2.5).The Netherlands will probably not be able to meet all new standards for PM2.5 ... read more
Simultaneously tackling climate change and air pollution better than non-linked strategies
Newsitem | 26-10-2007
A combined cost-benefit analysis on both local air pollution and global climate change - two closely related problems since both are driven by energy production and consumption patterns - shows that integrated environmental policies can generate net ... read more
Land availability and loss of biodiversity just as urgent as climate change
Newsitem | 25-10-2007
If the future 9 billion people on this planet are to be assured of food and clean drinking water, the demand for land will be just as pressing a problem in the coming decades as climate change is now. Considering that a well-balanced ecosystem is one ... read more
Transboundary air pollution still too high
Newsitem | 22-10-2007
In the last 25 years, air pollution in Europe has been substantially reduced. However, current reduction plans are insufficient to fully protect ecosystems and human health. These are the main conclusions of the review of the Gothenburg Protocol by ... read more
Nobel Peace Prize for UN-IPCC and Al Gore
Newsitem | 12-10-2007
The MNP greets the news of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to the IPCC and Al Gore with great pride. Both have won this prize for their efforts in spreading awareness of human-induced climate change and creating a base on which to combat the effects ... read more
Climate mitigation costs of EU countries highly depend on internal burden-sharing
Newsitem | 04-10-2007
It is technically feasible for the EU to meet the 20% unilateral and 30% multilateral greenhouse gas emission reduction targets as adopted in 2007. The emission reductions and costs for the individual countries show a wide range, and are more dependent ... read more
Potential benefits for air quality in Europe from nuclear energy
Newsitem | 02-10-2007
The current European policies on air pollution and climate change exacerbate the dilemma on nuclear power. On the one hand there are risks involved with nuclear waste and proliferation. On the other hand, a switch from coal-fired power plants to nuclear ... read more
Environmental regulation not disadvantageous for competitiveness of the Dutch economy
Newsitem | 01-10-2007
Compared with other countries, the cost of environmental regulation in the Netherlands is high. However, this does not necessarily harm the competitiveness of the Dutch economy. The costs for environmental regulation form but a limited share of the ... read more
Measures in sea shipping are cost-effective
Newsitem | 17-09-2007
Far-reaching measures to reduce emissions caused by North Sea shipping have proven to be cost-effective in improving air quality in the Netherlands. Measures at sea are important, considering shipping’s significant contribution to air pollution in ... read more
The fragmentation of nature and landschap continues
Newsitem | 11-09-2007
The landscapes and nature conservation areas of national and international importance in the Netherlands are becoming more fragmented. This is not yet being prevented through current policies. Especially the value of National Landscapes is being weakened ... read more
Extra effort needed to achieve the desired result from the turnabout of nature conservation policy
Newsitem | 11-09-2007
For several years now, the central government has been wanting to increase the involvement of farmers and other private landowners in nature conservation. This policy is known as the turnabout. The conditions are that the costs should not exceed those ... read more
Cost-effectiveness of additional abatement options for cleaner air
Newsitem | 23-08-2007
Since air quality measures can be effectuated quicker under national policy than under European policy, further improvement of the air quality in the Netherlands up to 2015 will have to come from extra measures at national level. This approach is also ... read more
India 2050: scenarios for an uncertain future
Newsitem | 03-08-2007
India is playing an increasingly important role in the global economy and, correspondingly, in resource use and emissions. This report explores the possibilities to model the future developments in different regions in India. Only rigorous government ... read more
Biodiversity further deteriorates in the next 50 year
Newsitem | 19-07-2007
Biodiversity loss will remain unabatedly high up to 2050. This is the conclusion from an investigation carried out by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP) in cooperation with others. The report has been internationally reviewed and ... read more
A global coalition of all major countries is needed to meet the EU 2 degree climate target
Newsitem | 18-07-2007
The cost and effectiveness of climate policy in Europe depend on the international post-2012 climate regime. This report analyzes four alternative policy scenarios. The analysis shows that only if all major countries become actively involved in emissions ... read more
Chinese CO2 emissions in perspective - Country intercomparison of CO2 emissions
Newsitem | 22-06-2007
The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP) announced this week that according to preliminary estimates in 2006 China topped the list of CO2 emitting countries, surpassing the USA by an estimated 8%. To evaluate the implications ... read more
China now no. 1 in CO2 emissions; USA in second position
Newsitem | 19-06-2007
In 2006 global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use increased by about 2.6%, which is less than the 3.3% increase in 2005. China’s 2006 CO2 emissions surpassed those of the USA by 8%. This includes CO2 emissions from industrial processes (cement production). ... read more
Welfare, prosperity and quality of the living environment
Newsitem | 24-05-2007
Welfare, prosperity and quality of the living environment explores how various aspects of the living environment and land use in the Netherlands may develop on the long run (2040). It analyses long term trends for a large number of societal topics, ... read more
International transport emissions need to be included in a post-2012 climate mitigation policy
Newsitem | 25-04-2007
Including international aviation and marine emissions in national/regional reduction targets within is more cost-effective than excluding them, or regulating them via sector-specific policies. This is one of the main conclusions of a study that analyses ... read more
Dual benefits ozone protocol: Ozone layer and Climate change
Newsitem | 06-03-2007
The 1987 Montreal Protocol - restricting the use of ozone-depleting substances - has helped both to reduce global warming and to protect the ozone layer. The benefit to climate achieved by the Montreal Protocol alone at present greatly exceeds the ... read more
Worldwide Biodiversity Loss and Poverty: How do they relate?
Newsitem | 15-02-2007
In the International Biodiversity (IB) Project, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency supports policy making on biodiversity-related issues. The relation with poverty is a major issue. The goal of the IB project is to build tools and institutional ... read more
Plant protection more sustainable, but surface water quality standards not yet achieved
Newsitem | 01-02-2007
Crop protection methods in the Netherlands have become more sustainable since 1998 as a result of efforts made by growers. However, at the moment the environmental quality of surface waters does not meet the statutory standards. Without measures directly ... read more
Prize awarded to MNP paper by China Association for Science and Technology
Newsitem | 26-01-2007
The MNP paper, 'Global and regional surface nitrogen balances in intensive agricultural production systems for the period 1970-2030', has won the 4th Periodical Excellent Paper Award (for the period 2004-2006) of the China Association for Science and ... read more
Scientific underpinning of tool use in integrated assessments
Newsitem | 22-01-2007
Policy assessments can be improved by making better use of tools such as multi-criteria analysis and cost-benefit analysis. Information about these tools is now available as website. This website also provides guidance on when to use what tool. The ... read more
Cost of Policy Inaction possibly applicable
Newsitem | 18-01-2007
The Cost of Policy Inaction (COPI) concept is the damage to the environment in the absence of measures to solve an environmental problem. According to a study into meaningful applications of COPI, the most effective COPI variant is probably the application ... read more
Climate policy needs to focus on all greenhouse gases
Newsitem | 16-01-2007
The costs of a climate policy strategy targeting all greenhouse gases are substantially lower than a strategy targeting energy-related CO2 alone. This is one of the conclusions of a recent study by the Stanford University-based Energy Modeling ... read more
