Environmental pollution is the second most common disease
The condition that killed the most people in 2022 was dementia (over 16,000). Lung cancer (over 10,000), stroke (over 9,000), coronary heart disease (over 8,000) and COVID-19 (over 8,000) were the top five causes of death leading to the highest mortality. Upper respiratory infections due to environmental pollution are the second most common diseases.
The EU is providing a €105 million subsidy scheme for the relocation of Dutch livestock farmers from protected nature reserves in order to reduce nitrogen pollution. Queen Máxima opened the new NX Filtration factory in Hengelo on 11 September 2024. NX Filtration produces filters based on nano-membrane technology to purify water. This water purification method, invented at the University of Twente, uses thin, hollow tubes with extremely small pores to filter contaminants from water. With this technique, polluted water can be filtered into clear and pure water with less use of chemicals and energy than conventional purification processes.
The Netherlands is one of the most polluted countries in Europe
A study by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment shows that the Dutch live an average of four months less due to nitrogen dioxide emissions from traffic. Agricultural poisons are found in 80 percent of the waters in the Netherlands and the environmental standard is exceeded in 40 percent. Sometimes the water even contains a hundred times as much poison as the standard. Eleven interest groups are taking the Dutch State to court for grossly neglecting its duty of care to protect Dutch citizens, animals and the environment from the harmful effects of PFAS-contaminated harmful effects of PFAS pollution.
The environment is under pressure from nitrogen, PFAS and water pollution, making the Netherlands one of the most polluted in Europe. These problems not only affect our nature, but also our health – from respiratory infections to shortened lifespans. Fortunately, hope is growing with innovations such as advanced water purification and biological solutions.
Vans and lorries entering a zero-emission zone will no longer be warned from 1 July 2025, but will be fined immediately. The warning period ends in Amersfoort, Amsterdam, The Hague, Gouda, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Tilburg, Utrecht and Zwolle. Entrepreneurs and private individuals who enter an emission-free zone with a van or lorry that is not allowed access risk a fine. The measure does not apply to passenger cars.
Vans or trucks that were registered this year must be emission-free to enter an emission-free zone. A transitional period applies to fossil fuel vehicles that were registered before that time. For the time being, they are still allowed to enter the areas.
Pfas and Pfos
In a 2016 RIVM study, an average of 3.4 nanograms of PFOA per milliliter of blood serum was found in the blood of a group of Dutch adults. In its opinion, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) mentions an average value of 2.1 nanograms of PFOA per milliliter of blood serum across Europe. PFAS is a collective name for thousands of chemicals that are not degradable in nature. The abbreviation PFAS stands for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances.
The risks resulting from the production, marketing or use of PFAS are currently not sufficiently controlled. PFAS may only be used in areas where no suitable alternatives are available in the foreseeable future or where the socio-economic benefits outweigh the disadvantages for people and the environment. Our drinking water contains large quantities of Pfas (See drinking water)
The proposal for a European ban on all PFAS was formally submitted to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) on 13 January 2023 by the Netherlands (RIVM), Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The proposal was published on 7 February 2023. This means that the proposal has been under assessment by the European scientific committees (RAC and SEAC) since the beginning of 2023. That is, based on the current date (3 July 2025), approximately 2.5 years. The consultation period closed on 25 September 2023, and since then the committees have been evaluating the information received. The European Commission is expected to submit a final proposal in the course of 2025, with a possible entry into force not before 2027. The fact that the RIVM study is now being published just before the final assessment may be a coincidence, but the timing of the publication may indirectly contribute to public and political pressure at the European level, especially since the ECHA assessment is in a crucial phase (expected to be completed by the end of 2025). Media attention for the presence of PFAS in blood emphasises the urgency of the problem, which may strengthen the position of the five submitting countries. This combination of scientific findings and media interest creates a powerful impetus that the European Commission can now hardly ignore. The RIVM, which previously conducted research into the eggs laid by chickens from the Chemours area, is now also conducting a national study. An RIVM study shows that eggs contain between 78 and 241 picograms of PFAS equivalent per gram.
The Dutch State is being criticised from various quarters, including eleven organisations involved, for not doing enough to limit and prevent the harmful effects of PFAS. In the meantime, science is looking for innovative solutions.
Recently, researchers discovered that microorganisms of the genus Acetobacterium, commonly found in wastewater, can break down persistent fluoro-carbon bonds via reductive defluorination. These microbes offer potential for tackling the PFAS problem, although they are currently only effective against unsaturated PFAS compounds with carbon-carbon double bonds.
This breakthrough follows earlier discoveries last year, where other microbes were able to remove chlorine atoms from chlorinated PFAS compounds. The recent finding significantly expands the range of PFAS compounds that are biodegradable, offering hope for the future.
PFAS is currently being removed from soil and groundwater in 52 locations in the Netherlands, and cleaning up this contamination has already cost at least 68 million euros. Even if we were to stop producing and emitting PFAS tomorrow, it would cost the whole of Europe a total of 95 billion euros over the next two decades to remove PFAS from drinking water and soil. The producing companies would have to pay for this and would lose a fertile source of income if the substance were banned. That is why there has been a lobby against the PFAS ban for years:
Several large chemical companies and industry associations are actively lobbying to prevent or limit a broad European ban on PFAS. They fear significant economic consequences and argue that for many applications there are no suitable alternatives yet.
The main players opposing a complete PFAS ban are:
- DuPont/Chemours: Historical producers of PFAS with significant interests.
- 3M: Also a major producer with a long history in PFAS.
- Solvay: An international chemical company that produces various fluoropolymers.
- Gore: Known for Gore-Tex, which uses PFAS materials.
- Daikin: A major player in fluoropolymers and other PFAS applications.
- Custom Powders:A user or processor of PFAS.
- ASML: A critical company for the semiconductor industry, which relies heavily on PFAS in its manufacturing processes. The concern here is that a ban could hamper vital technological innovation and manufacturing.
- Nearly 4,000 other companies are supporting the lobby, illustrating the broad impact a ban would have across industries ranging from autos and electronics to medical devices and building materials.
Trade associations and lobby groups:
- Plastics Europe: Represents the European plastics industry, where PFAS (particularly fluoropolymers) are used in various products.
- Fluoropolymer Product Group (FPG): A specific group within the chemical industry that focuses on fluoropolymers, an important subgroup of PFAS. They often emphasize the “essential” uses of these materials.
- American Chemistry Council (ACC): The largest and most influential lobby group for the chemical industry in the United States, but also has considerable influence internationally and works with European counterparts. They are a key player in opposing broad PFAS regulation, representing Dupont/Chemours, Gore, Solvay, Daikin and 3M, among others.
- Carlo Trojan plays a prominent role in the communication of the lobby groups, probably related to the ACC or the FPG.
The lobbyists’ strategy typically includes:
- Insist on differentiation: They emphasize that not all PFAS are the same and advocate a differentiated approach rather than a blanket ban on the entire group of substances (the “class approach”). They argue that specific, safer PFAS compounds or essential uses should be exempted.
- Emphasizing economic impact: They warn of massive job losses, deindustrialization and disruption of critical supply chains as a result of an overly broad ban.
- Availability of alternatives: They argue that for many “essential” applications there are no or not yet full-fledged alternatives available, which would hinder innovation.
- Scientific discussion: They question the scientific basis for a broad ban and call for more research into individual PFAS substances.
Recent reports and developments (focus 2024-2025)
The lobbying around PFAS is very intensive, especially now that the European restriction proposal is in a crucial phase. There are several organizations that monitor and report on this lobbying:
- The Forever Lobbying Project
A division of Corporate Europe Observatory and PFAS Project Lab, published a comprehensive investigation in January 2025 entitled “The Forever Lobbying Project”. This report exposes a coordinated lobbying and disinformation campaign by the PFAS industry and its allies to weaken the EU’s proposal for a ban on “forever chemicals” and shift the burden of environmental pollution to society. They have collected over 14,000 previously unpublished documents that expose the industry’s tactics and arguments. The report concludes that many of the industry’s arguments stem from a “corporate disinformation playbook”. This is the most recent and relevant report specifically addressing the lobbying efforts to stop the ban in Europe. It provides in-depth insights into the strategies and financial resources deployed.
- Food & Water Watch:
Although this organization is more focused on the US, in November 2023 they released a report entitled “PFAS and the Chemistry of Concealment” in which they detail the chemical industry’s lobbying spending between 2019 and 2022 ($110 million over four years). They highlight the role of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and how lobbying efforts have delayed legislation in the US. This report gives a good picture of the scale and methods of the ACC, which as you point out is the main lobbyist for a number of the companies you mention. Although focused on the US, the strategies are often similar at the European level.
- ChemSec
A non-profit organization regularly publishes analyses and reports on PFAS and the chemical lobby. In January 2025, they published an article entitled “The PFAS lobby is repeating history. Will Brussels fall for it?”, in which they compare the current arguments of the industry with previous lobby campaigns against chemical legislation, and argue that the predicted disasters did not come to pass then either.
About 80% of solar panels contain PFAS, mainly in the backsheet, the rear layer that protects against UV radiation, moisture and other environmental factors. PFAS ensure durability and a long lifespan (25-30 years). With an estimated 60 million solar panels in Europe (and many more worldwide), this represents a significant amount of PFAS. In addition, PFAS are used in other components of the energy transition, such as batteries, wind turbines and hydrogen technologies.
Discarded solar panels (estimated to be 500,000 in the Netherlands within 5 years) pose a risk due to PFAS and antimony emissions when shredded or incinerated. Current recycling processes are inadequate, and there is no solution yet for the safe processing of PFAS-containing panels. A ban could exacerbate this problem if existing panels are not handled properly.
Through exposure via the environment (food and tap water) and consumer products, almost everyone is unknowingly exposed to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). There are European studies in which the concentration of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) (which is one of the PFAS substances) in the blood has been determined in the general population. According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), various European studies show that people in the EU (European Union) have an average of 3.5 nanograms of PFOA per milliliter of blood serum.
There are approximately 5,000 different types of PFAS. The best known are GenX, PFOA and PFOS. The substance has been used since the 1950s in non-stick coatings in pans and to waterproof rain gear. The substance is also used in lubricants, packaging and fire-fighting foam. PFAS have also recently been found in hobby eggs. PFAS are generally toxic, bind to tissue and accumulate in the food chain. They affect the immune system. Some types are carcinogenic upon long-term exposure.
PFAS can be found in various products, including:
- Clothing and textiles (water and dirt-repellent clothing, rainwear, outdoor sports clothing)
- Food packaging materials (grease and water-repellent packaging)
- Lubricants
- Fire extinguishing foam
- Non-stick coatings on pans
- Cosmetics (water and dirt repellent make-up, mascara, foundation)
Eleven interest groups are taking the Dutch State to court for grossly neglecting its duty of care to protect Dutch citizens, animals and the environment from the harmful effects of PFAS contamination. The legal proceedings started on 7 August at the court in The Hague. Law firm Knoops’ lawyers issued the summons. According to the organisations, the Dutch State is taking too few measures to limit and prevent the damage caused by PFAS.
It concerns the Nature and Environment Federation of South Holland and North Holland, the Frisian and Zeeland Environmental Federation, the Healthy Water Foundation, SchipholWatch, the Association of Residents of Eelde Airport, the Trade Union of Fire Service Volunteers, the Fire Service Interest Group, the Trade Union for Civilian and Military Defence Personnel and the Foundation for the Elderly Network of West Friesland. In Friesland it was discovered that in some places in the water there were no less than nine hundred times as much PFAS as desirable according to official guidelines. An interim judgment was made on 12 March 2025 and a ruling on 10 June 2025. The court ruled that the Dutch State failed to take sufficient measures to protect citizens, animals and the environment against the harmful effects of PFAS.
Key outcomes of the trial:
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The court ruled that the government had breached its duty of care by failing to take sufficient action against PFAS contamination, especially in areas with extremely high concentrations (such as Friesland, where the standard was exceeded up to 900 times).
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There was insufficient concrete policy to prevent further spread of PFAS and to tackle existing pollution.
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The State must come up with an action plan within a certain period (usually one year) to: limit further discharges of PFAS, remediate contaminated sites and introduce better monitoring and standards.
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For individual victims (such as residents or firefighters who suffered damage to their health), it must be examined further whether they are entitled to compensation. The environmental organizations were satisfied with the ruling, because the State is now obliged to take stricter action. The government indicated that it would study the ruling and possibly take additional measures.
If the State fails to comply, new legal steps may follow, such as a penalty payment or a new lawsuit.
The Zuiderzeeland water board took a sample at two locations in the long and wide ditch that runs parallel to Lelystad airport. At both locations, a concentration was measured that was far above the surface standard of 0.65 nanograms per liter. At one location, this was even 350 nanograms. ‘This exceedance in the Meerkoetentocht is 538 times above the standard.
This is reason to immediately initiate a follow-up investigation’, according to the Zuiderzeeland water board. High concentrations of PFOS were previously found near other airports, including in Rotterdam, Leeuwarden and Enschede. This chemical substance, which falls under the collective name PFAS, is harmful to humans and the environment above certain values.
PFOS used to be in fire-fighting foam that the fire brigade often used at airports. Waterschap Zuiderzeeland found concentrations of PFOS in a ditch near Lelystad Airport that were 538 times above the standard.
Waterschap Scheldestromen has investigated PFAS at all sewage treatment plants in Zeeland and PFAS was found at all fifteen. Now the water board wants to investigate further where it comes from. The amount of PFAS found is between 12 and 229 nanograms per liter, of which the water board says that almost all places remain below 100 nanograms, which is the normal permissible value. The water board wants to find out where the PFAS comes from.
Once PFAS is in the water, it cannot be removed, which is why the water board wants to track down the sources. Other sources of PFAS mentioned by the water board are locations where PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam has been used or is being processed, landfills and waste processors, and some industries have also discharged PFAS in the past. There are differences between the measurements of the fifteen Zeeland purification plants. The purification plants of the Willem Annapolder near ’s Gravenpolder, the Mastgat on Schouwen-Duivelanden and the plant on Walcheren have the highest priority for further research because slightly more PFAS has been found there.
At the end of May 2024, it turned out that the PFAS contamination in the Jelsumer Faert in Friesland was caused by the use of PFOS (part of PFAS) in fire-fighting foam that was used until 2006 at the former fire training site at the air base. PFAS contamination at defense locations is a known problem. The competent authority, namely ILT, has been informed of this and Defense thus complies with the legal obligation to report the currently investigated and known contamination (duty of care under the Soil Protection Act).
For the locations where the contamination is known, Defence is drawing up a remediation plan. At Gilze-Rijen air base, Artillery Shooting Camp ’t Harde, Infantry Shooting Camp Harskamp, Deelen air base, Groot Heidekamp Complex, sites in Eindhoven, Volkel and Woensdrecht, De Kooy air base in Den Helder, former military training area Bathmen in Overijssel and former De Peel air base in Limburg. It was previously announced that Leeuwarden air base is seriously contaminated with PFOS, as is the surface water in the area. The sites have been sprayed with PFOS-containing fire-fighting foam for years. Because a national framework for action is still lacking, Defence has agreed in consultation with ILT to act on a risk-based basis. In the case of Leeuwarden, for example, a partial remediation plan was drawn up in advance.
Within this plan, the contaminated dredged material and the former fire brigade training site will be cleaned up. Last year, an initial soil remediation was carried out in Leeuwarden to clean up the soil contamination with PFOS as a result of the crash of the Starfighter in 2002 as best as possible. Your Chamber will be informed as soon as more is known about the implementation of the remediation plans at other locations.
The exceedance is more than 13,000 times the standard of 0.65 nanograms per liter (according to the European Water Framework Directive). In a sewer pipe, where a sewer system of an air base connects to, the standard was found to be exceeded more than 2,000 times. “These are exceedance concentrations that have not been measured in the Netherlands before,” said dike reeve Luzette Kroon of the Wetterskip Fryslân at a press conference.
PFAS contain carbon-fluorine bonds, one of the strongest chemical bonds in organic chemistry. This means they are resistant to degradation during use and also in the environment. Most PFAS can also be easily transported in the environment, over long distances from the source of their release. PFAS are persistent, or eventually metabolized, pollutants that lead to irreversible environmental exposure and accumulation.
Due to their water solubility and mobility, contamination of surface water, groundwater, drinking water and soil has occurred and will continue to occur both in the EU and globally. Removing PFAS once released into the environment has proven to be very difficult and extremely costly.
Furthermore, some PFASs have been documented as toxic and/or bioaccumulative substances, both with respect to human health and the environment. Without action, their concentrations will continue to rise and their toxic and polluting effects will be difficult to reverse.
People are exposed to PFAS and other chemicals mainly through food, and especially by eating fish, vegetables, (hobby) eggs and drinking water. In addition, we ingest PFAS through coffee, tea, grain products, dairy products, meat and fruit. The concentrations that people ingest are usually above the so-called “health limit value”.
RIVM examined samples of 54 foods. Cod was found to contain the highest PFAS concentrations, followed by canned salmon and fish sticks. PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. This term refers to chemical substances that are hardly degradable and are associated with (testicular) cancer, increased cholesterol and reproductive defects.
Chicken eggs from the area around Sliedrecht and the rest of the Alblasserwaard are unsafe to consume due to the high amount of PFAS. Eating 1 or 2 eggs can already be harmful. At 1 location, eating 1 egg by a 4-year-old child was enough to ingest 20 times more PFAS than is safe. (see also below at Chemours). The drinking water also contains much higher values than are permitted in Europe.
Elevated concentrations of PFAS were also found in a ditch between Rotterdam Airport and the adjacent vegetable gardens. The GGD therefore advises not to eat vegetables or fruit from the vegetable gardens for the time being. Owners of the vegetable gardens are advised not to use ditch water to irrigate their crops, to wear gloves while gardening and to wash their hands afterwards.
Elevated concentrations of PFAS have also been found around the fire brigade’s training ground on the airport complex. The reason for the elevated concentrations in the area is probably an extinguishing agent that the fire brigade used until 2020 during incidents at the airport. That contained PFAS, according to the management of Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA).
Schiphol is also still stuck with 180,000 tons of PFAS soil, even after large quantities were previously transported to other landfills in the region. After two years of research and testing, Schiphol believes it has found the solution, namely a washing installation that, according to its own statements, would clean the toxic soil by 80 percent.
What remains is 20 percent of heavily contaminated sludge, or 1,500 trucks’ worth of heavily contaminated sludge. Of which Schiphol wants to bake bricks. In the baking process, the high temperatures must ensure that the PFAS breaks down and thus becomes harmless. However, to break down the PFAS, it must be heated to 1100 to 1400 degrees. Schiphol has used PFAS on a large scale since the 1960s, in fire-fighting foam and in dirt-repellent coatings on aircraft, among other things. According to a map by Le Monde, PFAS is present in the soil at and around the airport in unprecedented quantities and sometimes in extremely high concentrations, such as around the fire brigade’s training ground.
Large parts of the Amsterdamse Bos are also contaminated, the banks of the Ringvaart, the entire route of the N201 for which Schiphol soil was apparently used and on and around the Grote Poel, near the Amstelveen town hall. Measurements have been taken as far as Nieuw-Vennep, Hoofddorp, Aalsmeer and Badhoevedorp that show that PFAS is present in the soil in dangerously high concentrations.
The washing installation that Schiphol has purchased will soon be built, without a prior environmental impact assessment. From the autumn of 2024, the installation must be placed next to the Zwanenburgbaan, on one of the temporary storage sites for toxic soil that Schiphol is rich in. In three years’ time, the 7,500 trucks of PFAS clay must be cleaned there.
In recent months, Schiphol has conducted a test with a special extraction device in one of the fire stations at the take-off and landing area. Air that is polluted with ultrafine particles ends up in that device and the machine filters the air. Clean air without ultrafine particles then goes outside again. The device appears to work well.
On average, the device reduces ultrafine particles by 75 percent. Because windows and doors are sometimes opened in the barracks, the percentage of ultrafine particles in the air is slightly higher. The device will remain in the barracks and will also be used in other buildings near the take-off and landing areas in the coming period. When this will happen and where this will be is not yet known. After that, the airport also wants to test the machine outdoors, on the D pier. Schiphol will also conduct a test against ultrafine particles in the air at Twente Airport near Enschede in November 2023.
A special technique with water droplets was tested last year and has now been further developed. Special sprayers produce mist near an aircraft with running engines. The ultrafine dust must adhere to this mist and therefore quickly fall to the ground instead of spreading further in the air. If the results of this test are good, Schiphol wants to test this method on a larger scale.
A report points to the millions of litres of partially burned jet engine lubricant that are dumped on residential areas each year. Up until now, the aviation lobby – supported by renowned institutes such as TNO, RIVM and NLR – has claimed that aircraft emissions are only a local and negligible problem. For example, it is stated that 96 percent of the pollution with ‘substances of very high concern’ remains within the airport grounds and therefore has little effect on public health.
Aircraft emissions mainly involve incompletely combusted sulphurous kerosene and the additives it contains. A study by the European Union in 2015 already pointed out the presence of carcinogenic substances in the lubricants for aircraft turbines. Another study at Frankfurt Airport demonstrated PFAS compounds in the additives of this oil. Jet engines are known to use, burn, leak, lose and disperse lubricating oil through combustion.
This involves large quantities, estimated at around two million tonnes per year for the whole of the Netherlands. This means that these emissions are not a marginal problem, as TNO would have us believe, but involve substantial quantities of toxic substances released from air traffic above residential areas. Schiphol is trying to distract attention with the fire-fighting foam story, in which it deliberately and knowingly places the blame for the PFAS pollution on years of practicing with fire-fighting foam.
This pollution has indeed been demonstrated and is causing major problems, such as the construction of a controversial remediation plant for 200,000 tons of contaminated soil at Schiphol. However, the airport blithely claims that there is no emission into the air. This claim is now being vehemently refuted by Milieu Front Eijsden.
The report convincingly demonstrates that the PFAS pollution does indeed bear the signature of Schiphol , but that it is many times greater than the pollution caused by the fire-fighting foam. The almost 500,000 annual flights spread enormous quantities of PFAS and other toxic substances through the air every day.
According to the report, in 2023, a whopping 64 tons of lubricating oils were contaminated with PFAS. That is more than 300 full oil drums of toxins, not including the contamination from the fire-fighting foam. PFAS, or poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not or hardly break down in the environment. They spread worldwide through the water cycle and even through rainwater.
Substances such as PFPE, PFOA, PFOS, GenX and PTFE (Teflon) are substances of very high concern that cause serious soil and groundwater contamination. The EU is trying to restrict the use of PFAS in more and more products, but aviation seems to be left out of this. Manufacturer Chemours touts the benefits of its Krytox PFPE oil for lower fuel consumption, but makes no mention of the disastrous effects on health.
Lubricant emissions do not just contain PFAS. Research has shown that they contain a cocktail of other toxic substances. The EU’s 2015 AVOIL study identified the presence of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as naphthalene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. These are created by partial oxidation (combustion) of the lubricants. PAHs have long been linked to increased risk of several cancers, including prostate, kidney and testicular cancer, and impaired immune function.
In addition, neuroactive pyrolysis products and the nerve agent tricresyl phosphate (TCP) are found in the emissions of the lubricating oil. TCP can account for up to three percent of the total volume of the oil and is known for its damaging effects on the nervous system. It can lead to permanent muscle paralysis, among other things. In this light, it is incomprehensible that this substance is still allowed to be used in aircraft engine oil, while it is already banned in most other applications due to its toxicity. Aromatic amines, highly toxic derivatives of ammonia with neurotoxic effects, have also been identified in the emissions.
These substances can not only affect the nervous system, but in animal studies they also have harmful effects on the testicles and sperm and lead to increased mortality in pregnant animals. The toxic substances are largely distributed in the form of ultrafine particles (ufp) with a diameter of only 10 to 30 nanometers. The research around Frankfurt airport has shown that as much as 21 percent of the total mass of the ufp particles consists of turbine lubricating oils.
These particles are so small that they easily penetrate deep into the respiratory tract and from there enter the body and can cause serious health damage. The distribution of these substances is also not uniform, but concentrates on the areas below the approach routes. The use of the new, concentrated flight paths in particular leads to a high level of pollution below these routes.
Residents in these areas are directly exposed to the toxins in high concentrations. Landing aircraft spread the pollution via air vortices up to fifteen kilometers away. The report calls the situation around Schiphol ‘catastrophic’. The estimated 58 tons of PFAS-contaminated turbine lubricants emitted by commercial aircraft in 2023 are a gigantic and chronic source of poisoning for hundreds of thousands of residents.
Schiphol’s repeated denials that it is ‘merely a user of fire-fighting foam’ and does not spread PFAS through the air are refuted by this report. The PFAS pollution is many times more serious than that caused by the fire-fighting foam alone. It looks like this is a cover-up of unprecedented scale to hide the true extent of the pollution.
The report leaves no room for doubt: the aviation industry and the responsible authorities have been lying for years about the true nature and extent of the emissions. The focus on the fire-fighting foam appears to be nothing more than a misleading diversionary manoeuvre to conceal the bulk of the pollution. SchipholWatch has been calling for years to hold Schiphol to the minimisation obligation for toxic emissions that applies to all other industries in our country, but not to Schiphol.
With the facts from this report in hand, it would be good to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the exact composition, size and distribution of all aircraft emissions. And into the consequences of this for the health of local residents.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is taking the next steps for the proposal to restrict PFAS under REACH, the EU Chemicals Regulation.
The sectors and elements to be discussed in the next three committee meetings in 2024:
- Metal plating and manufacturing of metal products;
- Additional discussion on hazards (by RAC only);
Meetings September 2024;
- Textiles, upholstery, leather, clothing, carpets (TULAC);
- Materials and packaging that come into contact with food;
- Petroleum and mining;
PFAS in healthcare
The most commonly used inhalers for lung patients contain substances that are very bad for the climate. There are also concerns about PFAS that end up in the environment through the use of the inhalers. Lung experts say that the majority of patients can switch to less harmful medication. A new guideline for ‘climate-conscious prescribing’ should help doctors with this.
The sector is responsible for approximately 7 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions. The four million propellant gas inhalers that are prescribed annually in the Netherlands to approximately one and a half million lung patients also contribute to this. The propellant gas from one inhaler causes a greenhouse effect comparable to driving 320 kilometers in a gasoline car. That is a fraction of the total greenhouse effect, but lung experts still feel a responsibility here. Approximately 55 percent of the one and a half million lung patients now use them, while only 15 to 20 percent need them.
The alternative is a powder inhaler. In this case, a patient must be able to inhale very forcefully and deeply. Not everyone can do this: small children and the elderly, for example, cannot do this. They therefore depend on the puffs with propellant. This propellant ensures that the medication reaches deep into the lungs without having to breathe forcefully. Awareness among doctors has therefore grown. What most of them do not know is that the harmful propellants in the puffs belong to the PFAS. These propellants do not belong to the PFAS that are known to be harmful to humans, such as those in impregnating sprays and fire-fighting foam. Unlike these PFAS, the propellants in the puffs do not accumulate in the body and remain there for a long time, but are quickly excreted via urine.
Nevertheless, experts are concerned about it. Firstly, because those PFAS have to be produced somewhere. In the process, another type of PFAS (TFA) is formed after exhalation into the air. “That is a very unpleasant, worrying substance that spreads quickly through the air and in water.” In the meantime, there is so much TFA in water due to cooling systems in air conditioners and refrigerators, among other things, that people ingest significant amounts of it, on top of the other PFAS in the water. “TFA is not as toxic as other harmful PFAS, but the concentrations in water are many times higher,” says Jonker. “And that total PFAS load is harmful to our health.” Due to European climate regulations, pharmaceutical companies are now busy looking for alternative propellants that are less harmful.
There are also high concentrations of PFAS in the sea foam. Up until June, the advice was to rinse yourself off after a day at the beach and to ensure that children and pets swallow as little sea foam as possible. This was changed in July. The advice is now to stay away from it altogether. ‘Do not let children and pets play in sea foam’, states the main source of information, the government website zwemwater.nl. In Belgium, this warning was already in effect a year and a half ago. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, there is ‘no question of tightening policy or new advice’, but of ‘a different choice of words to eliminate ambiguities’.
Scientists have recently developed a new technique to remove PFAS from contaminated groundwater. The method works by treating the water with UV light, sulfite and electrochemical oxidation. The latter is a process in which chemical compounds are oxidized (i.e. oxygen is added to the compound) using electricity. The method breaks down the substances into less harmful chemical compounds.
Drinking water companies are currently still discharging PFAS back into surface water because they do not know what else to do with it. Drinking water companies that use membranes for filtering are left with a PFAS-containing waste stream with residual water for which there is no clear destination yet. That is why it is discharged back into nature. With another filter method, with activated carbon, not all PFAS is removed from the water and it is unclear whether the PFAS that is filtered is actually destroyed.
The risks arising from the production, placing on the market or use of PFAS are currently not sufficiently controlled. That is why the authorities of five European countries (DE, NL, NO, DK and SE), including the UBA, have already submitted a dossier with a proposal to restrict all PFAS to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in January 2023.
The dossier was published in March 2023 and responses could be submitted until September 2023. The proposal stipulates that PFAS may only be used in areas where no suitable alternatives are available in the foreseeable future or where the socio-economic benefits outweigh the disadvantages for people and the environment.
In 2018 and 2020, soil researchers investigated Bosplan in Amsterdam and took soil samples. Heavy metals such as nickel, lead and mercury were found in the soil. PAHs, PFOS and PFOA (PFOS and PFOA are two of the many PFAS that exist) were also found in the soil.
After years of consultation, the Netherlands, together with four other European countries, has submitted a proposal to ban 10,000 different poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS substances are harmful to health and the environment. Five Zeeland municipal councils around the Western Scheldt want a population survey into local PFAS. In Zeeland, there was already concern in 2021 about the possible presence of PFAS in the Western Scheldt after it emerged that chemical company 3M in the Belgian Zwijndrecht, near Antwerp, had been discharging PFAS into the Scheldt for years.
The soil in the vicinity of the factory is also contaminated. Blood tests have now been conducted among the residents of Zwijndrecht. A number of people have been found to have a much too high concentration of PFAS; new research will now follow. The government believes that the American chemical company 3M should compensate for the damage caused by harmful substances in the Zeeland Westerschelde. Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management) has held 3M liable.
At least thirty Flemish companies are still allowed to discharge PFAS into water that ultimately ends up in the Western Scheldt. These companies have a transition period until 2024 during which they are still allowed to discharge the hazardous chemicals. For example, the chemical company Sabic in Bergen op Zoom annually dumps 50 kilos of PFAS into the Western Scheldt with permission.
Half of the residents of chemical company 3M in the port area of Antwerp have excessively high PFAS levels in their blood. Over the past two years, the ministry has conducted research among more than 8,000 residents of the Belgian Zwijndrecht, near Antwerp. Earlier, smaller research had already shown that residents had increased PFAS levels in their blood, but now a larger area and possible health consequences were examined.
Researchers were able to detect measurable amounts of PFAS in the blood of almost all participants. PFOS and PFOA, substances from the PFAS family, were the most common. Higher PFAS levels were measured in elderly people, men and people who had lived in the area around the factory for a longer period of time. Higher concentrations of the chemicals were found in participants who ate eggs from the area and used the groundwater. Breastfeeding also played a role in the higher levels. Children of mothers with more PFAS in their blood also had higher concentrations themselves. According to the study, this could be due to breastfeeding.
There are also high concentrations of PFAS in the sea foam. Up until June, the advice was to rinse yourself off after a day at the beach and to ensure that children and pets swallow as little sea foam as possible. This was changed in July. The advice is now to stay away from it altogether. ‘Do not let children and pets play in sea foam’, states the main source of information, the government website zwemwater.nl. This warning was already in effect in Belgium a year and a half ago.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is investigating whether paper straws contain the harmful PFAS, in what quantities and whether it is dangerous to public health. PFAS is used to make straws grease and water repellent.
PFAS stands for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances. These are substances that do not occur naturally in the environment. Examples of PFAS are: GenX, PFOA perfluoro octanoic acid and PFOS. PFAS is used in many products such as paint, rainwear, pans and cosmetics, which means that these substances eventually end up in the environment. The substances are not or hardly biodegradable.
If people ingest small amounts of PFAS over a long period of time, it can damage the immune system and cause cancer. The first indications that pPFAS is harmful date back to the 1960s and 1970s. Tests with rats and monkeys showed that small doses already have major consequences for health. Rats developed eye defects, test monkeys died within three weeks. The presence of PFAS has now paralyzed many construction projects.
Due to stricter environmental regulations, the movement of soil has been restricted. The government wants to temporarily increase the so-called PFAS standard considerably to get construction moving. The standard will be increased eightfold to 0.8 micrograms per kilo of soil. A limit of 0.1 micrograms was called “hysterical” by experts. Infants appear to already have the substances in high concentrations in their blood via breast milk, which means that vaccinations, for example, work less or not at all.
The toxic substances are in many products and foods such as eggs, fruit, salmon, etc. but also in non-stick coatings and raincoats. The latest safe standard is 6.9 mg per liter but on average there appear to be a multiple of this in the blood. PFAS expert and environmental chemist Chiel Jonker is shocked by the values in two Gelderland lakes. “In the recreational lake De Betteld there is 4530 nanograms of PEQ per liter.
PFOS in eggs from hobby chickens
The GGD and RIVM advised at the end of 2024 not to eat eggs from hobby chickens from this region as a precaution. That advice still applies. According to experts, eggs from the supermarket can be eaten safely, because they are checked before they end up in the store. That does not apply to eggs from chickens that are kept by people on a small scale in the garden or on the yard.
Arcadis investigated the possible causes of the high concentrations of PFOS. The researchers looked at various types of feed, water, soil, ground cover, vitamins and medicines, but found no explanation. Earthworms also came into the picture during the investigation.
Measurements of dozens of earthworms showed that bioaccumulation occurs: the accumulation of chemical substances in an organism. Worms eat all sorts of things they find in the ground. They themselves are eaten by scratching chickens. The measured quantities in the worms can explain the majority of the harmful substances in the eggs, according to the parties involved.
PFOS is present in the soil in low concentrations throughout the Netherlands, but that could not explain the high concentrations in the eggs. However, the earthworms contain such concentrations that there is a clear connection’, states Arcadis. ‘But we do not know whether this is the only cause. There may be more sources.’
The RIVM, which previously conducted research into the eggs laid by chickens from the Chemours area, is now conducting a national study. A RIVM study shows that eggs contain between 78 and 241 picograms of PFAS equivalent per gram. The hobby chicken eggs that set off alarm bells contained 6 to 10,000 times this standard. Five times as many eggs are now being imported from Ukraine.
PFAS pesticide residues on strawberries, lettuce and grapes
Far more than a hundred times above the guideline value for drinking water, a new study has found. If it’s in grapes, it’s probably in everything else we grow that contains water, says Karin Lexén, secretary general of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. The study, which looked at 49 wines, mostly Austrian, found no TFA before 1988, but after 2020 levels skyrocketed, ranging from 21,000 to 310,000 nanograms per liter.
Pfas can also be found in make-up, impregnation, popcorn bags, fire-fighting foam, non-stick pans and solar cells. There are 15,000 variants of PFAS, many of which break down into TFA. More than half of strawberries (67%), lettuce (62%) and grapes (52%) contain residues of PFAS pesticides.
This is evident from an analysis by Pesticide Action Network (PAN-NL) of the most recent residue measurements by the NVWA on fruit and vegetables in shops. One or more PFAS pesticides are present on 20% of the fruit and 21% of the vegetables tested. There are also fruits and vegetables on which the NVWA found no PFAS pesticides: asparagus, red cabbage, cauliflower, pointed cabbage, Brussels sprouts, fennel and pineapple.
PFOS and PFAS at airports
The Zuiderzeeland water board took a sample at two locations in the long and wide ditch that runs parallel to the airport. At both locations, a P FOS concentration was measured that was 538 times above the surface standard of 0.65 nanograms per liter. At one location, this was even 350 nanograms. ‘This exceedance in the Meerkoetentocht is 538 times above the standard. This is reason to immediately initiate a follow-up investigation’, according to the Zuiderzeeland water board.
High concentrations of PFOS have previously been found near other airports, including Rotterdam, Leeuwarden and Enschede. This chemical substance, which falls under the collective name PFAS, is harmful to humans and the environment above certain values. PFOS used to be in fire-fighting foam that the fire brigade often used at airports. Waterschap Zuiderzeeland found concentrations of PFOS in a ditch along Lelystad Airport that are 538 times above the standard.
The human body is full of PFAS, pesticides, nano plastic particles, drug residues and other toxins. The entire food chain is now unhealthy. Processed meat, vegetables, fruit and water in plastic, pesticides in our drinking water and on vegetables and fruit. For a normal person it is all too much to keep up with. And even if you keep up, it is unavoidable because almost all food and water has something wrong with it or is being tampered with.
It is not without reason that cancer is becoming more common. Every individual knows people in his or her environment who have or have had cancer. Even the air we breathe is bad, especially in industrial areas or in the vicinity of Tata Steel. But it is also not safe in agricultural areas. Alzheimer’s is more common there due to the use of pesticides. Clearly a wake-up call, but unfortunately there is no improvement apart from control. In 2022, 170,112 people died in the Netherlands. The condition from which most people died in 2022 was dementia (more than 16,000). Lung cancer (more than 10,000), stroke (more than 9,000), coronary heart disease (more than 8,000) and Covid (more than 8,000) were the top five causes of death that lead to the highest mortality. Infections of the upper respiratory tract due to environmental pollution are number two of the most common diseases.
The Netherlands is one of the most polluted countries in Europe. A study by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment shows that the Dutch live an average of four months less due to nitrogen dioxide emissions from traffic alone.
Agricultural poisons are found in 80 percent of the waters in the Netherlands and the environmental standard is exceeded in 40 percent. Sometimes the water even contains a hundred times as much poison as the standard. Eleven interest groups are taking the Dutch State to court because of the gross failure to meet its duty of care to protect Dutch citizens, animals and the environment from the harmful effects of PFAS-contaminated harmful effects of PFAS pollution. According to the organizations, the Dutch State is taking too few measures to limit and prevent the damage caused by PFAS.
There are also high concentrations of PFAS in the sea foam. Scientists discovered that microorganisms belonging to the genus Acetobacterium, which are abundant in wastewater environments worldwide, can break down persistent fluorocarbon bonds through reductive defluorination. These microbes may help solve the PFAS problem.
However, the bacteria are only effective against unsaturated PFAS compounds that have carbon-carbon double bonds in their chemical structure. Last year, other microbes were also shown to be able to remove chlorine atoms from chlorinated PFAS compounds. This ensures that these contaminants are broken down and removed. The latest discovery significantly increases the number of PFAS compounds that can be biodegraded.
Up until June 2023, the advice was to rinse yourself off after a day at the beach and to ensure that children and pets swallow as little sea foam as possible. This was changed in July 2024. The advice is now to stay away from it altogether. ‘Do not let children and pets play in sea foam’, states the main source of information, the government website zwemwater.nl.
In Belgium, this warning was already in effect a year and a half ago. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, there is ‘no question of tightening up policy or new advice’, but of ‘a different choice of words to remove ambiguities’.
Talking to each other about climate and environmental pollution
Minister Sophie Hermans VVD and MP Jetten D’66 believe it is important that people talk to each other about the climate and environmental pollution. The Citizens’ Council on Climate received six million euros for hotels, interpreters and psychological support, but hundreds of thousands more are needed for catering, childcare, lactation rooms, quiet rooms and psychological support. BBB is asking parliamentary questions to the Minister of Climate & Green Growth. They want clarification about the rising costs, the way in which participants were selected and the influence that the council will have on policy. It emerged that a participant is openly politically active for GroenLinks, which raises questions about the independence and objectivity of the council. In addition, the process is led by scientists and organisations that already have a clear preference for stricter climate policy.
The Citizens’ Council on Climate is a legacy of the previous minister Rob Jetten of D66. BBB points out that the election results of November 2023 have indicated a different course. “The Dutch have made it clear that they have had enough of unrealistic and very expensive climate policy. This citizens’ council is a remnant of a cabinet that has completely lost touch with society. The PVV is also against the Citizens’ Council.
The Nature Restoration Act stipulates, among other things, that all European countries must have taken measures by 2030 to restore at least 20 percent of the damaged nature in their own country. Countries may designate these areas themselves under certain conditions. For example, more biodiversity must be created on agricultural land, cities must become greener and pesticide use must be reduced so that insects can pollinate plants again. The Nature Restoration Act obliges member states to restore at least 30 percent of habitats in poor condition by 2030, with priority attention to Natura 2000 areas. In 2050, this must be 90 percent.
Climate change is also a hot topic at the global level and a central theme at the three main global institutions:
- World Economic Forum (WEF)
➤ Focus: system change, public-private partnerships, technology
WEF 2025 treated climate change as the No. 2 structural risk, right after armed conflict.
Much attention was paid to:
- Energy security versus energy transition (think of the balance between gas, oil and renewables).
- Launch of nature restoration corridors, such as the “Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor” initiative.
- Partnerships with tech companies for climate data and satellite monitoring.
- Trump’s oil policy (more fossil production) led to friction in climate discussions.
WEF sees climate as a strategic issue for global cooperation, in which economic resilience and data-driven policy also play a role.
- International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB)
➤ Focus: Life science side of climate impact and solutions
- Climate change is on their science agenda for 2025–2026 under the themes:
- Climate effects on cellular stress, protein folding errors, and DNA damage.
- Biodiversity and adaptation of enzymatic systems to heat, drought or acidity changes.
- Biotechnological solutions: such as synthetic biology for CO₂ storage, and microorganisms that can break down plastic or methane.
The IUBMB looks at climate primarily from a molecular level and how biochemistry can contribute to sustainable solutions.
- Bilderberg
➤ Focus: geopolitical, economic and social power effects of climate policy
Official agenda is secret, but sources confirm that in 2025, among other things, was discussed:
- Climate as a power shift factor: raw materials, migration flows, new energy blocks.
- Impact of climate technology on sovereignty and national control (e.g. who manages CO₂ storage, AI-driven climate interventions?).
- Financial risks of climate investments (green bonds, ESG risks).
Bilderberg sees climate primarily as a strategic power game between states, companies and institutions.
Scientists recently discovered that microorganisms belonging to the genus Acetobacterium, which are widely present in wastewater environments worldwide, can break down persistent fluorine-carbon bonds through reductive defluorination. These microbes could potentially help solve the PFAS problem. However, the bacteria are only effective against unsaturated PFAS compounds that have carbon-carbon double bonds in their chemical structure. Last year, other microbes were also shown to be able to remove chlorine atoms from chlorinated PFAS compounds. This ensures that these contaminants are broken down and removed. This latest discovery significantly expands the number of PFAS compounds that can be biodegraded.
EU climate target for 2040
European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra presented the EU climate target for 2040: 90 percent less greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990, as a step towards a climate-neutral EU in 2050. Due to resistance to climate policy, partly due to global crises and a focus on defense and the economy, setting this target was complex. Some countries, such as Poland and Italy, wanted a lower percentage, while Germany supports the plan.
Hoekstra travelled through Europe to gain support and proposes that countries may achieve up to 3 percent of the emission reduction outside the EU, for example through projects in India or South America. Scientists and MEPs, such as Mohammed Chahim (GL-PvdA), criticize this as difficult to control and advocate for investments in the EU.
Months of debate between EU countries and the European Parliament are expected, with the 90 percent target likely to remain in place but concessions potentially weakening actual implementation.
Trump has no interest in sustainability or a better environment
The U.S. Department of Energy is cutting about $3.7 billion in government support for renewable energy projects. The administration recently decided to audit more than $15 billion in support awarded by the administration of former President Joe Biden.
The department says it has been determined that the projects being cut do not adequately meet Americans’ energy needs, are not economically viable and are not profitable investments of taxpayer money.
The cancelled awards include $331 million for oil and gas company ExxonMobil. The company wanted to use the money for a hydrogen project in the state of Texas. Kraft Heinz, the manufacturer of ketchup brand Heinz and cream cheeses from Philadelphia, has also been hit by the measure. The company was to receive $170 million for a series of sustainable energy projects.
CO2 storage space is filling up, TNO warns of limited space
Dutch companies will be able to apply for subsidies for CO2 storage abroad in 2025. In February it was announced that the so-called Incentive Scheme for Sustainable Energy Production and Climate Transition (SDE++) would not be used for foreign CO2 storage. Subsidies for CO2 storage across the border can ensure that there is less demand for storage projects in the Netherlands.
With this SDE++, companies can get money if they generate sustainable energy or prevent CO2 emissions. For the time being, 8 billion euros are available for the new round that starts in October. Of the money that was approved last year, more than a tenth went to CO2 storage.
The empty natural gas fields used for underground CO₂ storage will be full by the end of this century. Experts from TNO warn of this in the economics journal ESB. CO2 storage, or carbon capture and storage (CCS), is considered an important technique for limiting global warming. For extra space, the Netherlands is looking primarily at the empty natural gas fields under the North Sea, but there are several potential storage locations.
The Dutch chemical company Yara Sluiskil is already capturing excess CO2. After it has been liquefied, it is stored in tanks and then, from 2026, transported by sea to Norway twice a week by ship. In the meantime, the technology for CCS has improved considerably, which has reduced the costs considerably. ‘It has become more affordable and is almost automatic. According to the TNO experts, close cooperation in a European context is of great importance.
The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose rapidly again last year. Methane is produced by both natural processes and human activities, such as food production and natural gas extraction. It remains in the atmosphere for up to 12 years and is about 85 times more powerful in causing climate change in the short term than CO2.
As the Earth warms, methane deposits in previously frozen areas are released into the atmosphere, potentially setting off a chain reaction. For the first time, the CO2 in the air is 1.5 times higher than it was before the industrial era. The last time CO2 concentrations were this high was millions of years ago, when the Earth was on average 2 to 3 degrees warmer.
The sea level was then 10 to 20 meters higher. CO2 emissions remain high. The increase in the amount of methane in the air was slightly less strong than in record year 2021, but still much higher than in previous years. This is worrying, because methane is a very strong greenhouse gas. After CO2, it is the most important cause of global warming.
In Denmark, scientists at the University of Copenhagen recently developed a technique that can break down methane very quickly. Although methane does not stay in the atmosphere as long as CO2, it can have a much greater impact for short periods. In addition, it is difficult to burn methane from human activities before it is released into the atmosphere, because the concentration is too low. hope to solve the methane problem now.
They developed a device, the Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS), that can break down the substance 100 million times faster than it normally does in nature. The gas is pumped into a sealed space, after which chlorine is added. Using UV light, the chlorine molecules are split in two. The resulting chlorine atoms then ‘steal’ hydrogen from the normally unreactive methane gas.
The end product is hydrochloric acid, an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride gas. The chlorine in the hydrochloric acid can be reused for the process. The methane itself is split into carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen, just like in nature, only much faster. With the proven method, up to 58 percent of the methane gas in the reaction chamber can be removed.
The research team has formed a company, Ambient Carbon, to commercially build a larger version of MEPS, about the size of a shipping container. The device is to be used to control methane emissions from livestock farms. The meat industry is responsible for about 14 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
By 2030, a quarter of the Amazon and three quarters of Borneo’s rainforests will have disappeared. A total of 170 million hectares. Borneo is among the most threatened areas – half of its forest has been cut down in the past twenty years – but so are East Africa, the Mekong region in Southeast Asia, the Cerrado in Brazil and eastern Australia.
Forests absorb about 11 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions and reduce the greenhouse effect. Despite all the climate summits mentioned earlier, Poland wants to cut down more than 180 thousand cubic meters of trees in the Bialowieza Forest. The 1500 square kilometer forest is the last primeval forest in Europe. It is a remnant of the immense forest that covered Central Europe until the Middle Ages and is populated by, among other things, the largest bison population in Europe.
The Bialowieza Forest on the border of Poland and Belarus is the last remaining primeval forest in Europe and is therefore on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The forest is home to European bison (the largest population in Europe), wolves, lynx and other rare or endangered species.
Since 2016, the government has been logging the old-growth forest, supposedly to contain an insect plague, and is now building a 186-kilometre border fence intended to deter migrants trying to enter the European Union via Belarus. The European Court of Justice ruled in 2018 that Poland had breached European nature legislation in doing so.
In 2021, greenhouse gas emissions were 1.5 percent higher than in 2020. In total, emissions are now 24.1 percent lower than in 1990. Ammonia emissions fell by more than 2 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year. Mainly due to a decrease in the number of animals.
CO2 tax for industry scrapped: a step backwards for climate goals?
For the time being, Dutch industry will not have to pay a national CO2 levy for its emissions. An agreement from the coalition agreement of PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB, which would oblige companies to pay extra for their CO2 emissions, is expected to be reversed by a majority in parliament on 26 June 2025. This decision, which stems from a CDA motion, marks a striking break with climate policy and exposes the tensions within the caretaker government. What does this mean for the environment, industry and the future of the Netherlands’ climate goals?
An unexpected twist
The CO2 levy, which would be added to the European Emissions Trading System (ETS), was a core component of the main agreement to achieve the 2030 climate goals. The plan was to invest the proceeds in sustainability and greening, such as subsidies for green technologies and energy-efficient processes. However, even the government parties VVD and BBB, which initially agreed to the levy, are now opting for its abolition. It is striking that they are doing so against their own outgoing Minister of Climate and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans (VVD).
The VVD justifies its turnaround by appealing to the competitiveness of Dutch industry. “Dutch industry is known worldwide for its innovative strength, and we want to continue to reap the benefits of that in the future,” the party states. With the elections of October 29, 2025 in sight, political considerations and pressure from the business community seem to weigh more heavily than the agreements in the coalition agreement.
The main reason for scrapping the levy is the fear of unfair competition. Large Dutch companies, such as those in the chemical, steel and energy-intensive sectors, argue that the additional levy disadvantages them compared to European competitors that only fall under the ETS.
High energy prices, tightness on the electricity grid and slow progress in sustainability make it difficult for companies to quickly switch to sustainable alternatives. CDA leader Henri Bontenbal emphasizes that many companies are still dependent on fossil fuels, partly because the infrastructure for green energy is lagging behind.
Although companies have been formally subject to the CO2 levy since 2021, they have been largely compensated so far. The levy yielded relatively modest amounts to the treasury, but this could increase to hundreds of millions of euros in the coming years. Abolishing the levy means that this income, which was intended for climate policy, will disappear.
With the elections approaching, parties feel less bound to the coalition agreement. The PVV and BBB, who are traditionally critical of strict climate rules, are seizing this opportunity to serve their supporters. At the same time, Minister Hermans warns that scrapping the levy will jeopardize the financing of greening projects, which could undermine climate goals.
GL-PvdA is furious about the decision. “After years of stagnation and cutbacks in climate policy, CDA and VVD are now also dismantling the CO2 levy,” the party states. According to GL-PvdA, the House is throwing an important instrument for innovation and sustainability in the trash. Environmental organizations, such as Natuur & Milieu and Urgenda, agree. They point out that the Netherlands is already struggling to achieve the CO2 reduction targets of 55% in 2030 (compared to 1990). According to them, abolishing the levy will make this even more difficult.
On the other hand, the business community, represented by organisations such as VNO-NCW, welcomes the decision. They have long advocated a level playing field within Europe and more support for sustainability instead of extra taxes.
The abolition of the CO2 tax has direct and indirect consequences for the environment:
- Without financial incentives, companies remain dependent on fossil fuels, which slows CO2 emissions.
- The revenues from the levy were intended for green projects, such as the development of hydrogen technology and the expansion of wind energy. The loss of this revenue could lead to a delay in these initiatives.
- Abolishing the levy could undermine confidence in the Netherlands’ climate ambitions, both nationally and internationally.
However, the Dutch climate goals, as laid down in the Climate Act, remain intact. A new cabinet will have to come up with alternative measures to achieve these goals. Possible options include higher subsidies for sustainable technologies, stricter emission standards or a revision of the ETS at European level.
The Netherlands is not the only country struggling with the balance between climate policy and economic competition. In 2023, the EU introduced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a levy on CO2-intensive imports, to counter unfair competition from outside Europe. This mechanism, which will come into full effect in 2026, could ease the pressure on Dutch companies. However, critics point out that the ETS and CBAM alone are not enough to reduce emissions quickly enough.
In addition, the Netherlands is struggling with structural bottlenecks in the energy transition . The tightness of the electricity grid, which TenneT warned about in 2024, limits the possibilities for companies to switch to green energy. At the same time, the costs for green hydrogen and other innovations are still high, despite subsidies from the National Growth Fund.
What a new cabinet will do with this parliamentary decision remains speculative. The elections of October 2025 will determine which parties will set the tone for climate policy. According to polls by I&O Research (2024), a majority of Dutch people support stricter climate measures, but only if they are affordable and the burden is distributed fairly. This makes the CO2 tax, or an alternative to it, a politically sensitive issue.
For now, the industry seems to be getting a breather, but the price could be high. Without effective measures, the Netherlands risks missing its climate goals, with consequences for the environment and its international reputation as a leader in sustainability. The vote in the House of Representatives was not only a political choice, but also a signal about the priorities of the Netherlands in a crucial phase of the energy transition.
Dutch industry is responsible for approximately 30% of national CO2 emissions, with major players such as Tata Steel , Shell and Chemelot as major emitters (CBS, 2024).
The ETS covers around 40% of the EU’s CO2 emissions, but the price of emission rights (around €70 per tonne of CO2 in 2025) is not high enough for some companies to stimulate rapid sustainability. In 2024, energy prices for companies in the Netherlands were 20% higher than the EU average, according to Eurostat, reinforcing the call for compensation. The Netherlands must emit 55% less CO2 in 2030 compared to 1990. In 2023, the reduction was 37%, which means that acceleration is needed (RIVM, 2024). VNO-NCW advocates a ‘smart’ CO2 tax that only applies to companies that do not invest in sustainability, instead of a generic tax. Rob Jetten of D66 wanted to increase the levy for companies that emit more than 50 kilotons of CO2 per year from 145 euros per kiloton to 185 euros.
CO2 is carbon dioxide, or the chemical compound between carbon and oxygen. The new initiative law in which the CO2 targets for 2030 would be further tightened and fixed by 15%, so that the Netherlands would emit 55 percent less greenhouse gases in fifteen years compared to 1990, has been taken off the table due to the fall of the cabinet. The initiative proposal included, among other things, how much the sectors that cannot buy emission rights are allowed to emit. The targets were also not met last year. For that reason, emissions trading is flourishing. In 2024, Tesla earned 2.76 billion dollars in revenue from the sale of emission rights, an increase of 54% compared to the 1.79 billion dollars in 2023
The government collects approximately 24 billion euros in environmental levies and taxes annually, but in practice this is far too little. Compared to other EU countries, environmental taxes and levies are already relatively high here, but due to the intended energy transition, the expected network investments are much higher than the current tax revenues. According to the treaty, CO2 emissions must be reduced by 95 percent in 2050 and the energy supply must be 100 percent sustainable.
Coal-fired power stations
The closure of one or two of the three brand new coal-fired power stations in the Netherlands is inevitable. At the end of 2016, it was decided to keep the coal-fired power stations Amercentrale 9 (near Geertruidenberg) and Hemweg 8 (near Amsterdam) open. There was a majority in the House of Representatives for the closure of all coal-fired power stations in the Netherlands. 64 professors had called for the closure of all coal-fired power stations in the Netherlands in order to reduce CO2 emissions in our country.
Recently, however, a new coal-fired power station was built on the Rotterdam Maasvlakte for over 3 billion euros. The contribution to climate change by the port complex of Rotterdam, with all the storage, transit and processing of fossil fuels, is 3.5 times as large as the annual national emissions of the Netherlands. This is evident from research by CE Delft commissioned by climate action group Advocates for the Future. The Dutch economy runs for 95 percent on fossil fuels.
The five most polluting power plants will be closed within two years. It is not certain whether the five more modern power plants will also be closed. The four coal-fired power plants emitted around 69 percent more CO2 in 2021 than in 2020. This puts an end to the planned reduction in emissions that had started in 2015. The reduction in emissions has been converted into a tiny increase of 0.03 percent.
The largest coal-fired power station, RWE’s in Eemshaven, even emitted more than twice as much: 5.3 megatons instead of 2.5 Mtons. Together, the coal-fired power stations accounted for 7 percent of total emissions. As of January 1, 2022, coal-fired power stations may only use a maximum of 35 percent of their capacity. The G7 – the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and France – promised at the first major political session since the world’s COP28 climate conference in December to eventually phase out coal, oil and gas. It is particularly remarkable that Japan is also participating. In 2023, that country still obtained 32 percent of its energy from coal. In total, the G7 currently obtain around 16 percent of their energy from coal.
China emits the most CO2, but per capita, countries in the Middle East are at the top. The US is in second place, India in third and Russia in fourth. However, emissions in Europe are almost as high as those in Asia, while Europe has 740 million inhabitants and Asia more than 4 billion. CO2 emissions are caused by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, by deforestation for agricultural land and by office buildings, shops and homes that emit more CO2 than traffic or industry. Four hundred large companies signed an agreement at the UN climate summit in which they commit to buying more sustainable raw materials, such as palm oil, meat, paper and cocoa.
The Dutch power stations are burning a record amount of coal. The new coal-fired power stations at Eemshaven and on the Maasvlakte of E.On and GDF Suez were only allowed to be built if the CO2 would be captured and stored underground, which was also agreed. After it became clear that the EU did not want to pay for this, the capture did not go ahead. The agreements are not in black and white and are therefore not legally enforceable. The share of coal is still growing. The power stations are quite profitable but account for 14% of the total CO2 emissions.
Worldwide, this is 25 to 27%. The coal-fired power station of RWE/Essent has a capacity of 1600 megawatts and can supply 2.5 million households with electricity. The power station was officially opened on 21 April. In the Energy Agreement, it was agreed that five older power stations would be closed. Due to the decrease in the mass of the Antarctic ice cap, a regional rise in sea level of 1.8 metres within 80 years cannot be ruled out.
This is the conclusion of researchers from Utrecht University, among others. Their results were published on 4 December 2017 in the open access journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. The alternative wind turbines is also not an environmentally friendly option due to the construction and disposal thereof. Wind turbine blades also lose considerable amounts of particulate matter containing BPA due to erosion (by rain, hail, wind, etc.). Many discarded wind turbines cannot be recycled either and are simply buried.
60 million solar panels
There are already 60 million solar panels in the Netherlands and that number is growing rapidly. 89 percent of all solar panels come from China and contain PFAS. According to estimates, the entire world will have a waste mountain of 10 billion solar panels in 2050, with a total weight of 60 million tons. The production of solar panels and wind turbines costs a lot of raw materials and fossil fuels. Wind turbines in use cause damage to fish, birds and underwater life.
Windmills are now also billions more expensive due to the increased interest, material and labor costs. The budgeted deficit has now increased to 40 billion euros over a period of 25 years. The bill will eventually end up with the consumer. The larger windmill manufacturers such as Siemens, General Electric, Siemens Gamesa and Vestas are already suffering heavy losses and ongoing projects are being canceled as a result. The windmills are also becoming increasingly larger and therefore also considerably more expensive.
The tender for the largest Dutch wind farm in the North Sea (IJmuiden Ver), which is to be built 62 km off the coast, will start at the end of 2023. Siemens had to be supported in Germany with 7.5 billion euros. There has been a massive decline of more than 80% in the populations of migratory freshwater fish since 1970, marking a catastrophic trend with serious consequences for both ecosystems and human societies worldwide.
A study covering all regions of the world finds the fastest declines in South America and the Caribbean, where migratory fish abundance has plummeted by 91% over the past five decades. These areas, known for the largest freshwater migration in the world, face serious threats from human activities such as dam construction, mining and water diversion, leading to widespread degradation of river ecosystems.
Tens of billions of European money for green projects misspent
According to the European Court of Auditors, the EU has misused tens of billions of European money that was intended for green projects. For example, money went to salaries of staff who were not involved in green projects at all. 34.5 billion euros appears to have been misused. For example, on salaries, but also on an IT system of a project that did not contribute to greening at all.
The investigation shows that money even went to a project that caused pollution. It concerns billions from a large European fund that was created during the corona crisis. Part of the money was supposed to go to projects that stimulated the sustainability of the economy. The EU wrongly claimed that 275 billion euros went to greening.
Lawsuits
Greenpeace must pay Shell 363,000 euros after a lawsuit that Shell had filed. With this, Greenpeace buys off the lawsuit. Shell demanded millions of dollars in damages and previously said that it had incurred many extra costs due to the action of Greenpeace because an extra safety ship was sent for this. Furthermore, Greenpeace has promised not to demonstrate at three oil and gas fields of Shell in the North Sea for the next five years. For another field, this applies for the next ten years.
Milieudefensie is appealing the ruling of the court in The Hague. In 2021, the court ruled that Shell had to reduce emissions by 45 percent in 2030 compared to 2019. The court of appeal did not agree with this in an appeal at the end of 2024.
The judge acknowledged that Shell had a ‘duty of care’ and that the company therefore had to reduce emissions, but did not want to impose a specific percentage. The court also did not find it certain that a reduction obligation for Shell would have a positive effect on combating climate change worldwide.
For example, if Shell were to sell less oil and gas that other companies had extracted from the ground, other companies could fill that gap. Milieudefensie has taken the time in recent months to study the ruling.
Director Donald Pols and lawyer Roger Cox see ‘more than enough possibilities’ to impose a concrete reduction obligation on Shell. The court ruled, for example, that there is no scientific agreement on a precise reduction requirement.
Pols: “We do not see why the judge, in case of doubt, would not impose a reduction percentage at all, while at the same time the Court judges that Shell is a danger with its emissions. People have the right to be protected against an infringement of their rights.” In addition, there is ‘sufficient legal basis to make the ruling more concrete and stronger’, according to lawyer Cox.
He points to a lawsuit by action group Urgenda against the Dutch government. Urgenda believed that the State should do more in the fight against climate change. The Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gas emissions had to fall by 25 percent by the end of 2020 compared to 1990. A target that was achieved. And if it were up to Milieudefensie, Shell would also be given a specific target.
Nature permits are required more often for projects that can have a negative effect on nature. The requirements for these permits are also becoming stricter. This is the result of two rulings made by the Council of State. Permits that were issued in the past will partly lose their validity as a result of the ruling if the permit holder wants to develop other activities. In the past, extensive permits have sometimes been granted for activities that lead to nitrogen deposition on nature reserves.
Substantive proceedings between Greenpeace and the State
According to the court, the Dutch State is acting unlawfully by not stopping the deterioration of nitrogen-sensitive nature in Natura 2000 areas in time and by not achieving the statutory nitrogen targets for 2025 and very likely not for 2030.
This was the conclusion in the ruling on 22 January 2025 in substantive proceedings at the District Court of The Hague between Greenpeace and the State. The court recommends that the State adhere to its nitrogen target for 2030, which means that the State must bring 50 percent of the surface area of nitrogen-sensitive nature below the limit value by 31 December 2030 at the latest. In doing so, the State must, unlike the State has done so far, give priority to the most vulnerable nature. If the State does not achieve this target, the State must pay a penalty of 10 million euros.
The court rules that the State must execute this verdict immediately, also in the run-up to the decision in a possible appeal. The government must therefore do more, according to the judge, to reduce nitrogen deposition. Priority and therefore speed mainly mean painful and expensive measures in the nitrogen dossier. Forced buyout of farmers, for example.
The bill for this could amount to 15 billion euros. The government wrongly stopped the so-called National Rural Area Program (NPLG). Provinces did not have to inform the government by October 1 how they wanted to reduce nitrogen emissions. Provinces were therefore no longer obliged by the new government to adhere to the current agreements to restore nature and tackle the nitrogen problem. The court is now enforcing compliance. The judge imposed a penalty of 10 million euros on the state if the legally established standard is not met by 2030.
Within the NPLG program, the provinces themselves made a coherent spatial plan to achieve all environmental goals. This would also solve the problem with the granting of permits. If nature is improved, permits for housing and companies may be issued again, for example.
The provinces worked out their plans on behalf of former Minister Van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen) over the past two years and were already well advanced. In June, Minister Wiersma already announced that she would abandon the deadline of 1 October for the plans. Earlier, the new cabinet also scrapped the so-called transition fund. The 24 billion that had been reserved for Van der Wal’s plans were taken off the table.
And those millions were not enough to implement everything. Instead of that transition fund, there will be 5 billion euros for Agriculture and an annual amount of 500 million euros for farmers who take smaller nature measures.
In recent years, the provinces have invested a lot of time and money in the plans and great expectations have also been raised among the so-called area partners. The province of Gelderland has made plans to restore nature and tackle nitrogen emissions.
Overijssel, Noord-Brabant and Noord- and Zuid-Holland indicated that they would definitely not make it to 1 October. The provinces are still working on their measures, but point out that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the financing. It has proven extremely difficult to legalize PAS reporters.
That is why Minister Wiersma (Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature) announced in a letter to Parliament an extension of the legalization program by three years, and a new approach for PAS reporters. The cabinet is doing everything it can to make legalization possible by using nitrogen space from other sources, is looking into whether an arithmetic lower limit can be established and is focusing on customized solutions.
The latter approach in particular offers the most certainty. In this process, the government supports the PAS reporter and deploys so-called case supervisors, who work with a PAS reporter to find the best solution. Prime Minister Schoof thinks he will need two months to come up with a solution. For this purpose, he is setting up a Ministerial Committee for Economy and Nature Restoration, which, in addition to himself, consists of nine ministers and two state secretaries.
Removing the standards from the law is not enough. Among other things, reintroducing the so-called National Rural Area Program (NPLG) and forced expropriation of farmers seems unavoidable.
Wind turbine blades lose significant amounts of particulate matter as well as PFAS due to erosion
A specific figure that is sometimes mentioned of 62 kg per turbine per year, comes from a report by the Norwegian Turbine Group, based on a study by the University of Strathclyde. Independent fact checks, such as that of Factcheck Vlaanderen, estimate the erosion in reality at around 640 grams per turbine per year, with a lower limit of 150 grams.
The 60 kg estimate is based on the wear of the entire blade, while in reality it is mainly the leading edge that erodes. Scientific studies and the wind industry itself suggest that the actual amount is much lower – more likely in the order of grams to a few kilos per year, depending on turbine size, location and weather conditions.
Because Wind turbine blades are often made of fiberglass with epoxy resin in which usually 30-40% of the epoxy contains BPA. During erosion, micro- and nanoplastics are released, including these worrisome BPA particles. Drinking water may contain a maximum of 0.1 micrograms of BPA per liter (0.0000001 grams/liter).
If you calculate that 1 kg of BPA (1,000 grams) is released, then it is theoretically possible to bring 10 billion liters of water above that limit if it dissolves completely and is evenly distributed. In reality, BPA does not dilute so perfectly, sometimes accumulates locally (in groundwater or sediment), and is partly broken down.
The PAS reporters have been in great uncertainty for almost six years
The ruling has major consequences for farmers. About half of the livestock farmers are in legal uncertainty because half of the 28,000 livestock farms are now without a valid permit. The livestock farmers without a valid permit fall into three categories. Firstly, there are the PAS reporters who have been without a valid permit since the ruling of the Council of State in 2019.
In addition, there are the so-called ‘interims’ with an old environmental permit. And in December, the livestock farms were added that are affected by the most recent Council of State ruling. In December, the Council of State already restricted one of the last ways to expand companies.
Until then, companies that used the so-called ‘internal balancing’ did not have to apply for a permit, because on paper no extra nitrogen would be released. In reality, more nitrogen could be emitted via that goat path. This is no longer allowed by the Council of State because nitrogen deposition must be reduced in order to protect nature.
The PAS reporters have been in great uncertainty for almost six years. They were promised a valid permit by this year at the latest, but the government recently postponed the deadline to 2028. The new ministerial committee that must remove the Netherlands from the nitrogen lock, among other things, aims to map out the impact of the ruling of the Council of State.
If companies need financing, then having a valid permit is necessary. On November 12, 2024, the lawsuit began that has major consequences for agriculture and housing, among other things. Greenpeace sued the Dutch state and forced the government through the courts to adhere to its own rules to protect nature.
By law, at least 40 percent of nitrogen-sensitive natural areas must be below the so-called critical deposition value (kdw) by 2025. By 2030, this will be 50 percent. Earlier this year, research by various knowledge institutes, such as the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), showed that these targets are far out of sight. This calculation only looked at the effect of measures that had already been taken at that time.
But not many additional steps have been taken since then. Moreover, Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma recently scrapped part of the policy that had been initiated by her predecessor. This concerns the so-called National Rural Area Program (NPLG). Each province had to come up with an action plan to reduce nitrogen emissions and improve water quality.
They could knock on the minister’s door for a bag of money. That approach is now a thing of the past. “Despite the urgency, the cabinet has swept almost all of the plans of the previous cabinet off the table and scrapped the money that was reserved to help farmers.
In April, the cabinet appealed the ruling in the nitrogen case that Greenpeace had brought against the cabinet. According to Minister Wiersma, the cabinet has ‘concerns about the enforceability’ of the ruling.
Now that their ultimatum to caretaker minister Wiersma has expired, environmental organisations Mobilisation for the Environment (MOB) and Vereniging Leefmilieu are starting ten procedures every week on farms that are operating without a valid nature permit through no fault of their own. Such a permit is required to be allowed to emit nitrogen. MOB and Vereniging Leefmilieu want to force provinces, if necessary through the courts, to intervene in livestock farms and other companies that need a nature permit for nitrogen emissions but do not have one.
The environmental organisations are asking the provincial government to stop the illegal situation, for which the livestock farms will most likely have to get rid of cattle. The province of Limburg will be the first to be called at the end of June. Gelderland, Friesland and other provinces will follow. Previously, judges were still sensitive to the argument that the government would help the affected companies obtain a valid permit. That is why provinces were given some room in previous legal cases under certain conditions not to intervene with the companies for the time being.
But despite promises from successive cabinets, six years after the devastating ruling by the Council of State, there is still no solution for the vast majority of the few thousand farms and other businesses. Moreover, the period within which they would be helped expired in March. Caretaker minister Wiersma wants to extend it, but the Council of State dissected those plans. Now that that term has expired, it is obvious that judges will give the government less room to reject these kinds of requests from environmental organizations. This already happened in April, for example, with a number of Frisian PAS reporters. Those farmers are in danger of having to have their cattle culled.
Not only PAS reporters need to brace themselves. MOB and Vereniging Leefmilieu will also ask provincial governments to revoke permits for mega-stables and companies that cause relatively high nitrogen deposition on protected nature reserves. These companies were previously designated by the government as ‘peak polluters’.
It may seem hopeless to take legal action against such companies, because they often have a valid nature permit. However, provincial governments are also given less room by the courts in these types of cases. Kars de Graaf, professor of administrative law and sustainability (University of Groningen), also sees this. He says that in recent years, court rulings have repeatedly stated that it is “necessary to take more concrete and effective measures to limit nitrogen deposition on protected nature reserves”, due to “the statutory requirements and the state of the protected nature”.
“If there is simply not enough happening in that area, it is understandable that environmental organisations want to force the provinces to take action and do not shy away from going to court to do so,” says De Graaf. “Livestock farms can be the victims of this.” Provincial governments are finding it increasingly difficult to substantiate why they reject a request to withdraw a permit. In Brabant, there have already been a number of lawsuits against peak polluters, after the provincial government refused to withdraw valid permits from livestock farms that are peak polluters.
The environmental organisations want to see a drastic reduction in nitrogen deposition in overloaded natural areas, as prescribed by the legally established objectives. They argue that permits for peak polluters should be withdrawn because nitrogen policy that significantly reduces precipitation is lacking. The East Brabant court did not rule that the farms had to close immediately, but did order the province to ensure that significantly less nitrogen deposition ends up in overloaded natural areas within a year. To achieve this, the province, companies and MOB must sit down together to find a solution.
Johan Vollenbroek of MOB says that a “leniency arrangement” for PAS reporters is negotiable, but only in combination with a “real solution to the nitrogen problem”. “We are open to consultation with anyone who seriously wants to solve the nitrogen problem”, he says.
The cabinet is working on the Readiness Act, a law that makes it possible for Defence to obtain exceptions to environmental regulations. Defence wants to expand considerably in the coming years. Not only will tens of thousands of soldiers be added, but also barracks and training grounds. The exceptions concern, for example, noise pollution or environmental permits that are required to be allowed to build and exercise in certain areas.
For example, you need a noise permit to shoot. Many barracks are located near a nature reserve and training with large equipment also means CO2 emissions. With this law, the construction of barracks or flying fighter jets would be seen as a greater social interest than housing, environmental standards or noise pollution. After years of cutbacks, the Defense buildings are in a poor state and have 25 years of overdue maintenance.
The buildings with energy label X, Y or Z have problems with fire safety, mold and leaks. Defense estimates that it will take about fifteen years to eliminate all the overdue maintenance. And then buildings have to be added to accommodate the new employees. The government is investing hundreds of millions in the growth of Defense.
Amazon rainforest cut down to build new highway
Tens of thousands of hectares of protected Amazon rainforest are being cleared to make way for a new highway, intended for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém. The new four-lane highway is expected to ease traffic into the city during the conference in November 2025, which is expected to attract more than 50,000 people.
The local government claims the highway is “sustainable” and is a “major mobility intervention.” It would include animal crossings, cycle paths and solar-powered lighting. Some local residents and conservationists are furious about the decision, due to its environmental impact.
The Amazon plays a crucial role in absorbing carbon for the world and providing biodiversity, and critics say this deforestation is the opposite of the goal of a climate summit. Scientists fear the road will fragment the ecosystem and disrupt the movement of wildlife. “Land animals will no longer be able to cross to the other side, reducing the areas where they can live and breed.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Climate Minister Marina Silva say this will be a historic summit because it is “a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon.” According to the president, the meeting will be an opportunity to focus on the needs of the Amazon, show the forest to the world and present what the federal government has done to protect it.
Denmark plans to become the first EU country to implement the WEF plans. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock will be taxed from 2030. Denmark also wants to reduce nitrogen emissions by 13,780 tonnes per year from 2027. The Danish government has claimed that the measures will lead to the “biggest change to the countryside in 100 years”.
The measures enjoy broad political support in Denmark. Even several opposition parties support it. The ‘Danish package’ includes several tough measures that will have a significant impact on Danish agriculture. For example, farmers will have to pay €16 per ton of emitted carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) from 2030.
That amount will increase to €40 per tonne in 2035. Methane is a gas that is released during the decomposition of organic matter. In nature, it occurs in wet areas such as marshes and peat and is therefore also called ‘marsh gas’. The gas is created, among other things, by the digestion of food by people and animals. Cows, goats and sheep in particular produce a lot of methane that ends up in the air in the form of excrement, farts and burps. In addition, methane is released by the production of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), agriculture (rice and cattle farming) and waste disposal.
Climate summits and environmental deals
On November 11, 2024, the international climate summit was held in Baku, where global climate policy was discussed. Financing played an important role. Because countries in the global south are relatively harder hit by climate change, it was previously agreed that rich countries would allocate at least 100 billion euros per year for climate financing until 2025.
New agreements had to be made in Baku for the years to come. The Swiss government has violated human rights with inadequate climate policy, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled. The court in Strasbourg ruled in favor of Swiss senior citizens on April 9, 2024.
According to the judges, this is in conflict with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which concerns respect for private and family life. The right to a fair trial has also been violated, the judges in Strasbourg ruled.
The ECtHR has jurisdiction in the Netherlands and almost all other European countries. National courts in the Netherlands and almost all other European countries follow the ECtHR. Europe is warming up rapidly and many effects of this warming are already noticeable: floods like those in 2021 in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, weeks of heat waves and record temperatures, failed harvests due to prolonged drought. The risk of climate disasters is increasing, especially in Southern Europe.
The risks are great in low-lying coastal areas (including the Netherlands) and overseas European areas. A risk analysis by the European Environment Agency and previous reports by the IPCC climate panel show that there are ‘hotspots’ in Europe where the effects of climate change have a greater impact. A number of them are already critical at the moment.
Loss of ecosystems due to – among other things – heat waves at sea, loss of sources of income, but also biodiversity after wildfires, heat stress due to heat that does not disappear from houses and buildings at night. The Swiss elderly were inspired by the Urgunda ruling. The court’s considerations can now also play a role in national case law.
Climate change is rapidly becoming more damaging as the Earth continues to warm. This is because effects such as drought, heat and the decline of forests and biodiversity reinforce each other. The weather in 2023 was extreme and dangerous. 63 people died from storms, 44 from floods and 44 from forest fires. The many long-lasting heat waves have claimed many victims. In the past twenty years, the number of people who died – partly – due to the heat has increased by about 30 percent.
In De Bilt, there are an average of five tropical days per year. And this year, the KNMI already counted four. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase sharply, there could be thirty of them in 2100. If global warming is reduced significantly, the KNMI still expects an average of eight tropical days per year at the end of the century. So global warming is still continuing. There is no reason to assume that it will decrease.
Spain had its hottest June since records began. The average temperature was 23.6 degrees, the meteorological service AEMET reports. That is 0.8 degrees warmer than the record from 2017. That record has been “smashed”, the service says based on provisional data.
Last June was 3.5 degrees warmer than the average from 1991 to 2020, the service says. That too is a record: no month has been so unusually warm before. This June was even warmer than a normal July or August. Junes often break records, the AEMET data shows. Without climate change, there would be five days each year when it is warmer than the same day in all previous years, plus five cold records. In June 2025, nine of those daily heat records will have been broken.
In 2023, there was the largest forest fire ever recorded, one of the wettest years, severe heatwaves at sea and widespread devastating flooding. Europe is the fastest warming continent and there is a clear difference between the wet west and the extremely hot and dry east.
This is evident from the European State of the Climate 2024, an annual report in which the European climate service Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) take stock of climate change in the previous year. 2024 was the warmest year worldwide, but also in Europe, where almost half of the continent experienced record temperatures.
Since the 1980s, Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average, partly due to rapid warming of the Arctic region, a relatively large part of which is part of the European continent.
In south-east Australia, five people have died and 50,000 people are trapped in their homes after record rainfall in May 2025 in New South Wales. Although rainfall is easing, the risk of flooding remains.
Emergency services have moved nearly 700 people into emergency shelters, more than 100 schools are closed and many are without power, ABC Australia reports. New evacuation orders were issued on Friday. Trapped residents must wait for water levels to recede, which could take days. Boats and helicopters are delivering food and medicine.
Urgenda
The Paris Climate Agreement aims to keep global warming below 2 degrees, preferably around 1.5 degrees. With new knowledge about greenhouse gases that can escape from permafrost, this becomes a bigger challenge. These gases are not included in the climate agreement. Due to global warming, permafrost is thawing even faster than normal.
When the deeper layers of permafrost thaw, the stored plant remains rot. During the rotting process, extra CO2, nitrous oxide and methane are released. This amounts to about 6.2 billion tons of extra CO2 in the atmosphere per year. This is more than 10% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.
Turkmenistan is responsible for the most major methane leaks, followed by the US, Russia and Algeria. The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament reached an agreement on 20 February 2024 to tighten standards for pollutant emissions, bringing air quality closer to the guidelines of the health organisation WHO.
This concerns substances such as nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, lead and nickel. All EU countries must now make it clear in 2028 how they want to free the air from these substances in 2050. This will allow them to impose stricter rules on the sectors that pollute the air the most. Measured across the EU, the most emissions are generated through energy consumption, agriculture and transport.
Member states can request an extension for places where air quality is difficult to improve or where the impact on households is too great. Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.
The Netherlands failed to achieve the climate target set in the Urgenda lawsuit in 2021. The corona crisis temporarily reduced CO2 emissions, but even then the total reduction was insufficient. Greenhouse gas emissions rose by more than 2 percent in 2021 compared to 2020.
In 2021, the reduction was stuck at 23.9 percent instead of the intended 25%. Aviation and maritime transport and biomass emissions are not even included, otherwise emissions in 2021 would even be 3.1 percent higher than in 2020.
It is clear that the target of a 55 to 60 percent reduction in 2030 will certainly not be achieved. In June 2015, the government already appealed the court ruling that the Netherlands must do more to reduce CO2 emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions had to be reduced by at least 25 percent by the end of 2020 compared to 1990.
The Supreme Court ruled this after an appeal by the cabinet on Friday 20 December 2019. The judge ordered the State to take measures against climate change. The cabinet had to take specific, extra expensive environmental measures as a result of the court ruling, because the judgment was declared provisionally enforceable, which means that the execution of the judgment had to start during the appeal. Industrial companies must start producing more cleanly, for example by switching to electric boilers and heat pumps and by no longer extracting heat from natural gas.
However, the limited capacity of the power grid is a bottleneck for achieving the climate goals. The grid is not yet large and good enough to handle the growing demand for electricity. The government therefore wants Gasunie to convert the existing gas pipeline network into a hydrogen network.
The intention is that heavy industry will initially be able to produce in a more climate-neutral way. The Council of State recently annulled, thanks to Mobilisation for Environment, an incorrectly issued building permit by Vattenfall in 2019 for a biomass plant near Diemen. It would have been the largest biomass plant in the Netherlands. In the meantime, QatarEnergy must supply up to 3.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year to Shell in the Netherlands over the next 27 years in order to meet the demand.
A report by the Council of State and the Climate and Energy Outlook (KEV) by the PBL emphasize that the Netherlands is not yet on track with European targets for energy conservation in industries, traffic and construction. Almost 95% of homeowners can afford to make their home more sustainable to at least energy label B and a heat pump, according to De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB).
Those who do not have the money in the bank can borrow it. DNB is now proposing to make sustainability mandatory when purchasing a home, if the Dutch population does not make it sustainable quickly enough. In addition, according to the bank’s calculations, homeowners are allowed to keep €10,000 in savings as a financial buffer or to spend as they wish. And all this while, in the meantime, mining crypto assets in the United States results in an estimated 25 to 50 million tons of CO2/year, which is 0.4% to 0.8% of total US greenhouse gas emissions.
In the Climate Agreement of 2017/2018, it was agreed in broad terms that the tax on gas would increase and that tens of thousands of homes would have to be disconnected from gas each year and that clean driving would be rewarded.
- CO2 emissions must fall by 48.7 megatons by 2030
- Corporate housing had to be made more sustainable by 2021
- 700 new wind turbines at sea, 500 on land and 75 million solar panels within twelve years
- CO2 reduction industry more challenging
- CO2-neutral society should not burden citizens with high costs
- There will be a kilometer charge for trucks
The predecessor of the current climate agreement was the Kyoto Protocol, which was signed on December 11, 1997 and was valid until December 31, 2020. The Paris Agreement legally established the upper limit of 2 degrees of warming compared to the pre-industrial era for the first time.
In addition, the aim was set to limit warming to 1.5 degrees. It was also decided that the use of fossil fuels had to be stopped quickly, as this would be a major cause of excessive CO2 emissions. The Netherlands gives many more tax benefits to companies for the use of oil, gas and coal than was thought.
These so-called fossil subsidies amount to an annual amount between 39.7 and 46.4 billion euros. Since the Climate Agreement of 2015, the 60 largest banks in the world and pension funds have invested an estimated 4,600 billion dollars in the fossil fuel industry.
Global fossil CO2 emissions are expected to reach a record level of 36.6 billion tons. That is 1 percent more than in 2021, and also more than in 2019, the year before the corona pandemic. Subsidies go to large steel companies, inland shipping, greenhouse horticulture, coal-fired power stations and oil refineries. Airlines in the Netherlands do not pay tax on kerosene and that earns them more than 2 billion euros annually.
35% of all electricity consumed in the Netherlands is now generated by wind turbines and almost 50% of all electricity production is sustainable energy
At the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris in late 2015, the nearly 200 participating countries reached an agreement on a binding climate agreement. Royals and ‘green’ CEOs flew to the climate conference in around 400 private jets, and the Agreement was not ratified by 20 countries, including Colombia, Iraq, Iran and Russia.
As of the end of October 2019, 197 countries have finally signed, and 10 have not ratified or finally adopted: Angola, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Turkey, and South Sudan.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has released 175 million tons of CO2 equivalents (greenhouse gases) into the atmosphere than 175 countries emit annually. In monetary terms, this amounts to $32 billion in climate costs.
At the climate summit in Glasgow on 31 October 2021, it was decided that deforestation must be stopped by 2030 at the latest, which means that an area the size of 27 football fields is lost every minute. Brazil, Russia, Canada, Indonesia and Congo also pledged to stop deforestation in the long term. To fulfil this promise, 10.2 billion euros of public money will be made available until 2025. In addition, 6.2 billion euros of private money will also be invested. Large parts of the rainforest have already been cut down and converted into cash.
This summer, the southeast of Brazil was also hit by the worst drought in almost a century. One of the main causes is the increasing logging in the Amazon. In addition to the decision, 28 countries promised to work to curb the trade in palm oil, soy and cocoa. These industries contribute indirectly to deforestation, because trees have to make way for these crops.
On November 6, 2022, there was a world summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt. In addition to global warming, topics included Pakistan, where the consequences of the devastating floods are still being dealt with, and China, where it has never been so hot since measurements began. China is also the country with the largest CO2 emissions.
The poor countries wanted extra money to take the necessary measures, to solve what the rich countries have caused. The agreement at the previous summit to make a hundred billion dollars available to poor countries every year from 2020 was not kept and the demand is for even more.
The Netherlands then increased its contribution from 1.25 to 1.8 billion euros. Of that, about half is public money, the rest is private investment. The Netherlands did not want to invest money in compensating climate damage.
The Netherlands wants to collaborate with Oman in the field of green hydrogen. Egypt is a police state where critical voices are not given any space (three hundred activists were arrested in the run-up to the summit), and this is also the case in heavily guarded Sharm el Sheikh. A closed-off demonstration corner was reserved for the few activists who were still present, on the edge of the desert.
More than 7 percent of all deaths in India’s 10 largest cities are caused by air pollution, according to a study by an India-led team of scientists. The situation is most serious in the capital New Delhi.
The annual international climate summit, which started on November 30, 2023 in Dubai, was not held in the presence of US President Biden. Biden was present in the previous two years. Every year, leaders from some two hundred countries attend, as well as well-known figures such as King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Pope Francis and Bill Gates.
Fifty oil and gas companies including Shell, ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and signed a covenant to this effect. They promise to be climate neutral by 2050 and to stop routinely flaring natural gas in oil production by 2030. They also want to reduce methane emissions to zero by 2030.
Chevron and ConocoPhillips and China’s largest oil and gas companies did not sign. Rich countries made available more than 366 million euros for poor, vulnerable countries that feel the impact of weather extremes. 225 million must come from the EU. An end date for fossil fuels was not set.
The first African climate summit was held on September 4, 2023 in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. African heads of state met there in preparation for COP28, the global climate summit in Dubai in November this year. Kenyan President and host William Ruto see great opportunities there if the promised 100 billion promised to them in previous summits is paid.
In 2020, developing countries received $83 billion in climate finance, but that was $17 billion less. The UN expects the total climate damage in Africa to be between $290 and $440 billion. Africa would be a suitable source of solar and wind energy and has important raw materials needed for the production of batteries and wind turbines. Africa contributes only 3 to 4 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, but it experiences disproportionately the consequences of climate change.
The climate report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the UN paid special attention to the accelerated melting of land ice in Greenland, Antarctica and glaciers in mountains. This also causes an accelerated rise in sea level. Glaciers are melting even faster than previously thought. Even if the climate goals of the Paris Agreement are met, almost half will have melted by the end of the century.
With the current warming, many more glaciers will disappear, researchers conclude after a large study published in the scientific journal Science. The glaciers in Switzerland are melting away at an ever faster rate. In just two years, 10 percent had already disappeared, reports the Swiss Academy of Sciences.
The ice cap in the French Alps, long a popular summer ski resort, is now on the growing list of lost glaciers. The Sarenne is an extreme example of a broader trend. Since 2000, 39 percent of the ice mass in the Alps has melted. And that’s on top of the melt from the previous century. Globally, about 5 percent of the ice in glaciers outside the Greenland and Antarctic ice caps has disappeared.
In addition to the measurements that researchers made on the glaciers, various types of measurements are also made with satellites. The shrinking and disappearing of glaciers affects the availability of fresh water, can lead to dangerous situations locally and causes sea level rise.”
After the expansion of water due to warming, meltwater from glaciers is the largest contributor to sea level rise so far. If all glaciers melt, this would lead to a global sea level rise of about 32 centimeters. The melting is happening faster and faster. In the past eleven years, a third more ice was lost than in the same period before.
This is certainly not the first estimate of glacier decline. “But they all had their own problems,” says Bert Wouters, polar researcher at TU Delft. The research started with measurements directly on the glaciers. However, this only happened at 50 to 100 easily accessible glaciers. “There are about 275,000 glaciers worldwide.” Because the accessible glaciers are melting faster than average, this research gave an overly pessimistic picture. Then scientists discovered how to use satellite measurements. For example, they make three-dimensional images of glaciers.
For this, they were photographed from two angles. Radar satellites were used to monitor the height of glaciers. Wouters mainly works with satellites that measure how strong gravity works locally. More ice leads to a stronger effect of gravity.
This way you can see how much ice mass is present. When a glacier (partly) melts, the gravity in the mountains decreases somewhat. And in the sea, where the meltwater goes, it actually increases. The scientific ‘consensus’ on climate change has become stronger and has risen beyond the famous – and controversial – figure of 97% to more than 99.9%. James L. Powell, director of the National Physical Sciences Consortium, reviewed more than 24,000 peer-reviewed articles on global warming published in 2013 and 2014.
Raw materials agreement
On January 24, 2021, 180 parties signed the National Raw Materials Agreement in The Hague with agreements to make the Dutch economy run on reusable raw materials. On behalf of the cabinet, State Secretary Dijksma (Infrastructure and the Environment) and Minister Kamp (Economic Affairs) signed, and on behalf of the Dutch business community, Hans de Boer (VNO-NCW) and Michaël van Straalen (MKB-Nederland).
As one of the signatories, Unilever is taking the lead by using 100 percent recyclable plastic for its packaging by 2025. With the transition to a circular economy, the Netherlands will become much less dependent on raw materials from abroad. Research shows that the circular economy in the Netherlands will be worth 7.3 billion euros per year and 54,000 jobs by 2023.
The Association of Dutch Municipalities, the Interprovincial Consultation, innovative start-ups, financial institutions, the trade union movement and environmental organisations have also signed the agreement. The National Raw Materials Agreement builds on the government’s plan for the transition to a circular economy, which was presented in September.
Within six months, concrete plans will be established on the topics of biomass, food, plastics, manufacturing, construction and consumer goods. These will state the steps that will be taken for a fully circular economy in 2050.
Anyone who wants to light a cigarette in a pub or restaurant had to go outside from September 2019. The Supreme Court ruled that smoking areas in the catering industry are no longer permitted. The ban applied immediately to cafés, restaurants and other catering establishments.
After a new analysis by the RIVM, it appears that even if the current policy were to be fully implemented, the results would not contribute sufficiently to achieving the legally established goals. The additional reduction that would be necessary is no longer realistically achievable by 2025.
Nature is deeply in the red, which has caused the legal targets to disappear from view. This is a major setback for the new cabinet. In the analysis of the current policy, the RIVM assumed the emission reduction targets from the National Rural Area Programme (NPLG).
Unilever is considered responsible for 268 billion euros in climate damage by environmental defense. The environmental organization was present at the shareholders’ meeting in London on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 to ask climate questions. After Unilever, Milieudefensie was also present at the shareholders’ meeting of major polluter KLM on June 5 in Paris.
On April 10 and 25, 2024, they also attended the shareholder meetings of Ahold Delhaize and ING. From both Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller and ING CEO Steven van Rijswijk, they did not receive an affirmative answer to the question of whether the multinationals will reduce their emissions, in line with international climate agreements.
BP’s chief executive is scrapping a target to increase renewable energy production 20-fold by 2030, as the CEO looks to refocus on fossil fuels. The move is part of a strategic shift announced Wednesday to assuage concerns about earnings from investors including Elliott Investment Management.
BP shares have underperformed their peers in recent years and the oil giant has already abandoned its target to cut oil and gas production by 2030
After 5 years, satellites crash back to Earth, burning small particles of aluminum oxide along the way, which cause significant damage to the ozone layer
International Climate Summit
On November 11, 2024, the international climate summit began in Baku, Azerbaijan, where global climate policy was discussed. European Commissioner Von der Leyen, Biden, Putin and Macron did not attend, and Prime Minister Schoof did not attend either due to the events in Amsterdam. Because countries in the global south are relatively harder hit by climate change, it was previously agreed that rich countries would allocate at least 100 billion euros per year for climate financing until 2025.
For the years to come, new agreements must now be made in Baku. A report states that the world is facing a “critical and unpredictable new phase in the climate crisis”. “Continuing current policies will lead to a catastrophic temperature increase of up to 3.1 degrees Celsius”, according to an accompanying press release to the report. Many countries will not achieve their (own) climate targets for 2030. And even if they are achieved, the temperature will still rise to 2.6 to 2.8 degrees.
A lot more than the safe limit of a maximum of 1.5 degrees of warming. According to climate scientists, the consequences will be much more serious above that limit. The earth is already about 1.3 degrees warmer compared to the pre-industrial level of 1850.
Countries must deliver on their promises, according to UNEP, and they will have to tighten their own climate targets. “Otherwise, the Paris climate target to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees will be dead within a few years, and the 2-degree target will end up in intensive care,” says UNEP director Inger Andersen. Poor countries now receive 100 billion in climate money from rich countries every year and now want to ask for 10 times that: 1000 billion. Minister Hermans is working on phasing out fossil subsidies. But SOMO researcher Schellekens is not impressed.
His own calculations show that this cabinet is indeed cutting 1.7 billion in subsidies. But the previous cabinet aimed for 6.2 billion. In the current cabinet, VVD minister Hermans is working with coalition partners BBB and PVV, who want to focus much less on climate policy. According to Schellekens, various measures have been reversed, weakened and new benefits have been introduced. 2024 was the warmest year worldwide since measurements began. In the meantime, the earth crossed the 1.5 degree Celsius warming threshold for the first time. This was reported by Copernicus, the European organisation that monitors the earth with satellites.
On the eve, the European member states reached an agreement. According to them, more needs to be done worldwide to keep the 1.5 degree target within reach. In addition, the European member states believe that a larger group of countries should contribute to help the countries that are already suffering from climate change. The EU already pays tens of billions in climate financing every year.
In 2022, that was 28.5 billion euros. 11.9 billion euros came from companies, for example from green investments. At the international summit in Azerbaijan, the world must agree on a new long-term goal for international climate support to developing countries. That goal is called the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). At the climate summit, the EU negotiates as a bloc.
The environment ministers of the member states had to determine the joint effort first. That was not easy: the environment ministers of the member states discussed the position from early morning until late at night on Monday. For example, member states did not agree with part of the Dutch input, namely the use of nuclear energy.
Global warming has accelerated, according to a growing body of research by scientists. The expectation for the coming years: heat waves, storms and severe weather. The average global temperature between 2013 and 2023 was about 1.2 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels. This made the past 10 years the warmest decade ever.
Europe is also warming faster than the global average, namely by 2.12 to 2.19 degrees. This is evident from data from the European Environmental Agency. According to all figures, 2023 was the second warmest year in Europe since measurements began, only 2020 was warmer on our continent. Particularly high warming was observed in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. On average, only 5 millimeters of rain fell in March 2025, and in some places none at all. It was the driest March since measurements began, and the dry season actually only starts in April.
A coalition of 15,000 scientists has issued a new report warning of an irreversible climate catastrophe and a global emergency beyond doubt. Much of life on Earth is at risk. We are entering a critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis. For years, scientists have been sounding the alarm about the looming dangers of climate change, caused by rising greenhouse gas emissions and changes to ecosystems.
Despite these warnings and reports, things are still going wrong; fossil fuel emissions have risen to record highs, the 3 hottest days on record occurred in July 2024, and current policies are on course for peak warming of around 2.7 degrees Celsius. We are in the midst of an abrupt climate shift. Last year we witnessed record-breaking sea surface temperatures, the warmest extra-tropical summer in the Northern Hemisphere in 2000 years, and the breaking of many other climate records.
In addition, we will see much more extreme weather in the coming years. Human-induced carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases are the main drivers of climate change. As of 2022, global fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes are responsible for about 90% of these emissions, while land-use change, primarily deforestation, is responsible for about 10%. In 2023, several historic temperature and ice extent records were broken by huge margins.
Both global and North Atlantic sea surface temperatures were well above their 1991-2024 averages for much of the year, a pattern that has continued well into 2024. Although Antarctic and global sea ice extents are now within the range of previous years, they are still well below their 1993-2024 averages. Global daily average temperatures were at record levels for almost half of 2023 and much of 2024.
Previous research has shown that the consequences of a 2 degree warming will be much more serious than with 1.5 degrees. For example, all coral worldwide will disappear with a 2 degree warming, weather extremes will become much more violent and the large ice caps will melt much further and possibly irreversibly.
On a global scale, it was agreed that countries would submit new climate plans for 2035 within a few months. The report listed what these climate plans should contain in order to actually achieve the Paris targets. The European Union, the US and China are making progress with their climate policy, but in Brazil and Indonesia this is minimal. In the Netherlands, the climate target for 2030 will almost certainly not be achieved. If you look at all the measures that EU member states have taken, the intended target of 55 percent less emissions in 2030 is still not within reach.”
At the time the Paris Climate Agreement was concluded in 2015, it was already clear that the policy would have to be continuously tightened. The US withdrew from the treaty by decree after Trump’s election. At the same time, a halt was also put to the subsidies for the electrification of cars. BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, is leaving the climate club “Net Zero Asset Managers” in which investment companies unite.
The investors who are members of this club have committed themselves to the international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Apart from BlackRock, the largest American banks have previously left a similar club. Banks and asset managers have been under pressure from more conservative investors for some time. BlackRock’s decision cannot be seen separately from Trump’s presidency.
Trump regularly indicates that he has no interest in the energy transition and wants fewer windmills and more oil drilling. He has ordered a stop to leasing American land for “huge wind farms”. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also roll back a number of ‘historic’ environmental measures.
In total, there are 31 measures. For example, coal-fired power plants will no longer have to be nearly climate neutral by 2030, and the scientific finding that greenhouse gases that warm the planet threaten public health and prosperity is under discussion. The finding has been the legal basis for American policy on climate change since 2009, but both Zeldin and President Donald Trump want to rewrite it.
Global average temperatures between 2013 and 2023 were around 1.2 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels, making the past 10 years the warmest decade on record. Europe is also warming faster than the global average, by 2.12 to 2.19 degrees, according to data from the European Environmental Agency.
More than 47,000 people have died in Europe in 2023 due to scorching temperatures, with countries in the southern part of the region hardest hit, according to a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). 2023 was the hottest year on record. The Spanish research centre’s report found that the death toll in 2023, which is lower than the more than 60,000 heat-related deaths estimated the previous year, would have been 80% higher if measures had not been taken over the past 20 years to help people adapt to rising temperatures, such as early warning systems and improvements in health care. Researchers used mortality and temperature data from 35 European countries.
They estimate that 47,690 people died from causes related to high temperatures. Adjusting the data for population, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain are the countries with the highest heat-related death rates. The surface water in the Mediterranean Sea is the warmest ever recorded. The average sea temperature in mid-August is 28.47 degrees. This has already broken the record set last July.
According to all figures, 2023 was the second warmest year in Europe since measurements began, with only 2020 being warmer on our continent. Particularly high warming was observed in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula.
The wine and citrus cultivation in South Africa are the victims of the changed weather conditions. The heavy rainfall has destroyed the harvest and wiped out entire fields. The forecast for the coming years: heat waves, storms and severe weather. Eighty to one hundred millimeters of rain fell in Enschede on July 21, 2024. “Exceptional, a cloudburst that occurs once every 250 to 500 years,” says municipal water expert Koen Wagelaar.
And no sewer system or water storage can cope with that. And so the streets in large parts of the city were flooded. A parking garage of a new apartment complex in Enschede was completely filled with water. Several cars are a total loss, parking boxes are flooded and the apartment complex itself was also severely damaged. “The water was 2.5 meters high.”
Southern Europe is being ravaged by extreme weather and forest fires. In the southern Italian region of Apulia, around a thousand tourists had to be evacuated because of a huge forest fire that raged there. Outside Europe, countries are also suffering from the heat. For example, forest fires have been burning in Canada for days. At least 25,000 people have been evacuated from a nature reserve in the west of the country. Firefighters across Europe are battling forest fires as flames continue to rage in Germany, Greece and Turkey. Hundreds of forest fires were raging simultaneously in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The forest fires that raged on the outskirts of the American city of Los Angeles claimed the lives of dozens of people. More than 100,000 people were called to evacuate. A state of emergency was declared in the area.
Some 25,000 residents and tourists around Jasper National Park in Alberta province have been evacuated. In the interior of Morocco, more than twenty people have died in the past 24 hours due to the heat. In some places, it reached 50 degrees. In other parts of the country, it was between 45 and 48 degrees.
Summers in Southern Europe are getting hotter and one heat record after another is being broken. The hot summer of 2022 has cost the lives of around 60,000 people in Europe, especially in the popular holiday destinations on the Mediterranean. The Middle East is struggling with extreme temperatures. This summer, the perceived temperature has already exceeded 60 degrees Celsius for several days due to high humidity.
The heavy rain at other times caused inconvenience in several places in Twente. In addition to the highways, streets and tunnels in Enschede, Losser and Oldenzaal were flooded. The water levels in eastern Germany continued to rise in mid-September 2024 as a result of extremely persistent severe weather. In Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic, the problems also remain great after the heavy rain that has fallen. In the Elbe, near Dresden, the water almost reached a height of six meters, while the normal level is around two meters.
Scientists worldwide are very concerned about climate change. A new study led by the University of Amsterdam (UvA) shows that most of the more than 9,000 scientists asked are ‘quite a lot’ or ‘very much’ concerned about the climate crisis. More than 90 percent think that action should be taken now. The study is published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change. The 9,000 respondents come from 115 countries.
They are of all ages and work in various scientific disciplines. The Dutch climate is also changing rapidly. This is accompanied by increasing temperatures and heat waves, heavy showers and periods of drought. The PBL report Climate risks in the Netherlands shows that the current climate risks already have a major impact on our daily lives. These risks are only expected to increase in the future. On the southern Italian island, it has not rained for more than a year and a half, in some parts even more than two years. Farmers and residents are desperate. Chickens are literally dropping dead from the heat.
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, Hurricane Bebinca made landfall, according to Chinese meteorologists the most severe tropical storm to hit Shanghai in 75 years. More than 600 flights were cancelled as a precaution. 377,000 people had to be evacuated due to wind speeds of 151 kilometres per hour. The last time such a severe hurricane hit the city was in 1949. The Italian government declared a state of emergency in the areas affected by the storm earlier this week.
Climate change has doubled the risk of flooding in Central Europe due to extreme rainfall events like this month. This is the conclusion of an international collaboration of scientists, World Weather Attribution, in a first rapid analysis of the natural disaster. Hurricane Milton is on its way to Florida, strengthened to a category five hurricane and the highest.
Florida residents are being urged to prepare for the coming storm and to evacuate. This concerns approximately five and a half million people. Milton reaches wind speeds of 270 kilometers per hour with gusts that can be even higher, with wind speeds higher than 250 kilometers per hour it is a category five hurricane. ‘There are also large gusts towards 270 and 300 kilometers, a great danger for this area in Florida.
Over the past thirty years, the populations of more than 37 characteristic fish and benthic animals in the Oosterschelde have declined by an average of 28 percent. Benthic animals include starfish and various types of lobsters and jellyfish.
Cloud Seeding and HAARP
Cloud seeding is a practical weather modification technique in which substances such as silver iodide or dry ice are introduced into the atmosphere, usually via aircraft or ground-based generators, to stimulate clouds to produce rain or snow. It works by providing condensation nuclei on which water vapor can settle. It has been in use since the 1940s and is applied in countries such as the US, China and Australia, often for agriculture or water management.
It’s local, targeted and measurable, but not a magic bullet – it only works if there are already moist clouds. Moderating the Earth’s temperature by scattering particles high in the sky that reflect sunlight is easier than previously thought, according to a British study. The particles can be scattered using existing aircraft, say earth scientists from University College London (UCL).
With an annual 12 million tons of sulfur dioxide per pole, the planet could theoretically be cooled by 0.6 degrees, the researchers state in the scientific journal Earth’s Future. Geo-engineering is a controversial variant of the concept of spreading sulfur dioxide at high altitudes using aircraft. This reflects incoming sunlight, which causes the earth to warm up less. British start study into blocking the sun to prevent global warming.
According to model calculations, the greatest effect is expected at more than 20 kilometres above the tropics. Special aircraft would have to be developed for that. However, the UCL scientists show that the temperature can also be moderated somewhat by injecting sulphur dioxide annually at about 13 kilometres above the North and South Poles.
Existing commercial aircraft can reach that altitude. With an annual 12 million tons of sulfur dioxide per pole, the planet could theoretically be cooled by 0.6 degrees, the researchers state in the scientific journal Earth’s Future. The amount they assumed is approximately equal to the sulfur dioxide that was released into the air in 1991 by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, a volcano in the Philippines.
The researchers acknowledge that tinkering with the climate in this way carries “serious risks.” Much more research is needed before application can be considered, they say. However, they also call it “important to understand all the options.”
HAARP, on the other hand, stands for High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. It was an American research project in Alaska that operated from 1993 to 2014 (now managed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks). It used an array of powerful radio antennas to heat the ionosphere, a layer in the upper atmosphere, with high-frequency radio waves.
The goal? Research on communications, satellites, and natural phenomena like the Northern Lights. Conspiracy theories claim that HAARP can control weather, cause earthquakes, or even influence minds, but there is no scientific evidence for this. It affects the ionosphere (50-1000 km altitude), not the troposphere (0-12 km) where weather occurs.
In the 1940s, several countries, such as the US, Russia and China, started cloud seeding. Cloud seeding is the spreading of chemicals in cloud formations with the aim of changing precipitation or hail formation processes in the cloud or making the clouds whiter and thereby artificially helping to cool the earth.
The most commonly used chemicals are silver iodide, potassium iodide, dry ice, and hygroscopic materials such as table salt, the latter of which is becoming popular after recent promising research. Cloud seeding is accomplished by flying an aircraft into cloud formations while dispersing the chemical materials. Anti-aircraft guns loaded with containers are also used, or rockets carrying the spray are fired.
Fifty countries around the world have cloud seeding programs. The programs have different objectives, depending on the weather conditions that disrupt agricultural activities in each country: hail suppression and/or precipitation enhancement. In Europe, some countries are investing in such programs. These include Spain (precipitation), France (precipitation and hail), Germany (hail), Bulgaria (hail), Romania (hail and precipitation to some extent). For a long time, cloud seeding was hushed up and labeled as a conspiracy theory.
Chemical particles, such as silver iodide, are injected into clouds. These attach to water droplets. The particles make the droplets too heavy and they fall from the sky as rain. But there are also other innovations, such as spreading water mist via windmills to create clouds.
Cloud seeding is already common in China, and since August 2023, Romania has also had sixty launch pads with silver iodide-loaded rockets, which are used to bombard potential hail clouds. With this, the country hopes to protect around 6% of the total agricultural area from hailstorms. Due to climate change, hail is becoming more common in Romania, leading to more damage to agricultural crops. In the United Arab Emirates, weather modification techniques are already being used on a large scale to promote cloud and rain creation.
Some treaties already contain specific agreements on geo-engineering, in particular for applications in the marine environment. Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including the Netherlands, have unanimously called on states to ensure that no climate-related geo-engineering (large-scale Carbon Dioxide Removal and Solar Radiation Modification) activities that could have an effect on biodiversity take place until they are justified on a scientific basis. The associated risks to the environment and biodiversity, and the social, economic and cultural consequences must be taken into account (COP Decision X/33 Convention on Biological Diversity).
This means that there is a (non-legally binding) moratorium on climate-related geoengineering activities and large-scale field experiments. For marine geoengineering, such as ocean fertilization, a legal framework has been established by means of an amendment to the London Protocol (2013). This amendment has not yet entered into force internationally.
The Netherlands has already approved the amendment and implemented it in the Water Act. This means that all ocean fertilization activities are prohibited in the Netherlands, with the exception of legitimate scientific research. It is also possible that specific geo-engineering techniques fall under the scope of existing treaties without this being foreseen at the time when those treaties were drawn up. An example is the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD Convention (1977)) to which the Netherlands is a party.
China modified the weather for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party. In advance of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party, means were used to make it rain and thus create cleaner air. The artificial rain reduced the concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers in the air by two-thirds. As a result, the air quality was good, compared to World Health Organization standards. It is not unusual for China to use weather modification techniques for important events.
For the 2008 Beijing Olympics, rockets containing silver iodide were launched into the sky in advance to ensure a dry period. Silver iodide can produce controlled rain or snow under the right conditions. Cloudseeding is a type of weather modification that aims to change the amount or type of precipitation, soften hail or disperse fog.
The usual purpose is to increase rain or snow, either for the sake of rain or to prevent precipitation in the days that follow. Cloud seeding became popular between the 1950s and 1970s, initially in the context of agriculture and, to a lesser extent, winter sports. Later, it was revealed that the technology had also been used in the Vietnam War.
The sustained outcry that followed forced the U.S. government to quietly withdraw its large-scale funding for the technology and eventually abandon the technology altogether. By 2000, the U.S. government was “officially” spending just under a million dollars a year on cloud seeding. In 2000, Romania began its Hail Suppression and Precipitation Enhancement program.
The main goal of this program is to reduce the size of hail before it leaves the cloud formation and melts before it reaches crops. Since 2010, there has been a de facto moratorium on geoengineering in general, agreed upon by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Exceptions are possible for small-scale scientific studies. The technology still raises many questions. For example, opponents point to the risk of shifting rainfall patterns, which could cause food shortages and hunger. And the – realistic or not – option of artificially cooling the planet could also give polluters the green light to continue.
International talks in Nairobi, Kenya, have failed to reach an agreement on rules around “solar engineering” – technologies that dim sunlight to mitigate climate change. African countries had called for a ban, but that is not yet in the cards. Solar radiation management (SRM) refers to forms of geoengineering that reflect or filter the sun’s light, for example by pumping substances into the atmosphere.
Less sunlight means less warming, say proponents, and that helps combat climate change. Last week, the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, discussed an international framework to regulate the technology and research into it. Switzerland proposed a panel of experts to examine the “risks and opportunities” of SRM. The panel would include representatives from governments and international research institutes.
But African countries are opposing the research, and by extension the entire technology. In a letter to the chair of the talks, the countries bluntly called for a global ban. The risks are far too great, they say, and the SRM option undermines “real climate solutions.” Because of the wide divergence of views, Switzerland withdrew the proposal. As a result, there will be no international framework for the time being, but also no ban on SRM.
Some scientists point to a theoretical risk with long-term, intensive use. Silver is a heavy metal, and although it is not as toxic as lead or cadmium, it can accumulate locally in ecosystems, for example in soil or in aquatic organisms. However, there is little evidence that this happens in practice at the current scale of cloud seeding. In countries such as the US and China, where it has been done for decades, no clear negative effects on health or nature have been documented.
General preconditions for the development and application of geoengineering are also included in customary international law and general principles of international environmental law. It is also important that, under international law, any violation of an international obligation that can be attributed to the state leads to state responsibility. States can hold each other mutually liable for this. Individuals will often only have legal recourse for damage suffered if there is a basis for this in national law, or if their human rights are violated.
The Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council published a report in July 2023 on the implications of SRM technologies for human rights. The floods in Spain are taking a heavy toll. There are already more than 205 dead and many injured.
Many people are still missing. The total toll is not yet known. What is already known is that this disaster, in addition to the regrettable death toll and the many human suffering, has caused billions in damage. During the disaster, many reports about the cause appeared on social media worldwide.
Based on the weather maps showing strange weather phenomena – such as a gigantic rain cloud that remained stationary over the Valencia region for 12 hours AND many strong rains that moved up from the North of Africa via the South of Spain towards Valencia and also flooded Malaga and Cadiz – some suggested that HAARP manipulations had caused the water misery. According to many others, the cause of the flooding lies more with the demolition of dams in the Valencia region.
It is true that at the instigation of the EU, 108 dams have been demolished in Spain since 2020 and that will certainly have played a role, but it is not the main reason for the floods. There have been floods in the Valencia region more often in the past 60 years. However, not in Malaga and Cadiz. The demolition of the dams is not the cause, it has only played a role in the rivers overflowing their banks.
It has been proven that the last 2 major floods in Australia were preceded by a cloud seeding operation. Also regarding the major floods in Dubai in recent years and the recent floods in the UAE and the great Arabian desert, there are no mysteries about them. They have simply admitted that they are doing cloud seeding.
A Dubai sheikh has even admitted that they invest $500 million a year in cloud seeding and that sometimes this can go very wrong because they cannot predict in advance how much rain will fall when they send their planes into the clouds with a load of silver iodide and they also do not know exactly where the rain will fall.
Morocco itself has made no secret of the fact that it has carried out many cloud seeding operations. Cloud seeding requires specific technical criteria, such as studying the cloud cover, the wind, the wind speed (which is volatile, the wind can turn and change speed) and strategically choosing the right moment to intervene.
This is necessary to maximize effectiveness, despite the high costs of the operations. But even then, things can still go seriously wrong cf supra. It is possible that the large amount of rainfall in Spain on October 28-29, 2024 was caused by artificial manipulations, resulting in severe flooding in Malaga, Cadiz and in the higher Valencia.
If Morocco itself does not release any information, a formal investigation must be initiated to determine whether it performed a cloud seeding operation on 26-27-28.10. If so, it is responsible for the damage and will have to compensate for it. To be on the safe side, it is also advisable to find out whether and which HAARP installation performed exercises in the ionosphere during the same period.
In many cases, it’s governments that are funding cloud seeding. Countries like the United Arab Emirates are investing heavily in cloud seeding to encourage rain in their dry climate – their National Center of Meteorology has a whole program for it, complete with planes. In the US, states like Nevada and California are doing it too, often through water boards or departments of agriculture, to increase snowfall on mountains and boost water supplies. This is usually funded by taxpayers, sometimes in partnership with utility companies.
Then you have private parties. In America, there are companies like North American Weather Consultants that offer cloud seeding services to local governments or even ski resorts that want more snow. The Metropolitan Water District in Southern California, for example, has been investing in projects to boost the snowpack in the Colorado Mountains for years.
So who pays varies: sometimes it’s a water supplier, sometimes a consortium of farmers or companies that benefit from more precipitation. There are also speculative cases. Bill Gates has attracted attention through his investments in geoengineering projects linked to cloud seeding (such as the “Sea Salt Spray” idea to increase cloud cover over oceans), although this is more experimental than large-scale operational. Such initiatives often come from private funds or universities, such as Harvard, that receive research money from wealthy donors.
Think of the $300,000 Gates gave to Silver Lining in 2010 for research into spraying seawater to whiten clouds, or his support for Harvard’s calcium carbonate experiment in the stratosphere – which was eventually scrapped after protests. He has also pumped millions into the broader field of geoengineering, such as through the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research, along with scientists like David Keith.
Contrails are condensation trails that form when warm, moist exhaust gases from aircraft engines cool in the cold, dry air at high altitudes and condense water vapour into visible streaks. This is a normal physical process and depends on factors such as temperature, humidity and altitude. In the Netherlands, with its busy airspace above Schiphol and other flight routes, these streaks are often visible, especially on clear days. These are called chemtrails in conspiracy theories.
The government is far from achieving the 2030 climate targets and therefore a major catch-up effort would be needed, with an additional CO2 reduction. This government is allocating 5 billion euros to tackle the nitrogen problem and restore nature and biodiversity.
The budget is a lot lower than the transition fund of over 20 billion euros of the previous cabinet. VVD minister Hermans now wants quick measures and calls the goals sacred, coalition partner BBB wants a ‘reconsideration’ of the strategy.
The Netherlands is five years behind on this target due to setbacks, but also because the government itself has weakened its climate policy and agreements with large polluting companies have not yet been made. The contribution to climate change by the port complex of Rotterdam, with all the storage, transit and processing of fossil fuels, is 3.5 times as large as the annual national emissions of the Netherlands including Schiphol. This is evident from research by CE Delft commissioned by climate action group Advocates for the Future.
The environment in the news
Due to a U-turn by Austria, the law received a majority in the EU in the last vote. (The People’s Party OVP/EVP has filed a criminal case against their minister Gewessler for abuse of office) The nature restoration law should better protect European nature, but is meeting resistance from several sides. Under pressure from farmers’ protests, several EU countries, including the Netherlands, withdrew their support for the nature restoration law. However, twenty countries voted in favor of the law and only 6 member states voted against.
The somewhat watered-down nature restoration law was finally passed in Brussels in mid-June 2024. The Netherlands now has a new and expensive problem because hundreds of newly licensed wind turbines in the Netherlands were already planned or are already in protected nature reserves and even in Natura 2000 areas. The water quality must also improve, which is very poor in the Netherlands, among other places. The law also requires that the water level in peat areas be raised again because it prevents the peat from drying out and thus also soil subsidence and the emission of greenhouse gases.
In Sweden, self-proclaimed waste queen Fariba Vancor was brought to justice. She had illegally dumped 200,000 tons of waste on a large scale with her company. Vancor, whose real name is Bella Nilsson, was the head of the waste company that left or buried large amounts of waste in more than twenty locations between 2015 and 2020.
At one location, close to a nature reserve, a fire broke out spontaneously; the waste mountain then burned for two months, causing serious soil and air pollution due to the chemicals present, lead and arsenic. Vancor, a former stripper who became famous in Sweden in the 1990s and then went into business, is just one of a total of ten defendants.
Her ex-husband Thomas Nilsson, entrepreneur and reality TV participant Leif Ivan Karlsson and a man who calls himself a waste broker are also on trial. The waste company Think Pink used pink big bags, which were seen everywhere in Sweden during its heyday. Governments, schools, housing associations and companies hired the company for waste processing. Vancor and the company even won several business awards. In 2020, the abuses came to light and the management was arrested. Several municipalities are now demanding damages, totaling 23 million euros.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Netherlands warned for Coca-Cola, Fanta Cassis, Fuze Tea, Hawaii Tropical and Minute Maid. The products contain too much chlorate. Ingestion can cause gastritis, late toxic nephritis, hemolysis, methemoglobinemia, hemoglobinuria and acute renal failure. Chlorate is very acutely toxic to humans. Lethal effects have been reported at oral doses of approximately 50 mg chlorate/kg body weight and toxicity at doses of 11-23 mg chlorate/kg body weight and higher.
Invest NL, together with Innovation Industries, Lowercarbon Capital (US) and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Omnes Capital, Elon Musk, Siemens Financial Services and Global Cleantech Capital, invested 25 million euros in the Dutch start-up Carbyon. The company, founded in 2019, received 15.3 million in a new investment round to further develop the technology to extract CO2 directly from the atmosphere. Carbyon, founded in 2019 by Hans De Neve, develops so-called direct air capture (DAC) machines to extract CO2 from the air and combat climate change.
The company is using the money to build the first demonstration models, start commercial pilots and prepare for large-scale production. Carbyon’s technology works roughly the same as existing technologies, but faster. That’s in the filter. Carbyon’s adhesive layer is only one atom thick. As a result, it is saturated in a few minutes and empty again in a few seconds. Other technologies have a thicker adhesive layer, into which the CO2 has to penetrate and that takes time. Heating also costs less energy with Carbyon. The thin layer heats up by putting electricity on the filter, with others hot steam is needed.
Pollution by glyphosate appears to originate, besides from agriculture, also from additions of so-called aminopolyphosphonates in detergents that are used on a large scale, especially in urban areas. The researchers assume that in the sewage sludge of water treatment plants, glyphosate is even formed from these aminopolyphosphonates.
The amount of toxic pesticide residues in fresh fruits and vegetables is a concern. Washing dishes is only partially effective because the pesticides are absorbed. Although there are legal limits to protect the consumer, the long-term health effects are debatable. Tomatoes and strawberries are contaminated.
The skin of a simple pear can contain up to 16 different pesticides. 64% of all vegetables we eat have residues of two or more pesticides. Pesticides not only affect fruits and vegetables, but also other foods such as meat, grains and milk, as these compounds can pass through the food chain. Back in 2006, a study showed that women’s placentas contained up to eight different types of pesticides, some of which had been banned since the 1980s. Not only does this pose a health risk in terms of diseases such as cancer, but it has also been linked to hormonal imbalances, type 2 diabetes and fertility problems, especially in women who consume foods with higher levels of pesticide residues.
The problem of toxicity lies not only in the effect of a single pesticide, but in the interactions between multiple chemical residues. The so-called “cocktail effect” refers to how pesticides and other pollutants can compound each other, creating a much greater risk to human health. Ingesting a combination of products, which are not dangerous individually, can be much more harmful together.
A possible solution that many consumers seek is the consumption of organic food, which in theory is free of synthetic pesticides. The reality is that organic products can also contain pesticide residues, albeit in much smaller quantities.
According to a report by EFSA, 26% of organic food also contained pesticide residues. On the other hand, natural products are not always harmless, as shown by the case of copper, which is used in large quantities in organic farming and can accumulate in soil and water. Organic farming, although more environmentally friendly, does not guarantee total safety against other types of pollutants.
Choose fresh, local produce. Buying local and seasonal foods helps you avoid produce that has been treated with pesticides during long periods of storage and transportation.
Peel and wash fruits and vegetables preferably with baking soda or chlorine. This will remove most pesticide residues.
A scientific study in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters found that washing fruits and vegetables is not enough to remove pesticides. Using new research techniques, scientists were able to determine that pesticides penetrate the peel and reach the flesh, even in organic produce.
These usually contain much less (residues of) pesticides, but according to the research, even these are not completely free of them. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has long been concerned about compliance with pesticide legislation in our country. In December, it emerged that a third of the inspected growers do not comply with the rules. Residues of prohibited pesticides have been found on some supermarket products in the Netherlands.
This is because European companies export dozens of different types of pesticides that are banned in the EU. Some of these are imported back to us. This mainly concerns rice, bananas, raisins, oranges and tea. Oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers also score very poorly.
Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC)
In the Netherlands, more than 2000 different substances are on the list of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). According to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), these substances are dangerous to humans because they hinder reproduction, are carcinogenic or accumulate in the food chain. Examples include Atrazine, benzene, lead, chromium-6, PFAS and PAHs.
At more than half of the companies, the emission of one or more toxic substances has increased between 2015 and 2022. These are carcinogenic substances such as benzene and formaldehyde and mercury and lead, which can be particularly harmful to (unborn) babies and young children. Their brains and nerves can be damaged by these substances.
PFAS-containing crop protection products have been approved by the Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb). Nevertheless, concerns about PFAS are increasing. Accumulation in the body can lead to cancer and problems with the immune system and fertility in humans and animals. The human body is now full of PFAS, pesticides, nano plastic particles, drug residues and other toxins.
The entire food chain is now unhealthy. Ulta processes meat, vegetables, fruit and water in plastic, pesticides in our drinking water and on vegetables and fruit. For a normal person it is all too much to keep up with. And even if you keep up, it is unavoidable because almost all food and water has something wrong with it or is being tampered with.
It is not without reason that cancer is becoming more common. Every individual knows people in his or her environment who have or have had cancer. Even the air we breathe is bad, especially in industrial areas or in the vicinity of Tata Steel. But it is also not safe in agricultural areas. Alzheimer’s occurs more often there due to the use of pesticides. Clearly a wake-up call, but unfortunately there is no improvement apart from control.
In the Netherlands and the rest of the EU, Atrazine has been banned since 2004, so it is no longer in permitted pesticides. However, in the United States and some other countries, it is still widely used in herbicides under various brand names, such as:
🔹 Aatrex
🔹 Bicep (combination with other agents)
🔹 Primatol
🔹 Gesaprim
Imported products from the US, Canada, or parts of South America may still contain Atrazine. This mainly concerns:
- Corn products: Cornflakes and other corn-based products such as cornstarch, corn chips, and corn oil
- Soy products: Products such as tofu, soy milk, soy sauce and other soy-based foods
- Meat and dairy: Atrazine is also applied to crops that serve as animal feed and can therefore be present in milk and meat
The European Union officially has strict maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides, including Atrazine, in imported food products. For most products, the MRL is set at 0.05 mg/kg. These limits are intended to protect consumers and ensure that imported products meet EU standards. Every year, EU member states, including the Netherlands, carry out random checks on food products to test for pesticide residues, but despite this, one sample in 2020 was found to contain Atrazine above the MRL.
Styrene
At least eight people have died on May 7, 2020, due to a gas leak at a chemical plant in the Indian district of Visakhapatnam. More than 5,000 people have fallen ill and have burning eyes, painful skin and breathing problems. Hundreds of people are said to have been hospitalized after coming into contact with the gas. It is said to be gas from the liquid styrene, which was released after a fire from an LG Polymers factory.
Research has shown that health effects as a result of industrial emissions occur more frequently, school-going children with poorer lungs and higher use of medication for cardiovascular diseases in adults. The healthcare costs of residents living near industries are more than 150 euros higher per person per year than average. The signals from residents, the previous research and the reports are reason for the provincial governments to conduct additional research.
Pesticides on Dutch fruit and vegetables
On 22 November 2023, under pressure from farmer protests, the European Parliament rejected its own proposal to halve the use of pesticides by 2030. This means that the Green Deal has been scrapped. With the upcoming EP elections in June in sight, the European Commission backed down and withdrew a large number of Green Deal plans. Raisins were even more heavily contaminated with pesticides last year than in previous years.
According to Foodwatch, traces of illegal substances were even found on products sold at various large supermarket chains. An average of eighteen types of poison residues were found. On one type of raisin, 39 types of agricultural poison were even found. On some, pesticides were found that are banned in the European Union.
Organic raisins also contain poison residues, according to the organization, although there are fewer than in the non-organic variant. The nicotine-based insecticide, acetamiprid, is also widely used by the forestry sector. Leaf spinach also appears to be unsafe. In 2018, the member states voted in favor of an almost complete ban on the use of neonicotinoid insecticides throughout the EU. Use is still permitted in greenhouses.
Foodwatch wants Syngenta, Bayer AG and BASF to stop producing and exporting harmful pesticides to developing countries. This export contributes to the estimated 200,000 acute poisoning deaths worldwide per year, as a result of pesticides. Residues of these dangerous pesticides on imported fruit and vegetables also still end up on the plates of European consumers and in the environment. Monsanto, a division of Bayer, has reportedly already taken steps to stop Roundup.
France has banned the production and export of these pesticides, which are extremely toxic in the EU, as of 2022. Under pressure from the pesticide lobby and protesting farmers, this has not yet been adopted by other EU countries. Only 67% of outdoor growers complied with the rules when spraying crops in 2019. In 2016, this was still 80%.
This is evident from research by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) into various outdoor crops. Outdoor crops are crops that are grown in the open air, such as arable crops, field vegetables, fruit crops and ornamental crops. In 2019, the NVWA carried out 121 inspections in outdoor crops to check whether growers adhere to the rules when spraying crops.
This involved downward spraying in arable crops, field vegetables, flower bulbs and perennials and upward and sideways spraying in fruit and tree nursery crops. A growing number of very harmful pesticides are being found on fruit and vegetables from the Netherlands. This is evident from an analysis of measurement data from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) by Pesticide Action Network Netherlands (PAN NL).
Between 2007 and 2020, there was a clear increase in the number of different harmful pesticides found in apples, pears, cherries, spinach and cucumbers. The action group specifically looked at 55 products that had to be removed from the market according to a 2009 European regulation because they are the most harmful to health or the environment.
Tracer and Exirel
Dutch blueberry growers repeatedly violate the rules for the use of pesticides. In 2024, twenty companies were inspected by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), nine of which were in breach. The most common violation was the failure to comply with the mandatory measures to prevent drift, or the blowing away of pesticides.
The NVWA imposed fines or issued warnings for less serious violations. One of the agents that caused problems is Exirel, which growers are allowed to use under strict conditions to combat the Suzuki fruit fly. These conditions were set to protect bees, other insects and aquatic organisms. Of the companies that were inspected, four made mistakes in using Exirel. The Netherlands has 139 companies that grow blueberries.
The NVWA has shared the inspection results with the sector and discussed the risks of the low compliance. Drift can lead to the presence of crop protection products in waterways or on nearby plots, which can be harmful to the environment. Exirel is also subject to restrictions to prevent the product from entering groundwater, and because it is dangerous to bees, it may not be used on flowering crops.
The NVWA previously noted that many violations also occur in cherry cultivation with both Exirel and Tracer, another pesticide. The future of these agents in the sector is uncertain, as compliance with the conditions of application is essential. The Dutch Fruit Growers Organisation warned last year about the risks that the incorrect use of these agents entails.
The use of harmful insecticides such as Tracer and Exirel is now subject to strict regulations. The fight against Drosophila suzukii, a fruit fly that is harmful to ripening fruit such as strawberries, currants and cherries, is made more difficult by these restrictions.
The Suzuki fruit fly is a particularly harmful insect that lays its eggs in fruit, where the larvae feed on the pulp. A single female can lay hundreds of eggs, causing the population to grow rapidly and the fruit to become unusable. Originally from Asia, the Suzuki fruit fly became established in North America in 2008 and reached Europe in 2009.
In the Netherlands, the species has developed into a serious threat to fruit growers over the past ten years. Despite growers working with Wageningen experts trying various control methods such as fine-meshed nets, parasitic wasps and fungi, the fruit fly remains difficult to control.
This has led to a decision by the ministry to oblige all cherry growers in the Netherlands to refrain from using insecticides, including biological agents, although there are currently no alternatives available. This measure is seen as a threat to the future of cherry cultivation, and growers speak of improper management.
While the use of Tracer and Exirel is banned in the Netherlands, it is still permitted in other European countries such as Belgium and Germany. The BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) therefore submitted a motion, supported by several parties, in which it was argued for the possibility to continue using these agents temporarily under strict conditions.
The House of Representatives eventually reached a majority that granted permission for the use of these agents in 2025, provided that growers submit a plan of action for the future. However, the minister decided not to grant a general exemption for other crops such as plums, blueberries and grapes.
In addition to this issue, there are also broader concerns about the use of pesticides in Dutch agriculture. The NVWA has noted an increase in the number of fruit and vegetable varieties with harmful pesticides in recent years.
In 2019, pesticides were found on 13% of vegetables and 29% of fruit. Strawberries, peaches and blueberries in particular score high on the list of crops containing harmful substances. Relatively high levels of pesticides are also found in vegetables such as celery and celeriac.
This is not without risks. PAN Netherlands is concerned about the so-called ‘cocktail’ of different pesticides that can be present in one product. This can increase the health risks for consumers. Although the European standards for pesticide residues in food are strict, there is still concern about the mixing of different agents. PAN Netherlands has been advocating for years for the replacement of harmful agents with less dangerous alternatives, but little progress has been made.
All in all, there is growing concern about the use of pesticides in Dutch agriculture, not only because of the impact on the environment, but also on the health of consumers. It is clear that changes are needed both in fruit growing and more broadly to reduce the impact of pesticides and secure the future of the sector.
Strawberries contain the most pesticides because the substances are absorbed into the fruit. After researching various fruits and vegetables, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority discovered that strawberries had been sprayed with an average of seven to eight harmful pesticides. One batch of strawberries was said to contain seventeen different substances.
In the majority of the pears, apples, strawberries and leeks examined, at least one pesticide from that group was found in 2020, such as the hormone disrupting substance difenoconazole, which was found five times more often than in 2006. This is a substance that is associated with a whole range of serious effects, such as Parkinson’s, autism, thyroid disorders and reproductive problems. PAN NL is concerned about the cocktail of different pesticides.
Thirteen years ago, it was decided in Brussels that almost sixty agents had to be replaced as quickly as possible by less harmful alternatives. Not after ten or fifteen years – as is standard for pesticides – but after seven years, these agents must therefore be reassessed to see whether there are better alternatives in the meantime.
In the Netherlands, not a single agent from the notorious list has been replaced since 2009. In fruit and vegetables from the Netherlands, more rather than fewer of these most harmful pesticides have been found in recent years. There are strict European standards for the maximum levels of pesticides in products, which the NVWA monitors.
In practice, few violations are found. PAN NL states that this is because the mix of pesticides is not considered. A punnet of strawberries may contain six different pesticide residues. Then you eat an apple that contains three.
Harmful pesticides are being found on more and more fruits and vegetables. In 2019, pesticides were present on 13 percent of all vegetables and 29 percent of all fruit. In 2011, these figures were 11 and 18 percent respectively. Among fruits, blueberries (51 percent), peaches (45 percent) and strawberries (38 percent) ‘scored’ the worst. Vegetables with the most traces of pesticides are celery (50 percent), celeriac (45 percent) and cauliflower (31 percent).
Genetically modified soy, the main food of our cows, pigs and chickens is full of toxins. While the cultivation of genetically modified crops is restricted in Europe, the Netherlands imports approximately 8.3 million tons annually. The genetically modified soy is sprayed with the carcinogenic aggressive pesticide Roundup from Bayer and first made resistant to the effect of the glyphosate that is in the herbicide by RNA manipulation.
Following a Freedom of Information Act request from U.S. Right to Know, the FDA released documents showing that the agency found “reasonable amounts” of glyphosate in several processed foods. The IARC published a report in The Lancet Oncology that this glyphosate is possibly carcinogenic and may cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma in humans.
According to the IARC, the substance has been found in the blood of farm workers, which shows that it is absorbed by the body. In the Netherlands, Roundup may no longer be sold to private individuals from the end of 2015, but it still ends up with the consumer via the food chain, such as in cornflakes products. However, an exception has been made for Rijkswaterstaat in a water extraction area to use the substance to combat unwanted plant and tree growth in the groynes of the IJssel. Water from the IJssel is used for drinking water in a number of places.
MEPs from thirteen different countries took part in a urine test in April which showed that 49 politicians had glyphosate in their bodies. On average, 1.7 micrograms per litre were found, around seventeen times more than is allowed in our drinking water.
On May 19, the member states will vote on glyphosate and whether it will be allowed to remain on the European market for the next 10 years. Critical countries are Italy, Sweden and France. The European Commission is extending the approval of the controversial herbicide glyphosate by 10 years.
That decision was taken immediately, after the European member states again failed to make a decision on the proposal of the European Commission. In a new vote, a majority, including the Netherlands, again abstained from giving an opinion. That also happened a few weeks ago. In the Netherlands, the professional use of chemical crop protection products, including glyphosate, on paved surfaces outside agriculture has been prohibited since the end of March.
For other areas, that ban will come into effect at the end of 2017. The State Secretary also does not want to intervene in the approval of the insecticide imidacloprid. He will first wait to see what the Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides says about a new study into the exceedance of the standard for imidacloprid in surface water in greenhouse horticulture areas. Within the EU, the renewal of the licence for diquat dibromide, the active substance in Reglone, is also under discussion.
After the EFSA expressed its concerns about the substance, the European Commission now wants a ban. Diquat dibromide is a highly toxic substance and strongly irritating to the eyes, and irritating to the skin and respiratory tract. Contact of the skin with concentrated material can cause blisters. Ingestion of a high dose can lead to poisoning of the liver, kidneys, stomach and other intestines. Diquat dibromide is also very toxic to aquatic organisms.
The ban in the Decree on crop protection products and biocides also does not apply to the use of crop protection products in agriculture, because there are currently insufficient alternatives available. For example, potato farmers use toxic copper oxychloride as a pesticide on organic potatoes.
Some measurements indicate that the concentration of imidacloprid in surface water was 25,000 times above the standard. Nevertheless, VVD, CDA and PvdA do not see a ban, despite the dramatic consequences. The report of the Leiden Centre for Environmental Sciences (CMK) sounds the alarm for both the admission criterion of the concentration of imidacloprid and the water quality standards.
The concentration of imidacloprid in surface water is too high to meet the standards. 20,000 tons of the substance are produced and spread across the country each year and is so toxic and remains in the environment for so long that government measures are now urgently needed. The Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb) decided in its last meeting to authorise two new plant protection products.
In addition, the authorisation of 27 other products was withdrawn, 15 of which were products containing the active substance glyphosate. The withdrawn products are Shiro, Safari, Duactive, Dual Gold, Efica 960EC, Camix, Apollo, Acaristop 500 SC, Roundup, Roundup PowerMax, Roundup Ultimate, Roundup Evolution, Roundup Extra, Roundup Tempor, Wopro Clomazone 3, Catamaran, Glyphogan Allround, Clinic N, Klaverblad-Glyfosaat, Amega Ace, Clinic Free, Clinic, Glyfall, Etna, Dimix 500 SC, Diprospero and Carpovirusine.
Mobilisation for the Environment (MOB) warns against the illegal use of the carcinogenic pesticide dinoterb. Measurements show that the substance, which has been banned since 1998, has been in the water in the Driebanpolder (North Holland). MOB suspects that ornamental flower growers are using dinoterb despite the ban.
In the area around Petten and Callantsoog, where the toxic substance was found, mainly flower growers are active. Also, the use of dinoterb in ornamental flower cultivation is much less strictly controlled than in food crops. The use of dinoterb poses a direct danger to pregnant women in particular.
Dinoterb can also cause serious damage to biodiversity. In France, the death of a child was directly linked to pesticides in flowers. There is still much uncertainty about the harmful effects of pesticides.
Organisations such as the RIVM and the World Health Organisation (WHO) state that there is a possible link between the use of chemical pesticides and diseases. This includes Parkinson’s and certain forms of cancer, such as leukaemia. The RIVM advises women to avoid exposure to pesticides as much as possible before and during pregnancy.
The case concerns the 11-year-old French girl Emmy, who died in 2022 from leukemia. Her mother worked as a florist for many years and came into contact with pesticides, including during her pregnancy. After years of research and litigation, French experts determined that the leukemia was caused by Emmy’s mother’s prenatal exposure to pesticides. Both parents will receive 25,000 euros in damages, but they are appealing because they believe that their daughter’s suffering is not sufficiently recognized.
According to their lawyer François Lafforgue, they are not just in it for the money. “They mainly want to warn other florists about the dangers of treating flowers.” When it comes to the harmful effects of pesticides, floriculture is often overlooked. This is according to Margriet Mantingh, chair of Pesticide Action Network Nederland (Pan NL). She has been campaigning for years to ban harmful pesticides. “This case is very special. Professor Vermeulen is currently conducting research to determine which specific agents increase the risk of childhood leukemia. “We are monitoring all pregnancies in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2018 to see whether there is an increased risk of childhood leukemia in children who were born closer to fields where pesticides are used than in children who were born further away.” The results of this research are expected in at least two years.
Pesticide on flowers
In France, for the first time, the death of a child has been directly linked to pesticides in flowers. Organisations such as the RIVM and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have long stated that there is a possible link between the use of chemical pesticides and diseases. This includes Parkinson’s and certain forms of cancer, such as leukaemia.
The RIVM advises women to avoid exposure to pesticides as much as possible before and during pregnancy. It has been known for some time that there is a possible link between pesticides and childhood leukemia. The 11-year-old French girl Emmy died of leukemia in 2022. Her mother worked as a florist for many years and thus came into contact with pesticides, also during her pregnancy. After years of research and litigation, French experts determined that the leukemia was caused by Emmy’s mother’s prenatal exposure to pesticides.
Both parents will receive 25,000 euros in damages, but they are appealing because they believe that their daughter’s suffering is not sufficiently recognized. According to their lawyer François Lafforgue, they are not only after the money. “They mainly want to warn other florists about the dangers of treating flowers.”
When it comes to the harmful effects of pesticides, ornamental horticulture is often overlooked. This is according to Margriet Mantingh, chair of Pesticide Action Network Nederland (Pan NL). She has been campaigning for years to ban harmful pesticides. Professor Vermeulen is currently conducting research to determine which specific agents increase the risk of childhood leukemia. “We are monitoring all pregnancies in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2018 to see whether there is an increased risk of childhood leukemia in children who were born closer to fields where pesticides are used than in children who were born further away from them.”
The results of that study are not expected for at least two years. If a substance is permitted in an African country but banned in the EU, that substance may remain as a residue on the plants or cut flowers when they are imported. Mantingh believes that the EU should stop importing flowers that have been sprayed with agents that are banned here. “And maximum residue standards should be established in ornamental horticulture. A standard has been established for each type of pesticide for our vegetables and fruits, but anything is allowed for flowers. How do you know that you have a good organic flower that is not covered in pesticides? “The clearest mark is the Skal quality mark”. Skal is an independent supervisor that looks at organic products in the Netherlands.
As many as 22 types of agricultural poisons are linked to prostate cancer. Four of these pesticides are also linked to death from the disease. In 2023, 14,562 men in the Netherlands were diagnosed with prostate cancer. More than 90 percent are over 60 at the time of diagnosis. The disease is very treatable. After ten years, more than 80 percent are still alive.
Still, 3,000 men die from the disease each year, about the same number as women die from breast cancer. Of the 22 pesticides that were directly linked to prostate cancer, three have previously been linked to the disease. One of those toxins is 2,4-D, one of the most widely used pesticides in the United States. The 19 other substances that have not previously been linked to prostate cancer are 10 herbicides, several fungicides and insecticides, and a soil fumigant. Four pesticides have been linked to prostate cancer deaths.
It concerns three herbicides, namely trifluralin, cloransulam-methyl and diflufenzopyr, and one insecticide: thiamethoxam. Only trifluralin is classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’, the other three are even considered ‘probably not carcinogenic’ or ‘proven not carcinogenic’.
Pesticide used on supermarket vegetables harmful to babies
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has immediately withdrawn the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal) from the market. This is the first time in almost 40 years that the EPA has taken such a drastic step. DCPA has been shown to be harmful not only to weeds, but especially to unborn babies. Pregnant women may be extra vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides due to physiological changes during pregnancy.
Metabolism is increased, hormone levels change and the immune system is also different. The rapidly growing and developing fetus is more sensitive to the toxic effects of pesticides. Albert Heijn had to recall endive on January 18, 2025 with a level of the pesticide tau-fluvalinate that was too high for adults. If you consume too much of it, it can lead to headaches and nausea. The same thing happened later with blueberries from the supermarket.
Thirteen men and eleven women between the ages of sixteen and 77 fell ill between November and February. According to the RIVM, nineteen of them had eaten contaminated blueberries. One person possibly got the hepatitis A virus from someone else and it is unknown how another person got sick. The virus was detected in the laboratory in two packages from a patient.
Pesticide in coffee
In Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, pesticide use has increased by 190 percent in ten years. Approximately 38 million kilos of pesticides are used annually on coffee plantations. Since 2019, 475 new pesticides have been approved in Brazil. More than a third of them are banned in Europe.
“There are increasing reports of pesticides polluting groundwater and ecosystems, and health problems in humans and animals in coffee-growing areas. From skin conditions to respiratory problems, and from high blood pressure to cardiovascular disease and cancer, all of these seem to be linked to pesticide use in coffee production,” says lead researcher Athina Koutouleas of the University of Copenhagen, who co-authored a large meta-study on the topic.
Pesticide on Zucchini
Delhaize issued a warning for an excessively high level of Heptachlor on the sold courgette. All courgettes with a best-before date of 27/08/2024 had to be returned and were found to be harmful to health. In order to be allowed to market a product, producers must submit an application to the Ctgb.
This is an independent administrative body that assesses whether pesticides are safe enough to use. To measure whether a substance is carcinogenic, laboratory animals are exposed to the substance for a period of time. There are two test methods for this.
In a one-sided test method, only is measured whether the agent leads to an increase in the number of cases of disease in the test animals, while in a two-sided test method, both advantages and disadvantages for health are tested. When testing pesticides, manufacturers use a two-sided test. When using such a two-sided test, it may seem as if nothing is wrong, while it is in fact carcinogenic.
The two-sided test was also used in the assessment of glyphosate, which has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and other conditions. In November, the European Commission decided to extend its use for ten years. Lawyer and professor of European Law Antoine Bailleux is opposing the approval of glyphosate on behalf of several environmental organisations in a lawsuit against the European Commission. He calls the application of the contested measurement methods a very serious error or an attempt at deception.
Pesticide on fruits and vegetables
Albert Heijn recalled endive with too high a level of the pesticide tau-fluvalinate. If you consume too much of it, it can lead to mild symptoms such as headaches and nausea, the supermarket chain warns. At the end of October 2024, seedless red grapes also had to be removed from the shelves immediately. Customers who bought the grapes were urgently requested not to eat them and to return them to the store. The grapes contained too high a level of the pesticide Ethephon.
On 22 November 2023, under pressure from farmer protests, the European Parliament rejected its own proposal to halve the use of pesticides by 2030. This means that the Green Deal has been scrapped. With the upcoming EP elections in June in sight, the European Commission backed down and withdrew a large number of Green Deal plans. Raisins were even more heavily contaminated with pesticides last year than in previous years.
According to Foodwatch, traces of illegal substances were even found on products sold at various large supermarket chains. An average of eighteen types of poison residues were found. On one type of raisin, 39 types of agricultural poison were even found. Pesticides that are prohibited in the European Union were found on some. According to the organization, organic raisins also contain poison residues, although there are fewer than on the non-organic variety.
The nicotine-based insecticide, acetamiprid, is also widely used by the forestry sector. Leaf spinach has also proven unsafe. In 2018, member states voted in favour of a near-total ban on the use of neonicotinoid insecticides across the EU. Use in greenhouses is still permitted.
Foodwatch wants Syngenta, Bayer AG and BASF to stop producing and exporting harmful pesticides to developing countries. This export contributes to the estimated 200,000 acute poisoning deaths worldwide per year, as a result of pesticides. Residues of this dangerous pesticide on imported fruit and vegetables also still end up on the plates of European consumers and in the environment. France has banned the production and export of these pesticides, which are extremely toxic in the EU, as of 2022. Under pressure from the pesticide lobby and protesting farmers, this has not yet been adopted by the other EU countries. Only 67% of outdoor growers complied with the rules when spraying crops in 2019.
In 2016, this was still 80%. This is evident from research by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) into various outdoor crops. Outdoor crops refer to crops that are grown in the open air, such as arable crops, field vegetables, fruit crops and ornamental crops. In 2019, the NVWA carried out 121 inspections in outdoor crops to check whether growers adhere to the rules when spraying crops.
This involved downward spraying in arable crops, field vegetables, flower bulbs and perennials and upward and sideways spraying in fruit and tree nursery crops. A growing number of very harmful pesticides are being found on fruit and vegetables from the Netherlands. This is evident from an analysis of measurement data from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) by Pesticide Action Network Netherlands (PAN NL).
Between 2007 and 2020, there was a clear increase in the number of different harmful pesticides found in apples, pears, cherries, spinach and cucumbers. The action group specifically looked at 55 products that had to be removed from the market according to a 2009 European regulation because they are the most harmful to health or the environment.
Pesticide on bird food
Much of the bird food sold in Dutch shops contains pesticides. Pesticide Action Network Netherlands (PAN) had various types of bird food sold in Dutch shops tested. A total of nine samples of bird seed for garden birds were tested. Only one sample did not contain any toxic substances, this was the organically grown bird food that was purchased from CJ Wildlife.
The bird food that was examined was purchased at Albert Heijn, Action, garden centres and specialty stores (Maxi Zoo). Pesticides were also found in bird food from the Bird Protection Society. This food is available in stores such as Pets & Co and Tuinland. PBO was found in the food. All contaminated samples contained piperonyl butoxide (PBO), an agent that is added to insecticides to enhance their effectiveness.
According to PAN, the product is a hormone disruptor and has an impeding effect on reproduction. The samples also contained the insecticide deltamethrin. According to PAN, this would affect the nervous system, have a hormone disrupting effect, be harmful to reproduction and possibly be carcinogenic. According to the manufacturer of the product, it has a low toxicity and chronic toxicity testing is not considered necessary. Furthermore, the EU-banned chlorpyriphos-methyl was also found in the bird food tested. As were the insecticides pirimiphos-methyl, pyrethrins and tebuconazole, an anti-fungal agent.
It’s mainly insecticides, a chemical used to control insects. “We tested the feed for about 800 pesticides and found substances that can have effects on the development and reproduction of birds,” she says. “These are mainly chronic effects. Birds won’t suddenly drop dead, but in the long term it can have consequences for fertility, for example.”
Xenial
The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Netherlands has written a letter to Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma asking her to respond to the objection recently filed against the approval of the crop protection product Xenial. The House of Representatives had also previously requested a response from the minister.
In its letter, PAN Nederland strongly criticizes the Board for the Authorization of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb) regarding the authorization of Xenial. This is a fungicide for cereals. In November, the Ctgb announced the authorization of the agent to the world. Xenial contains the active ingredients mefentrifluconazole, metrafenone and pyraclostrobin.
PAN Nederland is furious about this because, according to them, none of the three have been assessed on the basis of hormone disruption. This despite the ruling of the European Court. PAN Nederland calls this ‘undermining the rule of law’. ‘The Ctgb continues to ruthlessly ignore the latest insights’, the organisation writes in a letter to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma has taken note of the criticism, but has stated that she has confidence that the Ctgb will handle the matter thoroughly.
She sees no reason for a restructuring of the board, as PAN Nederland requests in its letter. In the formal response of 3 February 2025, she also cites a letter sent to the standing parliamentary committee in November. ‘Your chamber has been informed that the Ctgb has adjusted its working method for the assessment of crop protection products in some areas.
This follows the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union that a national assessment authority (in the Netherlands the Ctgb), also in view of the precautionary principle, may – and in certain cases even must – use the relevant and reliable scientific and technical knowledge available at the time of assessment, if this was not taken into account in the previous assessment and this revealed an unacceptable risk to human or animal health or to the environment.
BBB Minister Wiersma also points out that new reliable scientific and technical knowledge is used to test the hormone-disrupting effects on humans. The Ctgb also uses new stricter guidelines and methodologies in the assessment, even if they have not yet been definitively established.
Other hazardous substances on fruit and vegetables
The Netherlands imports a wide range of fruits and vegetables from Ukraine. In 2020, the import of fresh vegetables from Ukraine was about 200,000 tons, and the import of fresh fruits was about 60,000 tons. The main products that the Netherlands imports from Ukraine include onions and watermelons, as well as grain.
In conflict zones, chemical substances such as bomb residues and pollutants (e.g. from explosives) can contaminate soil. This can leave hazardous substances such as heavy metals or other harmful compounds in the soil, which can be absorbed by crops. Explosions and burning of military stockpiles can release harmful particles into the air, which settle on crops and thus affect food security.
Warfare can lead to damage to infrastructure, such as water treatment plants, which can contaminate water sources. If crops are irrigated with contaminated water, it can contaminate the produce. In war zones, crops may not be managed or harvested properly, and production systems may be disrupted, leading to increased risk of contamination or less careful harvesting and storage practices. Ukraine is a country that exports a lot of agricultural products, but the situation varies greatly by region.
- Heavy metals:
Lead (Pb): Lead is a common component of munitions and can be released into the soil after explosions or the use of munitions. Crops can absorb this heavy metal from the contaminated soil, which is harmful to the health of people who consume the contaminated products.
Copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd): These metals can also come from munitions or industrial waste. They can end up in soil and water and be taken up by crops.
- Petroleum derivatives and petrochemicals:
Benzene, toluene, xylenes and other volatile organic compounds: In war situations, oil wells are often damaged, tanks or vehicles are burned, which can lead to the release of petroleum derivatives. These substances can contaminate soil and water and be taken up by crops.
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): These are carcinogenic substances that are released during the combustion of petroleum products, rubber or other industrial materials. They can accumulate in the soil and be taken up by crops through the roots.
- Explosives and their residues:
Nitroglycerin (and other explosives such as TNT and ammonium nitrate): Explosives often contain chemical compounds that can be harmful to soil and water. Contamination by explosives is particularly likely to occur in areas where heavy bombing and ground combat has taken place.
Metals from spent ordnance such as uranium ordnance: In some cases, ordnance waste products, such as uranium or other metals, can enter the soil, which is harmful to both the environment and crops.
- Harmful chemicals from isolated industrial processes:
Chlorine compounds and phosphorus compounds: These substances can be released as chemical weapons or by damage to industrial installations containing hazardous substances. They can reach agricultural lands via air or water streams.
- Pesticides and herbicides:
In war situations, harmful pesticides or herbicides can also be released into the environment. If certain stockpiles of agricultural chemicals or chemical weapons are spread into the devastated areas, crops can absorb these substances.
- Radioactive substances:
Cesium-137, strontium-90, and other radioisotopes: In rarer cases, radiological materials, such as those released by a nuclear explosion or uncontrolled storage of nuclear materials, can contaminate the environment. While this would be an extreme case, such materials could have serious long-term effects on the food chain.
- Pathogens and microbial contamination:
By damaging infrastructures (such as water treatment plants), microbial substances such as E. coli, Salmonella or Listeria can be released into the environment. Although these are not directly related to the means of war, they can affect food security in conflict areas.
Soil contamination: Crops can absorb pollutants from the soil through their roots, and substances dispersed through the air (e.g., from explosions or fires) can settle on crops. Contamination of water sources can also contribute to the contamination of crops when they are irrigated with polluted water.
Heavy metals (such as lead): Lead can cause serious neurological damage, especially in children.
Carcinogens (PAHs, benzene, etc.): Many of these substances are carcinogenic and can cause long-term health problems.
Consuming food that has come into contact with explosives or explosive residues may lead to poisoning or other health problems.
Exposure to radioactivity can lead to radiation sickness, cancer and genetic damage.
The exact substances that could potentially contaminate agricultural products from Ukraine are therefore wide ranging, from heavy metals to chemicals and radioactive particles. While there are controls and monitoring in place to mitigate these risks, it is important to have careful monitoring for products from conflict areas to ensure food safety.
On Remembrance Day, Russia attacked energy facilities in cities including Kyiv, Poltava and Lviv. More than fifty missiles and twenty drones were fired at Ukrainian infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to carry out drone attacks on refineries, fuel sites and the nuclear power plant, causing enormous environmental damage and other risks.
The Nord Stream pipeline also suffered. The Russian-captured and operated Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine was damaged by Ukrainian drone strikes on April 7, 2024 and August 11, 2024. The first drone strike involved three direct hits on the facility’s main reactor. The August 11, 2024 fire was in one of the cooling towers, which was also reportedly damaged. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the attack.
It is yet another clear violation of all agreed basic principles of nuclear warfare. Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and environmental disaster. No nuclear power plant in the world is designed to withstand such attacks. The Russians, in turn, set fire to the Trypilska power plant in the Kyiv region on April 11, 2024. Russian forces have made significant advances toward Khasiv Yar, the main Ukrainian stronghold outside the city of Bakhmut, which Russia captured in May 2023 after months of grueling fighting.
The aim of the Russian armed forces is to capture the city of Khasiv Yar by May 9, Ukrainian Supreme Commander-in-Chief General Colonel Oleksandr Syrskyi said. It is the date that Russia marks as the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II. Syrskyi said that Russia is concentrating its efforts there before advancing to the city of Kramatorsk. Khasiv Yar in the Donetsk region 5-10 km from Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops in May 2023, has now been completely destroyed.
Russia has lost at least 100 fighter jets and a supersonic bomber was destroyed. A Rosneft refinery in Tuapse, southern Russia, has caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack. The infrastructure of the oil refinery in Tuapse has been damaged and the environmental consequences are serious. The city of Tuapse is located on the Black Sea, about 250 kilometers from Crimea. Ukrainian drones caused fires in several oil tanks at the Glubokinskaya oil depot in the Rostov region of Russia on August 27.
The Ukrainian military said on October 4 that its forces had attacked an oil base in the Voronezh region of western Russia. Russia and Ukraine have stepped up their attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure in recent months, with the environment bearing the brunt. Ukraine also said on October 6 that it hit an oil depot in Crimea, causing it to catch fire. The Ukrainian military also hit a Russian oil depot in the Crimean city of Feodosia on October 7, 2024. According to the Ukrainian armed forces, the hit oil depot is the largest in the region.
Ukraine on October 11 again attacked an oil depot in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in the east of the country, causing a large fire. Ukraine has a history of attacking Russian-held weapons and fuel depots, including in Russia itself. This attack was the third in two years on the Rovenky oil depot. Ukrainian forces attacked two Russian oil depots in Kaluga and Tula oblasts on the night of January 17-18, 2025.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported on January 18 that units of the Ukrainian Special Operation Forces (SSO) and other Ukrainian forces attacked an oil depot of the Kaluganeftprodukt (JSC) joint-stock company near Lyudinovo, Kaluga Oblast, causing a fire at the facility on the night of January 17–18. Kaluga Oblast Governor Vladislav Shapsha claimed on January 17–18 that a drone strike caused a fire at an unnamed industrial enterprise in Lyudinovo, Kaluga Oblast, later adding that Russian forces had shot down seven drones over the region.[2] Russian sources released footage reportedly showing the fire at the oil depot.
Moscow has also launched major attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities in recent months, knocking out significant production and causing power outages and energy rationing across the country. Russia fought in Kharkiv with the help of the Wagner Group, now under Russian state control after the fiery death of Yevgeny Prigozhin. On January 29, 2025, a massive fire was started by drones at the Russian oil refinery in Kstovo. The refinery had a capacity of 17 million tons per year. The environmental damage is enormous.
Nord Stream
Ukraine was responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea on September 22, 2022. The American intelligence service CIA learned from the MIVD that several Ukrainian teams were preparing the action. The MIVD also shared the information with Germany and other European countries. In the meantime, offshore drilling platforms and Crimea were also attacked with cruise missiles. After blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, between 446,000 and 485,000 tons of methane gas were released into the air.
That amount is slightly less than the annual emissions of the entire Dutch agricultural sector. Because the gas retains heat, this leak leads to additional global warming. Although it receives less attention than CO2, methane makes a significant contribution to climate change. There have been concerns about the increasing emissions of methane for some time. In 2021, countries agreed that emissions should be at least 30 percent lower by 2030. It took a while for helicopters and ships to arrive on site. The leak had long since stopped being so severe. No more gas bubbles emerged, but it only leaked gas that had dissolved in the water.
Porthos is the partnership of the Port Authority, Gasunie and state energy company EBN. These parties want to build a pipeline from the Port of Rotterdam to the North Sea, in order to transport captured CO2 from industry to empty gas fields, twenty kilometres off the coast. Porthos has been granted a permit for this based on the construction exemption, which according to MOB is in conflict with European nature legislation.
Fashion and Environment
The Association for Textile Recovery (VHT) is sounding the alarm because the demand for used clothing has decreased worldwide, with the result that textile collection can no longer cope. At the collection and sorting company Sympany in Assen, the bales of textile are stacked up to the ceiling. There are now almost 2 million kilos of collected clothing. Normally, all the collected textile could be sold quickly, but now no one wants it anymore.
For example, a very large part of the discarded clothing went to Russia and Ukraine, but due to the war, these countries disappeared. Chinese companies such as Shein or Temu have now also gained a foothold in African countries and they now produce their clothing so cheaply that people who used to buy second-hand clothing can now buy new clothing cheaper. Due to the lower quality and faster disposal, the amount of textiles that are collected is increasing. At the three Sympany locations, approximately twenty trucks drive in every day, transporting approximately 400,000 items of clothing. The company has now rented additional space to store the textiles.
This is a temporary solution that, according to the trade association, cannot continue indefinitely. While influencers are massively promoting Shein’s cheap clothing, there is an increasing flow of clothing that is virtually impossible to recycle. The impact of this type of clothing on textile sorting companies is great. The clothing is often made of polyester. A material that is still impossible to recycle and therefore has to be burned. An increasing proportion of the clothing that comes in is no longer suitable for reuse, because the quality is decreasing. Shein has more than 45 million users in the European Union, almost 10 percent of all Europeans.
Besides the fact that more and more clothing cannot be recycled, Shein is also ‘flooding’ the market with their cheap clothing. Demand has completely collapsed. People prefer cheap new clothing to second-hand clothing. Last year, thrift stores collected an average of almost 785,000 kilos per location. This was reported by the Dutch branch association Kringloop Nederland (BKN), which has 66 affiliated organisations. In the coming years, design requirements for textiles will be introduced in Europe. This means that all products in Europe must meet minimum quality requirements.
This includes, for example, how long clothing should last, how much recycled material clothing should contain at least, and that it should be easy to repair. Thanks to a European product passport, consumers have access to information about the sustainability of textiles, such as the origin and use of materials. Finally, a European ban will apply to the destruction of unsold textiles.
Air pollution
In Delhi, India, schools are forced to close every year due to severe smog levels that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) limit by a hundred times. Every year, farmers around the city set their fields on fire to make the soil fertile again for winter crops. In the state of Punjab, there were more than a thousand farm fires in a single day in early November.
The toxic smoke clouds are mostly above Delhi, carried by a north-westerly wind. Add to that the endless stream of cars of the 33 million inhabitants and the exhaust from the factories and you get a toxic cocktail, which is the cause of 1.6 million deaths in the country. That is 18 percent of all deaths. Fourteen of the twenty most polluted cities in the world are in India. But Delhi is not even the dirtiest city in the world because that is Lahore in Pakistan, Hotan in China and Bhiwadi in India. Delhi is in fourth place.
Mariupol in Ukraine is one of the most polluted cities. Ukraine is riddled with corruption and a small number of super-rich oligarchs have disproportionate political influence. The country’s outdated factories are allowed to emit far more toxic, polluting fumes than are permitted elsewhere in Europe. With all the attention in the EU and also from environmental organisations focused on banning fossil fuels, the very serious pollution and environmental damage caused by “green transport” is being forgotten.
In 2022, air pollution from Dutch soil caused 18 billion euros in health damage. Agriculture is the sector that causes the most damage, with 7.1 billion euros. This is evident from calculations by Pointer (KRO-NCRV), which applied a research method from the European Environment Agency (EEA) to Dutch emission data of fifteen harmful substances.
Aircraft contrails, or the white streaks of water vapor that planes leave behind in the sky, have been the subject of conspiracy theories for decades. Contrails are simply clouds of water that result from jet exhaust
Green transport and pollution
For example, several studies including one from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) show that large electric cars like Tesla have a larger carbon footprint over their entire life cycle than smaller cars with a combustion engine running on gasoline. Electric cars are estimated to require roughly 40% of the platinum and 75% of the palladium available.
To make the batteries for electric cars, cobalt is also needed for the electrodes. A single car battery can currently contain up to 8 kilos of cobalt. According to Volkswagen, the new Tesla battery factory alone will increase the world demand for cobalt by 17 percent. Half of the estimated world supply of 7 million tons of cobalt is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which produces about 65 percent of the world’s cobalt.
Annually, this amounts to approximately 100,000 tonnes of cobalt. Other producers are Canada, China, Russia, Australia and Zambia. Glencore is the market leader in cobalt production. The group produces 28,000 tonnes of cobalt annually, but 20,000 tonnes of this is already destined for the Chinese market. The mining of cobalt in Congo causes serious human rights violations.
This is accompanied by evictions, sexual violence, arson and abuse. Due to the high demand, entire communities are being evicted from their homes to make mining possible. Some 40,000 children, from the age of four, work daily in the vast mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where toxic red dust burns their eyes and they risk skin diseases and a fatal lung disease. Almost every major manufacturer that produces electric cars buys its cobalt from the impoverished Central African state.
It is the world’s largest producer, with 60 percent of global reserves. The cobalt is transported to battery factories in Asia where it is processed. While a smartphone battery uses no more than 7 grams of refined cobalt, an electric car needs 13 kg. Current production is insufficient for the large-scale planned switch to electric cars.
With current plans for the number of electric cars, the Netherlands would need up to 4 percent of the global annual production. Demand is expected to triple to 222,000 tons by 2025. The use of batteries in electric cars only yields environmental benefits after eight years, but the batteries only continue to operate at full capacity for about six years. Each kilowatt hour (kWh) of capacity results in 150 to 200 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions.
For a Nissan Leaf, with a 30 kWh battery, this means that 5.3 tonnes of CO2 have already been emitted before it has been driven one kilometre. For that, you can drive a comparable petrol car for about 2.7 years. Making strong batteries for EVs is a dirty job. Materials such as nickel, cobalt, lithium and manganese are used. Extracting these materials is not good for the environment. A third of new batteries in Europe are rejected after they have been built. A margin of error of 15 to 30 percent is even considered normal.
But that is just the average. In some start-up factories, it can even be 90 percent of the batteries that end up in the bin. Making a battery is very precise. There are twenty different phases. If you deviate even slightly from this, the battery is unusable. Then we can do too little with the rejected batteries in Europe. There are too few factories where the batteries of EVs can be recycled. There is one in Rotterdam, but it cannot keep up.
The company receives the batteries of 20,000 large EVs or 50,000 hybrid models recycled each year. The material that remains is therefore sold to companies outside our continent. Not a problem in itself, but the EU wants to keep as many of the raw materials here as possible to prevent unnecessary imports. Selling the materials back does not help.
The price charts of the raw materials palladium and platinum show a strong upward trend over five years. Volkswagen has therefore already invested 20 billion euros in this sector. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in electronics and electric cars currently consist of more than half of this material.
But cobalt can also be replaced in the future by, for example, the more environmentally friendly titanium dioxide with which new lithium batteries are already being developed. The e-bike industry alone produces around 100,000 discarded lithium batteries per year in the Netherlands. When charging via the regular socket, 12.7 to 24.2 percent of the power is lost. With faster charging, the losses drop to 6.3 to 9.7 percent.
Tens of thousands of protesters are protesting in the Serbian capital Belgrade against a project by mining company Rio Tinto to extract lithium and boron in a populated area used for agriculture. They are blocking roads and train tracks.
President Aleksandar Vucic wants to allow the extraction, while the permit was withdrawn in early 2022 after major opposition from environmental organizations to the mining plans. The Jadar mine in western Serbia should become the largest lithium mine in Europe, with a production of 58,000 tons per year. This would allow the mine to meet a significant part of Europe’s demand for lithium. The British-Australian Rio Tinto would then become one of the largest lithium producers in the world. Rio Tinto is said to have given new guarantees to ensure environmental standards for the 2.4 billion euro project and that, if everything goes according to plan, the mine could open in 2028. The president points out, among other things, the boost for the Serbian economy.
Vucic also wants to see batteries and electric cars produced in the country. The $2.4 billion Jadar mine is expected to supply 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs, making Rio Tinto one of the world’s largest lithium producers. Even as regulatory lockdowns were imposed, Rio Tinto continued to buy and demolish properties in the affected area, often without the proper permits. Between June 2022 and January 2023, the company bought land worth at least €1.2 million and continued to demolish homes despite lacking the necessary approvals.
Currently, 97 percent of the EU’s lithium comes from China. Most lithium batteries are also made in China. With a new agreement, Germany and Serbia want to turn the tide. Car manufacturers such as Mercedes, Volkswagen and Stellantis will then be able to buy their lithium in Serbia. The Jadar mine in western Serbia is one of the largest lithium reserves in Europe. Serbia hopes to extract around 58,000 tons of lithium per year with the new mine, enough for 1.1 million electric cars.
Serbia could supply Europe with up to 90 percent of the lithium it needs. In Serbia, there are many concerns among the population about the environmental impact of the mine. For example, forests would have to be cut down to mine lithium, and groundwater could be polluted. In 2021 and 2022, there were already demonstrations against the construction of lithium mines in Serbia. The Constitutional Court of Serbia ruled this month that the government could not simply put a stop to lithium mining.
The government had “overstepped the limits of its authority,” the court said. As a result of the court’s decision, the Serbian government announced this week that the controversial mining will go ahead after all. Citizens from the Jadar area have rallied to stop the plans. The price of lithium has fallen by 80 percent since the end of 2022, and that trend is expected to continue until at least 2027. The price has been able to fall so far in part because supply has grown faster than demand. Next year, production is expected to grow by 32 percent, while demand will only increase by 23 percent.
Therefore, there is a chance that large mining companies will cut production, stop new projects and not plan expansions for the future. Two Chinese lithium giants, Ganfeng Lithium Group Co. and Tianqi Lithium Corp., suffered heavy losses in the first half of this year. The protesters are demanding that the government pass a law to block the exploitation of lithium and boron, and warn that they are prepared to step up their actions if their demands are not met.
Nebojša Petković of the “Ne damo Jadar” platform has said that targeted blockades could be organised. The EU is keen to secure a stable and cheap supply of lithium for its Green Deal, which is heavily dependent on the transition to green transport. Rio Tinto estimates that the Jadar project could supply 58 tonnes of lithium per year, enough for 1 million electric vehicles or 17% of regional production. In order to start production at the site, the Australian mining group must now obtain approvals that are subject to an environmental impact assessment.
A new invention at GEMX by 77-year-old Turkish-American scientist and entrepreneur Kenan Sahin means that only 4 percent cobalt is needed in an electric car battery instead of 20 percent
The tires of an electric car emit 20% more fine particles than the tires of a fuel car. The tires and brakes together produce more fine particles than a combustion engine. The British Emissions Analytics reports that per kilometer driven, 4 car tires produce an average of 1 trillion (1000 billion) ultrafine particles.
These are so small that they pass through the lungs into the bloodstream and even the brain. Electric cars emit 20% more of these particles than a combustion engine. This is partly because the rubber has to endure more due to the higher weight and greater power of the car, but also because electric cars are often supplied with sporty tires that invite a sporty driving style.
That means that after three years, 39% of EV owners have had to replace their tyres, compared to 20% of petrol drivers. That means they have to fiddle with a new set twice as often, according to TopGear. What’s more, car tyres contain a host of volatile organic compounds, such as solvents. “We’ve shown that the amount of volatile organic compounds released is 100 times greater than the amount coming out of a modern exhaust pipe,” one researcher said.
Temperature rise and climate change
On 19 December 2023, the Senate approved the temporary climate fund, which should provide 35 billion euros to make the economy more sustainable and reduce CO2 emissions. The climate fund was supported by 46 of the 75 senators. BBB, PVV, JA21, FVD, SP and 50PLUS voted against. The senators also approved the National Growth Fund of 20 billion euros for projects that contribute to economic growth in the long term. The House of Representatives has already used money from the fund to finance short-term plans. The fund was misused in the spring memorandum.
Large parts of Europe and Brazil are experiencing periods of extreme heat. The UK saw a new national record on 19 July, when temperatures rose above 40°C for the first time. This was accompanied by a persistent and damaging drought and wildfires. European rivers including the Rhine, Loire and Danube fell to critically low levels. Greece recorded a temperature of 44.2 degrees in July 2023, while Antalya Turkey recorded a temperature of 45 degrees. Large parts of Brazil are experiencing an extreme heatwave in mid-November 2023, with the wind chill factor reaching 58.5 degrees. Rio de Janeiro recorded a temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius this week. Around 2,400 wildfires are raging in Brazil in mid-November
In August 2021, scientists reported new facts about climate change and the expected rise in temperature and sea level. The report discusses the consequences for people and nature, vulnerable countries and ecosystems, and the possibilities for adaptation. An earlier report from 2014 already stated that climate disasters were inevitable and that most coral reefs are doomed.
The consequences of climate change have become more extreme, such as the floods in Germany, Belgium and South Limburg, the heat waves and forest fires in California and the tropical storms in Madagascar. If the temperature rises between 3.2 and 5.4 degrees Celsius, the most serious scenario will see sea levels rise between 50 and 80 centimeters with a significant increase in storms, cyclones and storm surges. The North Pole could be ice-free in the summer of 2050 and the climate zones will then shift by 70 kilometers per decade with temperatures doubling.
Heavy rainfall and flooding have killed at least 21 people in the Dominican Republic. President Luis Abinader calls the storm the “biggest rainfall ever” in his country’s history. Parts of Limburg, including Venlo, were hit by heavy thunderstorms in late May 2025, with hailstones measuring up to 6 cm in diameter.
Olivine
Olivine formed in magma is not only rich in magnesium and poor in silicates (silicon dioxide) but would also be an important (natural) solution to the CO2 problem. It is an important mineral in rocks such as gabbro, norite, the mantle rock peridotite (dunite) and as small crystals in basalt. It has an orthorhombic crystal system and it crystallizes in a somewhat flattened form but can also occur as a solid or in grain form.
It is somewhat fragile and breaks in a conchoidal manner. In sand form it is called GreenSand. This mineral, which occurs in large quantities on earth, has been removing CO2 from the air for millions of years. When the magnesium silicate with iron comes into contact with water, it extracts CO2 from the water and ‘breaks down’ into sand, magnesium, bicarbonate and iron. Olivine can therefore make a major contribution to capturing carbon dioxide in the air and thus contribute to CO2 reduction as a negative emission. Olivine works most effectively in ground form, so from rough pebbles to sand.
Olivine is one of the most common silicates on earth and has been naturally regulating CO2 in the atmosphere for millions of years. In the presence of water, CO2 is converted into carbonate (lime) via a natural chemical conversion. This is an irreversible process and therefore an effective way to permanently reduce CO2 in the air. Carbonate is also an important nutrient for shellfish and helps to counteract acidification of soil and water.
In addition, Olivine can potentially help against the acidification of the oceans. However, the release of nickel, a toxin that is naturally present in Olivine, must be taken into account. The weathering speed of Olivine, and therefore the effectiveness of the capture of CO2, is determined by the grain size used (the smaller the faster) and the environmental conditions in which Olivine is used. The release of nickel is directly related to this. 1 kg of Olivine can capture a maximum of approximately 1 kg of carbon dioxide. In the Netherlands, but also worldwide, (ground) Olivine is not yet used on a large scale as a means against climate change.
Although olivine weathering rates have been quantified by some laboratory research groups, they have not yet been sufficiently field-validated to provide quality assurance for operational applications under various conditions.
Prof. dr. Schuiling is the spiritual father of the idea to use the mineral olivine to absorb a large part of the greenhouse gas CO2 from the atmosphere. This follows Seifritz, who had published the first article on active CO2 capture with minerals. Olivine (magnesium iron silicate) is a common mineral that reacts with water and CO2 when ground and spread over the land. This creates bicarbonate that dissolves in water and flows away with the water to the sea.
In the sea it then precipitates as limestone. The dissolved magnesium iron silicate also increases the CO2 absorption by an increase in the growth of diatoms, which precipitate as coral. Agriculture can also contribute to this solution.
Converted, 1 ton of Olivine captures as much as 1.25 tons of CO2. Many large Olivine reserves are close to the surface, where they can be mined in open-pit mining, at low cost and with a low CO2 penalty of 3.5 to 4% of the CO2 that is ultimately captured. India and China have huge Olivine reserves.
There is a thousand times more olivine available than will ever be needed. To achieve a new balance between emission and capture, 25 billion tons of olivine per year would be needed. Olivine has a density of 3400 kg per cubic meter, so that amounts to a volume of just over 7 cubic kilometers. That is a lot, but not more gigantic than current mining. In Turkey alone, a million tons of ground Olivine is piled up as a residual product of chromite mining. source: www.Micosat.nl
Disadvantages:
There are still legal obstacles because it has not been sufficiently demonstrated that the leaching of nickel in pore water remains below the set standards. However, the standard used would be based on incorrect calculations, which means that the application on a larger scale could indeed be of great importance. The application of Olivine in civil projects is already permitted under certain conditions, provided that the olivine can be retrieved. Because olivine has not (yet) or has hardly been used, the legal implications have not yet or have hardly been explored and there is a lack of case law.
In the Netherlands, a field experiment was conducted in 2010-2011, commissioned by Prorail, with the application of Olivijn in test sections on an inspection path over a length of 300 m (2010-2011), and in 2017 an application by the RET (Rotterdam Electric Tram) in inspection paths along 24 km of the metro line between Rotterdam and Hoek van Holland (Hoekse Lijn).
At Deltares in Delft, a test site has been set up to accurately measure CO2 capture by measuring the weathering products of olivine. The environmental variables water and acidity have priority. The results are used to validate a calculation model, and thus develop a ‘standard’ for possible large-scale applications. The possible leaching of nickel is also measured at the test site, to validate a risk assessment module of the calculation model. Rijkswaterstaat is a participant in this project.
Nitrogen
With the introduction of the Emergency Act on Nitrogen (January 2020), the distinction between ‘projects’ and ‘other actions’ in the Nature Conservation Act was abolished. This made it easier to balance internally and a legal basis was laid for setting up nitrogen banks.
On 24 March 2020, the Nitrogen Emergency Approach Regulation came into effect. This regulation introduced the nitrogen registration system (hereinafter: the SRSS). The SRSS is a nitrogen bank that was filled with the nitrogen space that was created by the speed reduction on motorways to 100 km/h. This nitrogen space is intended for housing construction and large infrastructure projects. Where possible, the new coalition wants to have the speed limit on motorways again at 130 kilometres per hour, even during the day.
Since 1 July 2021, the Nature Conservation Act has included a construction exemption. The intention was that when granting a permit for a project, nitrogen emissions from certain construction activities did not have to be taken into account. This made it easier to grant permits for construction and infrastructure projects.
According to the legislator, the building exemption did not lead to any damage to Natura 2000 areas thanks to a broader ‘robust and effective package of measures’. First of all, it follows from the case law of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg that permission for a project may only be granted if research shows that it is certain that individual protected nature areas will not suffer any damage as a result. Furthermore, it follows from the case law of the European Court that a package of measures as proposed by the legislator may only be used as substantiation if those measures have actually been implemented and the expected benefits thereof have been established.
The package of measures that the legislator has used as a justification to include the building exemption in the Nature Conservation Act does not meet this requirement. The vast majority of the measures have not yet been implemented.
The current construction exemption for nitrogen in the Netherlands does not comply with European nature conservation law, as determined by the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State. The construction exemption is therefore off the table and is already causing many delays and even the termination of new construction projects.
However, it remains possible to conduct research into the possible consequences of nitrogen emissions per project. This is stated in an interim ruling by the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State today (2 November 2022) in the case concerning the so-called Porthos project. The Porthos project must enable the storage of CO2 from the Rotterdam port area in empty gas fields under the North Sea. The construction exemption would be used for the project.
The Administrative Law Division has now first made an interim decision and given the objector six weeks to respond to the investigation. The Administrative Law Division will then continue the handling of the Porthos case and make a final decision later. The procedure was initiated by the organisation Mobilisation for the Environment (MOB), which is committed to preserving biodiversity. Johan Vollenbroek of MOB argued that the construction of the infrastructure for the underground storage also releases nitrogen, which precipitates in the South Holland dunes.
Without Porthos, Dutch climate policy will fail. Because not only does the port of Rotterdam rely on CO2 capture to achieve its climate goals, the technology also plays a major role in the government’s plans. The Porthos project is a project in the North Sea with the aim of building infrastructure with which captured CO2 can be stored underground. The expected duration of the realization phase of this project is 8 years. The permit for the construction of this infrastructure was invoked under the building exemption.
The Porthos project is a project in the North Sea with the aim of constructing infrastructure to store captured CO2 underground. The expected duration of the realisation phase of this project is 8 years. An appeal was made to the building exemption for the permit for the construction of this infrastructure. The Council of State rejected the objection in August 2023, because the burdensome nitrogen emissions are temporary but limited and that they do not have major consequences for nature reserves. According to the Council of State, the amount of nitrogen released in the long term is negligible.
On 1 July 2021, the Nitrogen Reduction and Nature Improvement Act (July 2021) came into effect. An important part of this law is the ‘partial construction exemption’ for projects. This exemption ensures that temporary effects in the form of nitrogen deposition during the construction phase do not have to be assessed when granting a permit.
Although this exemption only applies to the construction phase of the project (and therefore not to the use phase), it has led to a significant simplification of the granting of permits. With internal balancing, the increase in nitrogen deposition by a specific (construction) project may be reduced by the reduction that is realised at the same location at the same time, so that on balance no increase in nitrogen deposition occurs.
This balancing has been under pressure since the ruling of the East Brabant Court on the nature permit of the Amercentrale. The Amercentrale is a coal and biomass-fired power plant. The Amercentrale would like to burn more biomass instead of coal and had applied for a nature permit for this.
In the internal balancing, the Amercentrale used a nature permit for the AC-8 combustion plant. The use of this combustion plant was terminated in 2015. The court found that the nitrogen space of this combustion plant could not simply be used to grant a new permit and formulated new conditions for internal balancing.
This ruling states that if new permits are required to utilise unused (but permitted) emission space, this unused space can no longer be used. For example, a farmer who has a nature permit for 200 cows, but has a stable in which he can keep 120 cows, can be considered.
If the farmer first needs an environmental permit for the construction of a new stable for those 80 extra cows, he can no longer use the nitrogen space of those 80 cows for (internal or external) balancing.
In the short term, there is a risk of another nitrogen impasse if a judge rules that the cut-off limit of 25 km may not be applied. The government can prevent this impasse by already preparing a new AERIUS Calculator without a cut-off limit. Without a legally sound AERIUS Calculator, no permits can be issued.
The SRSS will be out of use for the coming months, but it seems that the government is prepared for this and that the SRSS can be used again within a few months. The nitrogen space in the SRSS comes from the measure to reduce the speed on highways to 100 km/h during the day. The nitrogen space in the SRSS is only used for the construction of homes and for large infrastructure projects. To date, the SRSS has provided nitrogen space for the construction of more than 33,000 homes
On April 22, 2022, the North Holland District Court ruled that the SRSS can no longer be used (for the time being). Before the speed reduction to 100 km/h was implemented, the effects of this speed reduction on various nature reserves were investigated. This was necessary to determine how much nitrogen space this speed reduction would yield.
These studies also showed that it was very likely that the driving behaviour of road users would change due to this speed reduction. On a limited number of routes, it would become more attractive to take other routes that go closer to nature reserves after the speed reduction. In other words: the speed reduction was in a number of cases worse for nature.
The judge therefore concludes that the space that the speed reduction provides may not be used because the speed reduction itself is in conflict with nature legislation. The SRSS is now only filled with nitrogen space that has arisen as a result of the Subsidy scheme for the remediation of pig farms, with which the space can be used again for housing projects.
Based on existing plans, the PBL expects that 85 percent of the heat demand will still be supplied by fossil fuels in 2030
The forecast is that by 2030, 85 percent of electricity will come from renewable sources, such as offshore wind farms. Eneco and Shell are going to build a wind farm in the North Sea in the coming years, about 50 kilometers off the coast of IJmuiden. The park has a capacity of 756 megawatts and consists of 54 wind turbines.
The power that the park produces is enough to supply approximately one million households with electricity. That is 3 percent of the total power requirement in our country. Shell and Eneco are realizing the park without subsidy and indicate that they will take nature into account during construction. For example, they are placing some of the turbines far apart, so that there is more space for birds and they are using special pile-driving techniques that have less impact on the underwater world.
Based on estimates of plastic particle emissions from turbine blade wear, it is expected that this could amount to between 7.40 kg and 38,000 kg per year for all Dutch turbines in the North Sea in 2030.
Before the summer, the Cabinet also wants to release almost 3 billion euros to tackle the nitrogen crisis. Almost 1.3 billion euros will be allocated to the plans submitted by the provinces. The caretaker cabinet also wants to allocate 1.45 billion euros to the voluntary purchase scheme for livestock farmers. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate must agree to the proposal for the billion-dollar investment. Greenpeace took legal action against the State over the nitrogen approach. In its ruling, the court dismissed all of Greenpeace’s claims.
The court finds that the reports relied on by Greenpeace are insufficient to assume that the State is obliged, on the basis of the deterioration ban, to reduce nitrogen deposition in the entire area of the very urgent (red) habitats below the critical deposition value (KDW) by the end of 2025 in order to prevent permanent damage.
In the judgment, the court only assesses the most far-reaching claim of Greenpeace and the obligations under the Habitats Directive that are relevant in the short term (the prohibition of deterioration). According to the court, the other claims are not suitable for award in summary proceedings. The court determined that nature is in poor condition and that the current nitrogen policy of the State will not sufficiently lead to the nitrogen deposition in the most vulnerable nature being reduced to below the KDW in the short term. In doing so, the State may be acting in violation of the prohibition of deterioration in the Habitats Directive.
According to the judge, it cannot be ruled out that the State, on the basis of the Habitats Directive, is immediately obliged in several specific cases to ensure that nitrogen deposition (locally) is further and more quickly reduced than is the case under the current policy. The judge has no basis for specifying (delimiting) an order to be imposed on the State. Greenpeace’s claims are insufficiently focused on this and the judge can therefore not partially grant Greenpeace’s claim.
Nitrogen is biologically quite important as a component of proteins and nucleic acids. Air pollution mainly involves ammonia and nitrogen oxide. Nitrogen precipitation is the sum of the two. Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen with hydrogen and has the formula NH3. Ammonia is corrosive to the skin, eyes and mucous membranes, and is environmentally hazardous. It can cause pulmonary oedema and perforation of the stomach and oesophagus. In addition, there is a risk of explosion if it is released in large quantities. Ammonia is released mainly by mixing the manure and urine of pigs, cows and chickens.
Our nitrogen emissions are among the highest in the world
The Netherlands is the largest emitter in Europe. Agriculture accounts for 45%. 35% comes from abroad. Road traffic, industry, offices and households account for the rest
Net, the Netherlands is also one of Europe’s largest exporters
Too much nitrogen has a negative effect on nature and biodiversity
In 72% of nature reserves too much nitrogen is deposited
Too much nitrogen acidifies the soil, from which minerals disappear and which causes trees to die, as well as certain plant species, which are important for birds and insects
Nitrogen takes up an average of 4 months of a human life
The government wants to “do everything it can” to adjust European directives. The focus is on adjusting the Nitrate Directive and ‘recalibrating’ Natura 2000 areas. “Focused on a main structure of robust nature areas, no ‘fragmented nature’. The coalition agreement also states that the Netherlands should no longer pursue a more ambitious nature policy than the rest of Europe.
The coalition does not want a forced reduction of the livestock population, there should be no forced expropriation, there should be generous voluntary buyouts and there should be a lot of focus on innovation in agriculture. The cheaper ‘red diesel’ is returning for farmers, gardeners and contractors. In 2013, that low excise duty rate for diesel was actually scrapped. More than half of all agricultural companies on sandy soil have more nitrate in the water than is legally permitted (50 mg per liter). On clay and peat soil, this applies to two-thirds of the companies.
Porthos aims to store 2.5 megatons of CO2 annually under the sea. That is 1.5 percent of the annual emissions in the Netherlands. The Dutch state has made 2 billion euros available for the project, which can start in early 2024.
A new report on the critical deposition value (KDW) (the value that indicates how much nitrogen a nature area can handle without further damage to nature) shows that nature can handle less in some places than expected. Previously, it was thought that 39 percent of the natural surface would no longer be overloaded in 2025, but with the new figures, this is still 29 percent. In 2030, this will be 43 percent, which has dropped to 30 percent. At the same time, more nitrogen has entered nature than expected.
The EU countries have established by law that livestock farms with more than 700 pigs, 22,000 laying hens or 40,000 broilers must comply with the European emission regulations. In 2026, agreements will also be made about the emissions of companies with cattle and dairy cows. Cattle and cows were already included in the original bill. However, because a number of Member States did not agree with this, these companies were removed for the time being. The European Parliament adopted the law with 393 votes in favour and 179 votes against. The EU countries still have to give the green light before the new rules actually come into effect.
On June 10, 2022, the government presented a plan to achieve a significant reduction in nitrogen emissions within eight years. In 2022, air pollution from Dutch soil caused 18 billion euros in health damage. Agriculture is the sector that causes the most damage, with 7.1 billion euros.
The broad outlines of the plans concern a strong reduction of the livestock population to reduce nitrogen emissions, which should lead to the restoration of nature areas that have suffered greatly in recent decades. At present, only 24 percent of nitrogen-sensitive nature meets the standard, this should become 74 percent of protected nature. In areas such as the Peel and the Gelderse Vallei, the plans should lead to a nitrogen reduction of 70 to 80 percent.
The intensive livestock farming, which was largely caused by the generous financing and stimulation by the Rabobank at the time, has been causing an excessive share of the nitrogen increase for years. That is why the government has decided to reduce extensive livestock farming (peak polluters), especially in vulnerable Natura 2000 areas.
Building permits can then be issued again, which are now being postponed due to the nitrogen tax. The farmers’ protests are related to the forced buyout and closure of intensive livestock farms in order to reduce the greenhouse effect. Although nitrogen deposition has decreased by approximately 40 percent since 1990, it is still above the critical deposition value in 130 nitrogen-sensitive Natura 2000 areas.
High exceedances mainly occur in areas with intensive livestock farming in the east and south of our country. These are mainly the nature reserves of Twente and the Achterhoek, the Veluwe, Brabant and North Limburg. There, the current deposition is sometimes double the critical deposition value. In order to achieve nature gains, the deposition there must be reduced considerably. Far-reaching deposition reduction is much less necessary in other regions, such as Groningen, Flevoland, South Holland and Zeeland. Since November 2023, there have been fierce farmers’ protests against left-wing policies throughout Europe.
In Brussels, a large farmers’ protest with about a thousand tractors took place around the EU summit that took place there on 1 February 2024. They successfully campaigned for better prices and less bureaucracy. Because of the protests and because of the upcoming elections for the European Parliament in June 2024, there is fear that radical right-wing parties will profit from the discontent among farmers and the common agricultural policy was opened up.
The European Commission therefore came up with plans to green agriculture, reduce the regulatory burden for farmers and make environmental requirements less strict and no longer mandatory. Instead of farmers no longer receiving subsidies if they do not comply with measures, they receive extra money if they do take sustainability measures. Z
o the Commission proposes to no longer oblige farmers to leave land fallow. Instead, there will be a scheme for farmers who do so voluntarily. Farmers will also have to take fewer measures to prevent soil depletion and smaller farms will be subject to fewer inspections. Countries will soon be allowed to make exceptions to the regulations in the event of extreme weather. The relaxations by the European Commission still have to be approved by the European Parliament and the Member States. The government will provide financial support to young farmers and horticulturalists who are starting or taking over a business. Minister Adema (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) is making almost €240 million available for this from both European and national funds. Nitrogen standards and new manure regulations are causing misunderstanding and anger, but also acute stress.
More and more farmers are experiencing psychological problems. The farmers took to the road again on April 21 with tractors in protest for protest actions. Minister Adema indicates that the role of a cabinet should not be overestimated: “We are actually an executive office of Europe. As a minister, I have come home from a cold fair when you see what is decided in Europe.” We will have to do it in the Netherlands. Otherwise there will be a cold restructuring and many farmers will go bankrupt,” the minister fears. A quarter of farmers are afraid of having to stop within 10 years, the majority expects that a new, right-wing cabinet will reverse nitrogen policy, but Brussels will not allow that.
Their future was already uncertain due to the nitrogen policy of recent years, but new manure regulations from the European Union make their existence, according to them, even more uncertain. 7 out of 10 livestock farmers say in the survey that these new regulations could be the death blow for their company. The cabinet plans to combat threatening manure surpluses received support from a majority of the House of Representatives on 25 April 2024. In any case, NSC, GroenLinks-PvdA, VVD, D66 and CDA have so far made it clear in a debate that they support the proposals of outgoing Minister of Agriculture Piet Adema. In the Senate, BBB will probably still reject the proposal.
Nitrogen broker Johan Remkes wants to buy out 500 to 600 of the biggest nitrogen polluters within a year and not interfere with halving emissions by 2030. However, there are only 132 of these peak polluters. However, it should be examined in the course of time whether this goal is feasible everywhere in the country and whether nitrogen-neutral farms can perhaps be established, he stated.
According to his report, nitrogen emissions by so-called peak polluters must be ended as soon as possible. Remkes advises the cabinet to simply get started with 2030 as the target date. But somewhere in the middle, it must be examined whether there are places where halving emissions is not feasible within that time frame. Some flexibility should be possible there. Remkes believes that ending peak polluters should be done on a voluntary basis as much as possible.
He also wants a generous compensation scheme for farmers and entrepreneurs who stop their business. 2030, the year in which the nitrogen targets must be achieved, is in the coalition agreement between VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie, but has become politically sensitive because former CDA leader Wopke Hoekstra said in an interview with a news site at the time that the year is ‘not sacred’ as far as he is concerned.
Green Deal
Wopke Hoekstra became the new European Commissioner for Climate. Hoekstra replaced Frans Timmermans, who was Vice-President of the European Commission from 1 November 2014 to 22 August 2023. In the Von der Leyen Commission, Timmermans was responsible for the European Green Deal. In the Juncker Commission, he was responsible for ‘better regulation’ and sustainable development. In the 2023 Dutch general election, he is the top candidate for GroenLinks/PvdA, hoping to become the new Prime Minister. During his election campaign, Timmermans revised the climate targets for 2030 downwards.
The European Union awarded a grant of €350,000 to the environmental organisation ClientEarth, with the aim of accelerating the closure of coal-fired power plants in Germany. The grant was awarded on 7 December 2022 through a contract with the European Commission, as part of the broader Green Deal agenda for which Frans Timmermans was responsible as European Commissioner for Climate (2019–2023).
ClientEarth is an NGO that focuses on legal means to enforce environmental legislation. The subsidy received was intended to increase legal and financial risks for operators of coal-fired power plants, in collaboration with citizen movements and climate groups. In this way, the “phase-out” of coal was to be accelerated.
Because the exact contract details have not been made public, while the European Commission has transparency registers for subsidies and the full contract with ClientEarth has not been published to date, this has led to critical reporting in the German press and on social media.
However, the subsidy fits within the broader EU policy to financially support NGOs in the implementation of climate goals. Millions of euros in subsidies are involved annually, with amounts that can amount to €700,000 per organization. Legal actions such as those of ClientEarth fall within this policy space.
ClientEarth used the grant for legal strategies to legally challenge permits for coal-fired power plants, to publish critical analyses of closed-door compensation and legal risks such as multi-billion dollar claims, and to work with local citizen initiatives to raise public concerns and political pressure. In this way, the grant contributed to objectives that the EU intended but could not achieve by itself.
Nitrogen targets
The government wants to make a substantial contribution of 7.4 billion euros to achieving the nitrogen targets in 2030. Farmers’ organization Farmers Defence Force (FDF) is absolutely against the forced purchase of polluting farms and also for action group Agractie forced buyouts are unacceptable. In the meantime, the province of Gelderland has already bought thirteen agricultural companies for 32 million euros in one year. This is said to have reduced nitrogen emissions by almost 60,000 kilos.
According to the province, these farmers have voluntarily been bought out. Some 3,000 farms and about twenty industrial companies have subsequently been classified by the government as peak polluters and have been given until early 2024 to decide whether they want to stop their business in exchange for 120 percent of the company value. A total of almost one billion euros has been set aside for this.
The companies that cause the most nitrogen deposition in Natura 2000 areas were eligible. In practice, these were companies that are close to those nature areas or emit a lot of nitrogen. The nitrogen is not reduced by this, but is released as extra nitrogen space for construction. Two farmers from North East Twente who no longer saw their future took their own lives.
The provincial states of South Holland, with the permission of BBB, still made forced expropriation of farmers possible. Despite all the protests and objections from farmers and gardeners in South Holland, a large bag of money at the expense of the taxpayers is still used to achieve justice. The province intends to forcibly expropriate dozens of farmers in Zuidplas, Alblasserdam, Molenlanden, Goeree-Overflakkee and Voorne aan Zee.
The main effects of nitrogen on nature are soil acidification and fertilization. Soil acidification leads to a lack of nutrients for plants, while fertilization reinforces this imbalance in the plant diet and promotes the growth of nitrogen-loving plants, such as nettles and blackberries.
In addition to these general effects (See ‘The creeping effects of nitrogen deposition on nature’), there are major differences between the effects of ammonia (NH3) – mostly from agriculture – and nitrogen oxides (NOx), mainly from industry, coal and biomass power stations and car and air traffic.
Agriculture releases large amounts of ammonia into the soil, water and air. Ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have different effects on plants. And then mainly via the above-ground parts of the plant: the leaves. Although the plant gets most of the nitrogen from the soil with its roots, a small part of the nitrogen enters the plant via the air. The leaves assimilate NH3 and NOx via the stomata.
At low concentrations, these gases stimulate plant growth. However, if uptake exceeds a certain level, growth is inhibited because the leaf cells are damaged. This toxic effect is greater with ammonia than with NOx compounds and also depends on nitrogen uptake via the roots. The damage occurs mainly with plant species that are sensitive to nitrogen, such as certain vascular plants or (lichen) mosses that occur in heathland grasslands, species-rich heaths, certain fens, blue grasslands, quaking bogs and peat moss reedlands.
The vast majority of ammonia emissions come from agriculture. Traffic is the main source of nitrogen oxide emissions. Maritime shipping in particular makes a major contribution to this, and in recent years it has even emitted more than before. The law stipulates that half of nitrogen-sensitive nature must fall under the KDW in 2030. In 2035, this must be 74 percent of nature. An even stricter nitrogen policy is necessary for this.
Polluters
In the top 100 of most polluting companies, Tata Steel in IJmuiden is in first place and Schiphol in second place, followed by chemical companies such as Dow and Shell and the Chemelot business complex in Geleen. In the top 100 of ammonia emitters, Rockwool in Roermond is in first place. The ammonia list consists almost exclusively of livestock farms.
Nearly a million Dutch people with a lung condition regularly suffer from worsened symptoms as a result of air pollution. In about 20,000 Dutch children with asthma, this appears to be related to nitrogen dioxide. In the Netherlands, asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. In total, about 1.2 million Dutch people have a lung disease and on average, Dutch people live nine months less because of air pollution.
The number of victims is highest in areas with the highest nitrogen concentrations: the large cities, the Randstad, along busy roads, around the Tata Steel blast furnaces and in the vicinity of livestock farms. The Nitrogen Action Programme (PAS) introduced in 2015 appears to be in conflict with European legislation. The Council of States has confirmed this and that ruling has major consequences for intensive livestock farming, but permits for the Zandvoort circuit, road construction, housing construction, transport companies and biomass power stations are also being delayed.
In total, more than 18,000 government projects and plans are at risk. The Contractors Federation Netherlands Construction and Infrastructure has sent an urgent letter to the government because the first small and medium-sized contractors are already at risk of going bankrupt due to the ruling. The Council of State will rule on all individual cases in the coming months. Nature and environmental organisations had brought the matter before the government and they were proven right. The agricultural and horticultural organisation LTO and the Producers Organisation Pig Farmers (POV) say that many livestock farmers are now entering an uncertain time. But housing and road construction are also now seriously delayed. Some 100,000 flights from Schiphol appear to be illegal, because the airport allegedly forgot to apply for a nature permit. The amount of reactive nitrogen on earth has doubled in the past century.
The combustion of fossil fuels in industry, traffic, shipping, aviation and natural gas heating are the main sources of nitrogen oxides. In addition to the nitrogen on land contributing to the reduction of biodiversity, it also ends up in rivers and groundwater and eventually ends up in the sea, where it causes excessive algae growth that suffocates fish along our coast. Through evaporation, it then ends up in the atmosphere as laughing gas (N2O, nitrous oxide) and contributes to global warming.
The greenhouse effect of nitrous oxide is approximately 250 times stronger than that of CO2 and it damages the ozone layer before it is broken down there. Governments regularly use nitrogen rights from closed or stopped companies to allow construction projects to continue. This leads to the deterioration of nature. Aviation is responsible for almost half of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. And good for 12 percent of all Dutch emissions. The entire transport sector emits 26 billion kilograms of CO2 equivalents. The government intends to adjust the nitrogen standards so that more is possible again.
Fine dust
With a Dutch invention, the SPEXone (a climate camera on a satellite), scientists have mapped out the global pollution by particulate matter over the past year. The worst pollution was measured in India, Central Africa and South America. The measurements are also used to determine the influence of very small dust particles on global warming. Fires are an important cause of particulate matter. This concerns forest fires, but also slash-and-burn agriculture. In this case, farmers set fire to the remains that remain after the harvest.
There are many types of fine dust, or as scientists call it: aerosols. Think of polluting sulphur particles from engines and factories. But also natural grains such as swirling salt from the sea, sand from the Sahara and pollen grains from plants. The map, which was made possible thanks to SPEXone, shows that pollution in Europe is less severe. “That is a huge improvement since the 1980s,” says Van Amerongen. “Due to catalytic converters in cars and other environmental measures. SPEXone can not only see how much fine dust there is in the air more accurately than previous satellites. SPEXone also measures which types of fine dust are involved.
Within a radius of twenty kilometres around the 32 largest airports in Europe (including the United Kingdom), 52 million people live who are exposed daily to excessive concentrations of ultrafine particles in the air they breathe. Ultrafine particles are so small that they are invisible. A speck of dust is about a thousand times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. These particles penetrate deep into the body. They are absorbed into the blood via the lungs and find their way to organs and the brain.
The particles are even found in the unborn fetus. Exposure to ultrafine particles causes serious health problems in the long term, including respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases and underweight at birth or even premature births. Ultrafine particles can easily be attributed to the aviation industry, because these particles are much smaller than those from, for example, road or rail traffic. CE Delft has now calculated that ultrafine particles from aircraft are the cause of 280,000 cases of high blood pressure, 330,000 cases of diabetes and 18,000 cases of dementia in Europe.
To date, there are no legal limits on the concentrations of ultrafine particles, but the World Health Organization has been warning of the dangers for fifteen years. People living up to five kilometers under a flight path breathe air that contains an average of 3,000 to 10,000 fine particles per cubic centimeter.
Platform workers are exposed to peaks of up to 100,000 particles, as was shown by measurements at Maastricht Airport. As much as 70 percent of this air pollution could be prevented if the aviation industry opted for cleaner kerosene. This can be done through a physical process called hydrotreatment, which costs at most a few cents per liter of fuel. This process has been used for years in fuel for cars and ships, which reduces the emission of particulate matter.
Twenty oil, coal and gas companies, including Shell, have jointly produced 35 percent, more than a third, of all CO2 since 1965. According to nature conservation organizations, Dutch nature absolutely cannot handle any more nitrogen. Even if the emission of ammonia and nitrogen oxides were to be radically stopped today, it would still take thirty to forty years for the nitrogen surplus to disappear from the soil.
Saudi Aramco 59.26 billion tons of CO2/Chevron 43.35 tons/Gazprom 43.23 tons/ExxonMobil 41.9/National Iranian Oil Company 35.66/BP 34.02/Shell 31.95/Coal India 23.12/Pemex 22.65/Petroleos de Venezuela 15.75/Petro China 15.53/Peabody Energy 15.39/ConocoPhillips 15.23/Abu Dhabi National Oil Company 13.84/Kuwait Petroleum Corp 13.48/Iraq National Oil Company12.6/Total 12.35/Sonatrach 12.3/BHP Billiton 9.8/Petrobras 8.68 tons.
Worldwide, some 6.5 million people die each year from the effects of air pollution and the Netherlands is one of the most polluted countries in Europe. A study by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment shows that the Dutch live an average of four months less due to nitrogen dioxide emissions from traffic. In 11 of the 58 measurements carried out by Milieudefensie, the legally permitted annual average of 40 micrograms per cubic meter was exceeded.
The first two years since the introduction of the emission ceiling, the Netherlands also failed to meet the standard for nitrogen oxides (NOx). Milieudefensie went to court to demand that the country meet European standards for air quality within six months. Construction is only permitted near protected nature (Natura 2000 areas) if measures are taken to prevent nitrogen emissions from increasing.
The Nitrogen Action Programme (PAS) introduced in 2015 allowed measures to be taken to keep emissions within limits. For example, this allowed an advance on measures to reduce nitrogen when constructing motorways. The Council of States has now prohibited this because it is in conflict with European legislation.
The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) estimates that the environmental damage that the Netherlands suffers from the emission of harmful substances amounts to 31 billion euros annually. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that almost a quarter of the people worldwide die from environmental pollution. For example, from 2010 to 2014, the Netherlands emitted more ammonia than is permitted. In 2014, the Netherlands emitted 4.8 percent more ammonia than permitted by the EU.
In November 2016, the European Environment Agency (EEA) named the Netherlands one of the most polluted countries in Europe. Only Germany scored worse. In 2016, carbon dioxide concentrations increased to 403.3 parts per million. CO2 emissions in the Netherlands are also approximately 3 percent higher than a year ago. The main causes of the increase were higher emissions from industry and the transport sector.
On October 16, 2023, mouse poison (Biocide Racumin Foam) was found in calves. As a precaution, the activities of 46 livestock farmers were blocked for some time. A residue of the biocide Racumin Foam was found in the liver of a calf from one of these farmers, above the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL). The second reason was that, based on the administration of the pest control company that had applied the biocide, there was a suspicion that animals at the other 45 livestock farmers may also have been exposed to Racumin Foam.
This biocide is used to combat mice in stables. The active substance coumatetralyl is a toxic substance that can lead to health effects in humans and animals if overexposed. The use of this biocide is permitted, but only under strict legal instructions for use.
In November 2023, there was a second report of residue of Racumin Foam above the MRL in a calf liver. Another pest controller had carried out work at the farmer in question. The administration of this controller was also checked to identify companies where there were possible risks due to incorrect application of Racumin Foam.
The RIVM’s Samen Meten project has helped make dozens of measurement initiatives and approximately 4,000 sensors possible over the past eight years. Five billion air quality measurements and two billion noise measurements are already available on samenmeten.rivm.nl. In addition to a lot of extra data, the measurements initiate a conversation between citizens, science and government. There are also technical possibilities for supplying, analysing and visualising data. The Samen Meten project is an initiative of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
An important part of this assignment is the research into the value of citizen measurements. Precisely because many different parties participate, confidence in national monitoring can grow. Cheap sensors provide important additional information about, for example, local sources or peaks in concentration.
Conversely, the comparison with official measurements improves the quality of sensor data. The sensors cannot yet replace the official measurements. The quality of the sensors is not yet consistent enough for that. Approximately 9 out of 10 Dutch municipalities have sensors that measure particulate matter. Joint Measurement is also possible for other substances and with other measurement techniques.
For example, many schools participate in projects in which students measure nitrogen dioxide with tubes, or particulate matter with a sensor on their bicycle. Through Joint Measurement, cooperation and dialogue arise between the government, citizens and knowledge institutions. This can contribute to a shared understanding and trust in the monitoring of environmental quality.
Samen Meten has grown into a national infrastructure for citizen measurements of the living environment. It offers a technical solution for practical challenges, such as possibilities for the storage, analysis and visualization of all measurements. Samen Meten has also contributed to a community of local measurement initiatives. This allows new initiatives to start quickly, for example to further visualize nuisance around specific sources.
Microplastics
Microscopic plastic particles are in the oceans, in food and even in our drinking water. New American research shows that these plastics also accumulate in our blood vessels. In plaques in the carotid arteries, scientists found up to fifty times more micro- and nanoplastics than in healthy blood vessels. People who had suffered a stroke or temporary blindness in particular were found to have a striking number of these plastics in their arteries.
Microplastics are smaller than 5 millimeters, nanoplastics are much smaller. These particles are created when larger pieces of plastic, such as packaging material and fishing nets, slowly break down in water or soil and break down into minuscule pieces. They then end up in the food chain and eventually in our bodies. It is mainly in what we eat and drink.
Research at the VU with 68 new test subjects confirms previous findings that micro- and nanoplastics are present in human blood, the brain and the placenta. For a study, scientists from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam took some blood from 68 people. They then searched for various polymers in that blood, such as polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC).
Alarmingly high concentrations of micro- and nanoplastics have been discovered in the placenta, raising questions about the risks these plastic particles could pose to the health of both mothers and their unborn children. A study published in the authoritative New England Journal of Medicine examined atherosclerotic plaques removed from the carotid arteries of 257 patients who underwent surgery to unblock the clogged arteries.
The researchers found that 58 percent of these stenoses contained microplastic particles. Strikingly, people with microplastics in their arterial plaques had elevated levels of inflammatory substances in their blood, which contribute to accelerated development of atherosclerosis: the hardening and narrowing of the arteries due to plaque buildup.” During a follow-up period of almost three years, people with microplastics in their plaques were found to have an impressive 4.5 times higher risk of serious cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke.
Although the exact mechanisms are still being investigated, it is believed that microplastics can cause inflammation in the blood vessels, which accelerates the formation of narrowing due to atherosclerosis. Furthermore, microplastics have been detected in human blood, suggesting that they can circulate through the body and possibly accumulate in various organs, including our blood vessels.”
The estimated amount of plastic that ends up in the sea due to wear of turbine blades of the Dutch offshore turbines is <0.001% to 3.46% of the estimated emission of microplastics from all European rivers to the North Sea. Dutch shipping also uses protective coatings that release plastic particles into the environment due to wear.
This is estimated at 200,000 kg per year: roughly 5 times more than the worst-case estimate for wind turbines in 2030. The actual amount of plastic particles that end up in the North Sea due to blade wear is highly uncertain. Between now and 2050, global production of all plastic will double – or even triple. Greenhouse gas emissions will grow at the same rate, with the necessary consequences for biodiversity, food security and the health of all living organisms.
A report by the Changing Markets Foundation shows that some dirty and damaged clothing is used as fuel for stoves, ends up in the Nairobi River and in overflowing landfills. The organization is calling for a ban, pointing out that microplastics from clothing pollute the soil, air and water, and eventually end up in the ocean.
The Nairobi River flows into the Indian Ocean. Millions of discarded garments are shipped to the African country. In 2021, approximately 900 million used garments were shipped to Kenya. In one year, more than a million kilos of used textiles were exported from the Netherlands to Kenya, a total of around 5.4 million garments.
The Rhine is severely polluted by industrial microplastics, with an average of 892,777 plastic particles per square kilometre between Basel and Rotterdam. The largest contributor to this plastic pollution comes from the Ruhr area near Rees in Germany. Researchers from the University of Basel took samples of surface water in eleven sections of the Rhine between Rotterdam and Basel, where the concentration of microplastics was found to be the highest worldwide. Every day, the Rhine transports 191 million plastic particles to the North Sea in surface water alone.
The Rhine is also seriously polluted with industrial microplastics and contains an average of 892,777 plastic particles per square kilometre between Basel and Rotterdam. Most of the plastic pollution comes from the Ruhr area near Rees in Germany.
Researchers from the University of Basel took samples from ships of the surface water in eleven sections of the Rhine between Rotterdam and Basel. The concentration of microplastics is the highest ever observed worldwide. The Rhine transports 191 million plastic particles to the North Sea every day in the surface water alone.
Scientists from Sweden’s University of Gothenburg have discovered hundreds of hazardous chemicals in recycled plastic when they examined plastic pellets made from recycled materials from 13 countries in Africa, South America, Asia and Eastern Europe. A total of 491 substances were detected in the pellets, with an additional 170 candidate substances. These included hazardous pesticides, pharmaceuticals and chemicals used in heavy industry. Plastic waste is increasingly spreading around the world.
For example, a few months ago, microplastics were discovered in the clouds above Japanese mountains. Microplastics have also been found in humans, including in the blood, placenta and lungs. Researchers discovered compounds in mineral water that resemble the female hormone estrogen, with the French Danone being considered one of the biggest plastic polluters that does not do enough to recycle. Although Danone claims that the use of plastic has been reduced by 12 percent between 2018 and 2021, environmentalists doubt this and claim that it is only 9 percent. About 22 percent of all plastic is dumped in nature or the sea.
Synthetic clothing also floods the environment with microplastics that end up in the air
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a fluorine-free ferroelectric polymer. Unlike traditional plastics, it does not require non-degradable polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and is therefore ferroelectric, meaning the material has a “spontaneous polarization,” allowing an electric charge of the material to be switched on and off with an electric field. Polymers are much more wearable, but have the major drawback of being microplastics and not being biodegradable.
The polymer has the potential to replace environmentally harmful plastics in sensors and detectors. An added benefit of the new plastic’s chemical composition is that it can also be processed more easily, making it easier to produce thin films or coatings. This could accelerate the adoption of this type of plastic in several electronics sectors, particularly those focused on reducing waste and toxicity. And because the new polymer’s electrical properties can be tuned, the researchers see a range of medical applications from infrared detectors to ultrasound devices. Because the material is acoustically compatible with biological tissue, it holds promise for medical sensors and diagnostic tools. A patent application for the new material is currently pending.
Fifteen European countries and 66 companies have entered into a partnership to make all plastic packaging recyclable or suitable for reuse from 2025. Environment Minister Van Veldhoven presented the plan in Brussels. Recycling involves transforming old packaging into another product.
Reuse means that the packaging is used again for the same purpose. Different types of plastic still end up in a large pile, which makes sorting difficult. In 2017, Europe produced almost 65 million kilos of plastic, of which 40 percent is used for packaging. Only 30 percent of plastic products and packaging are currently recycled in Europe.
Last year, Van Veldhoven already made agreements with Dutch companies and environmental organizations about plastic products and packaging. Together with her French and Danish colleagues, she then worked to also conclude an agreement at European level. These agreements were made with governments, large companies, plastic producers and waste processors. The signatories want to reduce plastic use by at least 20 percent.
Certain single-use plastic packaging formats, such as packaging for unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables, packaging for food and beverages filled and consumed in cafes and restaurants, individual portions (for example condiments, sauces, creamer, sugar), accommodation miniatures for toiletries and shrink-wrap for suitcases at airports would be banned from 1 January 2030.
The European Parliament has approved a law that will ban certain types of single-use plastic packaging from 2030, such as mini shampoo bottles in hotels or thin plastic bags for products.
The ban also applies to plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables used in cafes and restaurants, as well as sachets for spices, sauces, creams and sugar, as well as miniature toiletry containers, such as hotel shampoo or soap bottles, and thin polyethylene bags for shopping. Under EU law, such packaging will be banned from 2030.
From 2024, disposable plastic cups and plastic meal packaging will no longer be permitted. Free cups for ‘coffee to go’ will no longer be permitted from 2023. “For consumption on the go and takeaway, an amount must be paid for disposable plastic cups and meal packaging from July 2023.
Single-use plastic disposable cups and food packaging may no longer be given away for free with a snack or drink. These measures are a result of the European Single-Use Plastics Directive of 3 July 2021.
Previously, the free plastic bags and the plastic straws and stirrers were already banned. According to environmental activists, one of the biggest plastic polluters is the French Danone. They use around 700,000 tons of plastic per year and do not do enough to recycle. According to Danone, the total use would have been reduced by 12 percent between 2018 and 2021. According to the activists, this is only 9 percent. 22 percent of all plastic is dumped in nature or in the sea.
The G7 is also expected to work to reduce plastic production. For the first time, the G7 acknowledges that the level of plastic pollution is unsustainable and that its increase is alarming.
Clothing in the environment
Unsold textiles end up in the Atacama desert, among other places. There are already more than 100,000 tons of discarded clothing there. The Atacama desert in the north of Chile is one of the largest dumping grounds in the world. The textiles come mainly from North America, Europe and Asia. The thousands of tons of clothing are imported cheaply via the nearby port city of Iquique.
On average, 39,000 tons of textiles are added here annually and there are mountains of clothing up to five meters high. In sorting centers at the port, a separation is still made and what is still saleable is shipped to the capital Santiago but the remainder is dumped illegally in the desert. In addition to damaged textiles, there is also new clothing that is unsaleable because XXL sizes do not sell well in Chile, or ski jackets. Some of it is taken away by poor migrants, often Venezuelans.
It takes up to 200 years for a piece of clothing to decompose. In Chile, it is therefore forbidden to dump textiles in the regular landfill: clothing is not biodegradable and contains many chemicals. That is why illegal dumping poses a risk to the drinking water supply.
The pollution is penetrating the underground water reservoirs in one of the driest regions in the world. In addition, the fast fashion desert regularly catches fire, releasing toxic substances. Ghana also turns out to be a gigantic collection point for our discarded clothing. 20 million items of clothing arrive there every week. Literally mountains of clothing are piling up in the country.
The investment arm of Ingka Group, the world’s largest IKEA retailer, is to invest €1 billion in recycling companies to better manage the waste generated when IKEA furniture, bedding and mattresses are discarded and incinerated or sent to landfill. The investment comes as the European Union develops legislation that will require retailers to pay a fee for every textile or garment sold in the EU.
The EU wants to raise money to sort and recycle the ever-increasing amounts of discarded textiles that are becoming too much for waste management services. Ingka Investments has set aside around €667 million for new, as yet unannounced investments in recycling companies, with a specific focus on textiles.
The rest will be spent on further financing companies that Ingka has already invested in, including mattress recycling company RetourMatras and plastics recycler Morssinkhof Rymoplast. Ingka, which also invests in forests, solar and wind energy and real estate, aims to recycle as many mattresses, plastics and textiles as IKEA sells by 2030.
The Ministries of Infrastructure and Water Management and of Economic Affairs and Climate, the trade associations of the plastics industry (NRK and NRK-Recycling, PlasticsEurope Nederland), BASF, Morssinkhof-Rymoplast, SABIC, Philips, Unilever and NEN signed a “Green Deal” to develop an approach to determine the share of recyclate in an intermediate or end product in a transparent and verifiable manner.
Particularly in the transition phase, when the quantities of recyclate are not yet sufficient, the industry will gradually increase the share of recyclate, often by mixing it with fossil raw materials.
In 2015, a whopping 6.5% of unsold clothing stock was dumped, causing a loss of 315.5 million euros for retailers. In 2017, around 15 tons of discarded clothing from H&M alone was incinerated. XR activists hung second-hand clothing between the racks of clothing at H&M stores and placed ‘business cards’ in the pockets of items in the new collection. These contained information about the polluting fashion industry.
The Dutch fashion sector has around 21.5 million items of clothing left over each year. Research shows that at least 6.5 percent of all newly produced clothing remains with the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. Of the clothing hanging in the shops, 64.8 percent is sold for the original price, compared to 31 percent that leaves the shops during the sale. The share of clothing that has not been sold after the sale is 4.2 percent.
“The annual mountain of unsold clothing consists of 21.5 million items, of which 13.8 million items are left behind in stores. This means a loss of turnover of 313.5 million euros for them. Western clothing chains cancelled orders due to the Corona crisis, which had often already been made. Factories had to stop work and countless garment workers are on the street.
The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and Remake trackers keep track of which brands are leaving Bangladeshi garment workers out in the cold. These include C&A, Bestseller, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters. 47 percent of Bangladeshi garment workers now have no income. The cancelled orders represent approximately 982 million garments that have already been produced, but will most likely end up in landfills. Thirty percent of workers were not paid for their work.
Every year, the Dutch throw away more than 179 million kilos of textiles in the residual waste. About 135 million kilos are collected and recycled by textile collector Sympany, but they have long since been unable to cope with the influx of discarded clothing.
This is how these toxins from clothing end up in the environment via the washing water. By washing your new clothes first, you can get rid of some of the toxins, but unfortunately not all of them. In addition to the aforementioned chemical substances, new clothes often also contain bacteria and fungi, so there is an extra reason to wash them.
Rather stay away from synthetic clothing and choose materials that require fewer chemicals, such as wool, silk, linen, hemp and cotton, and choose organic clothing, which according to research contains fewer harmful substances. In Europe, there is the EU Ecolabel, which restricts the use of toxic substances in clothing.
Clothing can contain toxic substances. Because you are in contact with this clothing for a long time, you can absorb the substances through the skin and thus negatively affect your health. We certainly know that the banned plasticizers such as DEHP have an effect on the hormone system.
The substances can lead to fertility problems but also to high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity. Especially fetuses and young children are extra vulnerable to these substances. According to him, there are also possible indirect consequences: “Studies indicate a correlation between plasticizers and the increase in certain types of cancer, such as breast, testicular and prostate cancer.”
New clothes are loaded with pesticides, dyes, fragrances, anti-wrinkle agents, flame retardants, antimicrobials, water repellents, odor control agents, softeners, and stain repellents.
These substances can sometimes enter the body through the skin. Our skin, which has a total surface area of about 2 square meters, is almost completely in contact with clothing. According to Stockholm University, thousands of chemicals are used in the production of our clothing. Some people can quickly develop itching, blisters and swelling from this.
In the long term, the consequences can be more serious, because some of these substances can disrupt hormone balance and others have been classified as carcinogenic. According to researchers, amines, phthalates, bisphenol A, formaldehyde and nanoparticles in particular can cause damage to your health in the long term.
The danger of clothing containing toxic substances is especially great with cheap clothing from dubious websites such as AliExpress. Researchers found a dangerously high concentration of highly toxic lead in children’s clothing. Even baby clothing sometimes contains a dangerously high concentration of toxic substances, which can adversely affect the health of babies.
With colorful and dark clothing, the risk of toxins is higher than with light variants. In particular, clothing from China, Egypt and India contains many toxic substances. However, a somewhat older study by Greenpeace showed that well-known clothing brands from large European chains can also contain many toxins.
In the Greenpeace study, dozens of garments were tested for the presence of plasticizers, NPEs (NonylPhenolEthoxylates) and amines in azo dyes (synthetic dyes). Both NPEs and plasticizers can disrupt the hormones in the body. Recently, the California Environmental Health Center found an increased concentration of Bisphenol (BPA) in polyester socks.
The substance BPA, which is found in artificial fibres in clothing, among other things, works in the body as a powerful form of estrogen. This causes increased cell division, which can increase the risk of tumours.
Asbestos
A permit requirement will be introduced for companies that remove asbestos or carry out demolition work that involves the removal of asbestos. This is stated in a bill that State Secretary Nobel has opened for internet consultation. The bill is the result of an amendment to the European directive on safe working with asbestos. At present, companies must be certified if they carry out work with asbestos above a certain threshold value.
Soon a permit will be required for all work that involves the removal of asbestos. There will be a list of companies that have a permit. The Bibob Act can also be used for granting permits.
This can be used to investigate whether a company is using a permit to commit criminal offences. If this is indeed the case, a permit cannot be granted or can be withdrawn. An amendment to the Working Conditions Act is required to introduce a permit requirement, to publish the list of companies that have a permit and to use the Bibob Act. The further elaboration of the amendments will take place in the Working Conditions Decree. This will be submitted for consultation.
Asbestos company Eternit is being prosecuted for the deaths of two former employees and a partner of one of them. The company from Goor (Twente) has been making building materials since 1937. Until 1993, asbestos cement was also used for some components. Employees are said to have been exposed to asbestos fibres for decades.
The Public Prosecution Service links this to fatal diseases. Six years ago, the Asbestos Victim Committee filed a complaint on behalf of relatives of former employees of the company. According to the relatives, the six died from exposure to asbestos fibres. After the complaint, a specialised police team conducted an extensive investigation, which now resulted in this prosecution. The committee’s lawyer says in Trouw that since the 1970s, there have been many more deaths that can be linked to the company’s asbestos processing.
TFA and PFAS in drinking water
In 2022, Dutch sewage treatment plants purified 1.81 billion cubic meters of sewage. The plants again removed more nitrogen and phosphorus from the wastewater. The residual discharge into surface water for these substances was also lower than in 2021. The residual discharge of pharmaceutical residues is slowly increasing, in proportion to the aging population and population growth.
Not only are large amounts of TFA found in tap water, mineral and spring water samples, but also in wine. The high concentrations of PFAS, especially TFA, in European wines, with levels far exceeding drinking water guidelines are worrying.
The contamination is likely linked to pesticides and environmental pollution, posing potential health risks. While organic wines show lower levels, the problem remains widespread, requiring stricter regulations, extensive monitoring and consumer awareness to mitigate the risks.
Recent research, as reported in various media, shows that concentrations of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a type of PFAS, have increased significantly in European wines since 2010. Pre-1988 wines contained no measurable TFA, indicating recent contamination, likely from pesticides and polluted water. A study by Pesticide Action Network Europe found TFA levels ranging from 21,000 to 310,000 nanograms per litre (ng/L) in post-2020 wines, which is much higher than the EU limit for PFAS in drinking water (500 ng/L, although it is unclear whether TFA is included).
PFAS, including TFA, have been associated with health risks such as reproductive toxicity, but their specific impact via wine consumption is not yet fully understood. There is controversy over how strict the regulations should be, with calls to ban PFAS pesticides. In the Netherlands, there is a guideline value of 2,200 ng/L for TFA in drinking water, but many wines significantly exceed this value. Consumers should be concerned about the safety of wine, especially for long-term consumption. Testing services, such as that of Normec Groen Agro Control, are available to check wines for PFAS.
Researchers found TFA in 34 of 36 tap water samples tested, and in 12 of 19 mineral and spring water samples. Nearly everyone now has small amounts of it in their blood. It takes four years for half of that to be eliminated through urine. But what really surprised the researchers was the amount of TFA they found in the drinking water. In the tap water, they found TFA levels of up to 4,100 nanograms per liter (ng/L), with an average of 740 ng/L. For mineral and spring water, the team found TFA levels of up to 3,200 ng/L, with an average of 278 ng/L.
PAN Europe has supported the proposal of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment to set a standard of 2,200 ng/L. “This standard is set so that drinking water contains only 20 percent of the safe daily amount of TFA,” says PAN Europe. However, this limit is often exceeded, as in the case of mineral water from Austria, where 4,100 ng/L TFA was found. In Paris, tap water also comes close, with a measurement of 2,100 ng/L TFA.
From 2026, all drinking water must not contain more than 500 ng/L of PFAS according to European Union rules. In addition, several organizations are pushing for TFA to be added to the list of substances to be controlled, due to ongoing concerns about its safety. For example, a recent study on rabbits and TFA exposure showed birth defects in offspring. And so it is important to further study the possible adverse health effects in humans as well.
For a future-proof drinking water sector for the long term, the government is already talking to the drinking water companies about the drinking water network of the future, the search for additional and more diversity in sources for drinking water and the investments involved. An important part of these discussions is the financial health of the companies.
The Rebel Group has investigated for IenW how this can be (better) secured. In order to also be able to secure the financeability in the long term, Rebel has made a number of recommendations. These are now being worked out together with the drinking water sector and will be implemented by amending the Drinking Water Act and underlying regulations. The aim is for an entry into force in 2027.
Earlier is not possible due to the lead time of the amendment to the law. With this planning, the WACC for the period 2028-2030 can be based on the new regulations. In the short term, it is already possible to make a small technical change to the regulations that contributes to improving the WACC. The WACC for the period 2025-2027 must be determined before the end of this year. The calculation method and principles of the WACC are laid down in the Drinking Water Regulation.
Some principles are no longer current and will be adjusted. The procedure for the amendment of the Drinking Water Regulation has been initiated so that the WACC for the period 2025-2027 can be based on the amended principles. Although these are minor changes, they are expected to provide more room for the drinking water companies to invest.
These proposed amendments to legislation and regulations will contribute to ensuring that drinking water companies have sufficient financial resources in the short and long term to initiate the necessary investments. As stated, in close consultation with the sector, which is also working hard to make all necessary projects possible.
The food supply, drinking water, public health and nature are at risk because there are too many harmful substances in groundwater, rivers, streams, lakes and canals. This is stated by the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) in the report ‘Better protection of water quality is necessary’. Regular eating of self-caught fish or hobby eggs is now discouraged and swimming in open water can lead to health risks.
Water boards and drinking water companies will also face substantial additional costs for the purification of wastewater and the preparation of drinking water. Without better regulation and better supervision of the emissions of harmful substances, permanent damage will occur for humans, animals and the environment. This is already the case with some hazardous substances, such as PFAS. The recently introduced Nature Restoration Act must also make an important contribution to this.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires that by 2027 at the latest, the quality of all waters throughout Europe must be in order, both chemically (clean) and ecologically (healthy). In 2022, 79 substances were measured in our drinking water concentrations that exceed the European standards. An intake stop or restriction even had to be imposed 62 times because the standards were seriously exceeded. Drinking water made from surface water still contains too much PFAS and Melanin in addition to drug residues.
Drinking water is now allowed to contain 100 nanograms of PFAS particles per liter. In 2021, the RIVM already sent a new drinking water guideline value of 4.4 nanograms of PFAS per liter to water companies, based on the applicable rules of the European Food Safety Authority EFSA from 2020. However, with the current cheaper purification using activated carbon, four years later, not enough PFAS and other contaminants are still being removed from drinking water.
The stricter guideline value is not feasible for drinking water companies in practice with the current purification techniques. The European guideline value is apparently still too expensive for our drinking water companies in practice, despite the high taxes on it. Melamine and cyanuric acid are found with great regularity in surface water of the Rhine.
Although a 30 percent reduction in pollutant discharges should take place by 2050, the reality is different. Rijkswaterstaat Oost-Nederland is spending more than one and a half times as much money on cleaning up surface and groundwater as budgeted.
The service had earmarked 270 million euros for cleaner water in Gelderland and Overijssel, but the costs appear to be as much as 438 million euros. Dutch drinking water contains too much PFAS. The water is reasonably safe to drink, but in some locations it contains too many chemicals. This is the conclusion of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) after research.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is therefore immediately adjusting permits for permitted discharges of PFAS. Drinking water from surface water contains the most PFAS. Scientists recently discovered that microorganisms belonging to the genus Acetobacterium, which are frequently present in wastewater environments worldwide, can break down persistent fluorine-carbon bonds by means of reductive defluorination.
These microbes may help solve the PFAS problem. However, the bacteria are only effective against unsaturated PFAS compounds that have double carbon-carbon bonds in their chemical structure. Last year, other microbes were also shown to be able to remove chlorine atoms from chlorinated PFAS compounds. This ensures that these contaminants are broken down and removed. The latest discovery significantly increases the number of PFAS compounds that can be biodegraded.
Waterschap Scheldestromen has investigated PFAS at all sewage treatment plants in Zeeland and PFAS was found at all fifteen. The amount of PFAS found is between 12 and 229 nanograms per liter, of which the water board says that almost all places remain below 100 nanograms, which is the normal permissible value. The water board wants to find out where the PFAS comes from. Once PFAS is in the water, you can’t get it out, which is why the water board wants to track down the sources.
Other sources of PFAS mentioned by the water board are locations where PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam has been used or is being processed, landfills and waste processors, and some industries have also discharged PFAS in the past. There are differences between the measurements of the fifteen Zeeland purification plants. The purification plants of the Willem Annapolder near ’s Gravenpolder, the Mastgat on Schouwen-Duivelanden and the plant on Walcheren have the highest priority for further research because slightly more PFAS has been found there.
- There are ten drinking water companies in the Netherlands to supply more than eight million homes and businesses with water;
- There are a total of 120,000 kilometers of pipes
- 2 billion cubic meters of sewage water is purified annually
- Each Dutch person needs approximately 130 liters of drinking water per day
- There are 282 data centers, each consuming up to 83 million liters of water annually
Not only data centers, but also Tata Steel, for example, uses approximately 227 billion liters of water per year. Approximately 33 billion liters of that is fresh water, of which 0.5 billion liters is purified drinking water
Megafactory Parenco extracts billions of litres of water, suitable as drinking water, from the Veluwe soil every year. The water would be sufficient for 130,000 people.
The risks arising from the production, placing on the market or use of PFAS are currently not sufficiently controlled. That is why the authorities of five European countries (DE, NL, NO, DK and SE), including the UBA, submitted a dossier with a proposal to restrict all PFAS to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) as early as January 2023.
The dossier was published in March 2023 and responses could be submitted until September 2023. The proposal stipulates that PFAS may only be used in areas where no suitable alternatives are available in the foreseeable future or where the socio-economic benefits outweigh the disadvantages for people and the environment.
Dutch water has been seriously polluted for years and, according to the EU, must not deteriorate any further.
OCI produces approximately 150,000 tons of melamine annually in Geleen. What distinguishes the application of melamine resins in the paper, textile and leather industry from other sectors is that these applications take place in production processes where water is used on a large scale. This results in contamination of waste water with melamine compounds. The Netherlands depends on surface water from the Rhine and the Meuse for drinking water when groundwater cannot be used. Despite the serious pollution of the Rhine and the Meuse, drinking water is still produced.
Wastewater discharges into England’s rivers and seas from water companies will more than double by 2023, with 3.6 million hours of leaks compared to 1.75 million hours in 2022
The use of hexamethylenetetramine (HMMM) in car tyres is striking, and has been found increasingly in Rhine water in recent years. HMMM, added to rubber, improves the stiffness and wear resistance of tyres and drive belts, and increases the adhesion of rubber to steel and textiles. The use of HMMM was introduced as a replacement for hexamethylenetetramine (HMT), after the latter caused problems, including the detachment of rubber tyres from the steel tyre, which could lead to blowouts.
In 2016, the Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment granted an exemption for the intake of Maas water with an increased melamine content at the Roosteren and Heel locations. This was for the production of drinking water by Waterleiding Maatschappij Limburg. HMMM also ends up in the groundwater through wear of car tires via the road surface.
Some of the drinking water companies will no longer be able to continue producing our drinking water at the same price if new rules come into effect to remove PFAS from the water. CO2 emissions will also increase by a third due to additional purification steps
In all annual reports of RIWA-Rijn, contrast agents repeatedly emerge as the medicines with the highest concentrations in the Rhine. This year, high chloride concentrations at Andijk have again led to problems with the intake of water for drinking water production. In total, there were no fewer than 70 days in 2022 with an intake stop at Pumping Station Andijk.
Although Dutch waters must meet the water quality requirements by 2027, this is not possible everywhere. The water boards Aa en Maas, Brabantse Delta, De Dommel and Rivierenland have asked Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management in a letter to take more responsibility as long as the WFD objectives remain out of reach. An extensive report by Utrecht University identifies the risks associated with this. The government and the water boards may be confronted with legal action if the WFD objectives are not achieved.
Since 1940, water from the rivers has also been filtered through the dunes to drinking water (infiltration). It has subsequently become apparent that the water that was introduced was seriously polluted all those years. Due to the substances that remained in the sand, the soil was polluted by all kinds of residual chemicals. Water is still being extracted from our dunes and although the water is pre-purified, the situation in the dunes is still not in balance.
There is a threat of a shortage of drinking water in the Netherlands. Water suppliers are having to refuse more often when companies ask for a connection to the water network and hundreds of thousands of households are at risk of being without drinking water in the future.
In the Markiezaatsmeer near Bergen op Zoom, for example, the water is cloudy and contains a lot of algae due to the proximity of the Antwerp port and industry. Considerable financial resources and national policy choices are needed to achieve the set objectives.
Our water system is under pressure due to drought, salinization and a growing demand for water as a result of the growing population and economy. This has direct consequences for the availability of water for drinking water supply, while the quality of drinking water sources is deteriorating due to pollution from agriculture, industry and households.
However, there is insufficient government commitment to ensure the quality of drinking water when drilling for geothermal energy. Geothermal energy involves drilling wells at great depths to reach hot water sources. This pumped water is piped into homes and buildings for heating, after which the cooled water is returned to the original source. These geothermal processes can release salt water and chemicals, which can potentially leak into freshwater reservoirs at depths of tens to hundreds of meters.
This year, the treasury is missing out on around 107 million euros because companies pay much less tax on their drinking water consumption than households. Despite the fact that they consume millions of cubic meters of drinking water, companies such as Heineken and DSM pay a maximum of 126 euros in taxes per year.
Atrazine in drinking water
Research (including by biologist Tyrone Hayes) has shown that exposure to low concentrations of Atrazine can cause sex change in frogs. Some male frogs became functionally female as a result of this substance. In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nevertheless allows a limit of 3 ppb (parts per billion) of Atrazine in drinking water. In the EU, Atrazine has been banned since 2004. Some studies link it to disruptions of the endocrine system (hormone balance), possibly increased risks of cancer and fertility problems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and EPA acknowledge that atrazine may have an endocrine disrupting effect, but conclude that there is insufficient evidence to classify it as a direct human carcinogen. Health problems such as osteoporosis, irregular menstruation, or testicular injuries have not been conclusively proven by widely accepted scientific research, but are a risk factor. The EPA has been criticized for alleged conflicts of interest with chemical companies.
This is not just true for Atrazine, but for many pesticides. In the past, the EPA has ignored or downplayed research, especially when it comes to pesticides and herbicides that are economically important to the agricultural sector. Activated carbon filters and reverse osmosis can remove Atrazine from drinking water.
Although Atrazine has been proven to be harmful to amphibians and controversial for humans, scientific consensus is not yet unanimous on the exact risks. In Europe, the precautionary principle has been followed and Atrazine is banned, while the US has a higher tolerance. Atrazine is of concern because of its proven hormone disrupting effects in animals and the uncertainty about the long-term effects in humans.
While there is no conclusive evidence that it directly causes cancer in humans, there is some evidence that it can disrupt hormone balance, which can have long-term adverse effects. The fact that Europe has banned it, while the US still allows a limit of 3 ppb, speaks volumes about the different approaches to risk. The EU follows the precautionary principle: if a substance is potentially harmful, it is banned. The US imposes a higher burden of proof and allows substances until they are proven to be dangerous. Atrazine is used in conventional agriculture.
Benzene in drinking water
According to sources, the benzene discharge by the cleaning company Claessen Tankcleaning in Venlo into the sewer would not affect the drinking water in Limburg. Nevertheless, after the publication, the company had to stop discharging, under penalty of a fine of up to 100,000 euros. The intake point for drinking water from the Maas is located near Beegden, near Venlo. Claessen Tankcleaning discharged chemicals, including benzene, into the sewer while cleaning tankers that transport chemical substances. The company appeared not to comply with labor and environmental regulations, whereby tanks with the carcinogenic benzene were rinsed with hot water, with the rinse water ending up in the sewer.
According to the spokesperson of drinking water company WML, the company has not previously had to deal with a benzene discharge. It is unclear whether this has consequences for other provinces where drinking water is extracted from the Meuse, such as South Holland and Zeeland. “Benzene is a volatile substance. There is a good chance that the substance is already out of the water,” according to the spokesperson.
Drug residues in drinking water
The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment has provided the Water Boards with a one-off financial injection of 30 million euros to improve the purification of pharmaceutical residues from drinking water. An estimated 190 tonnes of pharmaceutical residues end up in Dutch ditches, rivers, ponds and lakes every year. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) estimates that 190 tonnes of this are pharmaceutical residues and 30 tonnes are X-ray contrast agents. Contrast agents are consistently mentioned in previous RIWA-Rijn annual reports, and this pattern continues in the current report.
A report from the RIVM warns that the remains of medicines pose a risk to the quality of drinking water in the Netherlands. The concentration of medicines in the water is increasing, partly due to the increasing use of medicines as a result of the aging population.
In addition, the periodic drop in the water level in rivers causes the pollution to concentrate. At least 140 tons of drug residues and 17 tons of crop protection products are discharged into surface water each year. Five drugs, including the painkiller diclofenac, three types of antibiotics and an anti-epileptic drug, were found in concentrations that exceeded the safety standard.
Dutch surface water contains too many residues of painkillers. Doctors and consumers should therefore receive more information about the damage this causes and they should opt for environmentally friendly medicines more often, says the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
The water boards have been working since the end of 2019 to filter as many drug residues as possible, such as diclofenac and oxazepam, from the sewage water. The required cellulose is mainly extracted from toilet paper residues that are delivered to the sewage treatment plant in Ede every day. These are dewatered and dried and, after processing, decomposed into pyrolysis gas, acids, bio-oil and biochar. The biochar produced is processed and used as activated carbon to retain drug residues during the purification process.
Polluted drinking water
On June 17, 2024, slight contamination with enterococci bacteria was found in a drinking water reservoir in Gooren near Goor in Overijssel.
Sixteen villages in the Achterhoek also had to boil their drinking water for the remaining days of May 2024. The drinking water contains enterococci, a type of bacteria that can cause stomach ache and diarrhea. A few weeks ago, enterococci were also found in the drinking water in Ellecom in Gelderland. There, Vitens advised boiling the drinking water for a few minutes for several days. The bacteria was also found several times in the region last year. At that time, people in Zevenaar and Didam had to be alert.
In some places in Zeeland and West Brabant, residents were advised to boil tap water before use on April 6, 2024. A leak in a water pipe in the Brabant village of Nieuw-Vossemeer may have caused small amounts of bacteria to enter the water.
On August 11, 2023, Vitens found a slight contamination with enterococci in a drinking water reservoir in Didam. Zevenaar Zuid also appeared to be slightly contaminated and residents were advised to boil their water. On May 15, 2024, it happened again and residents of Zevenaar, Didam, Dieren and the surrounding area were again advised to boil their drinking water for three minutes for the time being.
The boil advisory was issued because a bacterium was found in a drinking water reservoir. This concerns some 46,000 households. It concerns the bacterium enterococci, which can cause stomach and intestinal complaints in people with low resistance. According to Vitens, a low concentration of the bacterium was found in a reservoir in the village of Ellecom, near Dieren.
Residents of the municipalities of Losser, Oldenzaal and part of Dinkelland had to boil drinking water again before consumption in mid-September 2021. Water company Vitens had found enterococci, a lactic acid bacterium, during a water inspection.
It is the second time in a short period that the 26,000 households in those municipalities have to boil their water. Last week, Vitens discovered that the drinking water in Northeast Twente was contaminated by bacteria. The problem seemed to have been solved, but then a low amount of enterococci was found again.
Unwanted bacteria were found in the drinking water of Vlaardingen on 8 November 2017. The water company Evides therefore advised all residents of Vlaardingen to boil the tap water for three minutes before drinking it or preparing food with it. The bacteria ended up in the drinking water due to an error during work on the pipe network.
The sewage treatment plant in Aarle-Rixtel was disrupted on 18 August 2017 due to an extremely high level of toxic ammonium in the wastewater. The poison comes from the Helmond recycling company Den Ouden. Because the sewage treatment plant was no longer functioning optimally, ammonium also ended up in the river Aa.
In the Aa between Asten and Helmond, approximately one hundred thousand dead fish floated in August due to a leak in an air washer at manure processing company Eraspo in Asten. Very high ammonium values were found in the Voordeldonkse Broekloop.
Elevated levels of ammonium can lead to the absorption of harmful bacteria, but it also takes unnecessary energy to render the ammonium harmless (via the liver). Ammonium can also be converted into harmful ammonia gas. Ammonia can lead to irritation of the intestinal wall and damage to the lungs.
Wastewater from toilets, among other sources, is the second most important source of resistant bacteria entering the environment after manure. The purification reduces the concentrations of resistant bacteria by a factor of 100 to 1,000. Among the bacteria that survive the purification step are resistant, ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, including E. coli, a known pathogen of urinary tract infections.
On January 11, dimethoate, a pesticide for agriculture and horticulture, was found in the drinking water extracted for some 1.3 million users from the Afgedamde Maas. The Afgedamde Maas is an old branch of the Maas. It starts as a dead river branch west of Well and ends at Woudrichem at the place where the Waal merges into the Boven-Merwede.
Drinking water company Dunea had to stop taking in water and temporarily removed the water from the Lek. The Water Board warns that the poison can be harmful to life in the river, but that there would be no danger to public health because it did not end up in the drinking water itself. In 2012, Dunea also had to use water from the also polluted Lek for months when a rose grower in the Bommelerwaard contaminated the water. The European Commission, following the food watchdog EFSA, does not see enough evidence to ban glyphosate.
There would be no unacceptable risks provided that restrictions are placed on the product spreading through the air after spraying. The permit for glyphosate runs until the end of 2023. The EU can extend it for fifteen years, but the Commission now appears to opt for ten years. The EU countries will vote on the proposal on 13 October.
If a large majority of fifteen member states do not reject the plan, it will go ahead. Concentrations of glyphosate have been found in drinking water and food, and in many German beers. Research has shown that even Ben & Jerry’s ice cream contains traces of glyphosate. The “Urinale 2015” study, published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, showed that 99.6 percent of 2,000 German citizens tested positive for glyphosate. They had between five and 42 times the European drinking water standard of 0.1 micrograms per liter in their urine.
The Public Prosecution Service will prosecute the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij for ‘injecting waste flows, originating from natural gas extraction, into the deep subsurface without a permit’. NAM is owned half by the British Shell and half by the American company ExxonMobil. The waste water that is released during oil extraction by NAM in Schoonebeek (Drenthe) contains toxic chemicals. NAM pumps the heavily polluted water into empty gas fields in Twente. There has been resistance to this practice for many years.
In the past, there have been leaks in the pipes that transport the wastewater to Twente. The Lower House instructed the Rutte cabinet at the end of last year to suspend the underground NAM discharges in Twente. According to residents, the discharges lead to earthquakes and chronic soil pollution.
In 2023, NAM wants to pump wastewater into the Twente soil again and has a permit to inject the water released during oil extraction in Schoonebeek in Drenthe into empty gas fields in Twente. Oil extraction and associated injection have been halted since December because irregularities were found, such as a much too high concentration of the toxic substance toluene in the water. An investigation was launched and it was demanded that the process would only be resumed if there was “no doubt about safety”. In that case, the State Supervision of Mines (SodM) would also exercise stricter supervision.
Asbestos in groundwater
Asbestos contamination is an underestimated danger to public health. The contamination is caused, among other things, by roofs that are often not equipped with a gutter, which causes carcinogenic asbestos fibres to disappear with the rainwater into the surrounding soil. At 200,000 locations in the Netherlands, the soil is seriously contaminated by this at agricultural companies and factories. If you inhale asbestos particles, you can get pleural cancer, asbestosis or lung cancer. E
and asbestos contamination usually only comes to light years later. The government will introduce a ban on asbestos roofs from 2024 and will provide 75 million euros in subsidies for their replacement and removal. At least eight people died on May 7, 2020 due to a gas leak at a chemical factory in the Indian district of Visakhapatnam. More than 5,000 people have become ill and have burning eyes, painful skin and breathing problems.
Hundreds of people are said to have been admitted to hospital after coming into contact with the gas. It is said to be gas from the liquid styrene, which was released after a fire from an LG Polymers factory. Asbestos cement used to be used for drinking water pipes. This has not been permitted since 1993. Asbestos fibres from these pipes can end up in the tap water due to wear and tear or work. After measurements, the Health Council concludes that the concentrations are usually so low “that the presence of asbestos fibres could not be determined”. The Netherlands has approximately 28,000 kilometres of drinking water pipes with asbestos cement.
That amounts to almost a quarter of all pipes. Approximately 200 kilometers of pipes with asbestos cement are replaced each year, the ministry reports. Of the ten drinking water companies, more than half are on the edge of their reserves. They must have 10 percent of their customers’ demand in reserve, but seven companies do not reach this limit. Of all the PFAS that we now consume daily, seventeen percent comes from our tap water.
Ditch water
In half of the Dutch agricultural areas, the water quality in ditches and streams is insufficient. The manure policy has led to improvements since 1986, but the downward trends seem to be weakening. That is why further measures are needed. These are the conclusions of the Union of Water Boards after research published by knowledge institute Deltares. Together with the water boards, Deltares has collected data up to and including 2023 on the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen in the water at 172 measuring locations.
The selected locations are in watercourses where agricultural fertilisers have the greatest impact. For both nitrogen and phosphorus, the measured concentrations appear to be too high at approximately half of the locations. In an unfavourable year, only a quarter of the ditches and streams meet the environmental requirements. The excess of nitrogen and phosphorus in the surface water can lead to toxic algae blooms, fish mortality and a decline in biodiversity. The research does show a slow improvement in water quality. The fertiliser policy is therefore effective, but the downward trends appear to be weakening in more recent years. In a number of waters, the trend shows that the water quality is even deteriorating.
At half of the locations, the concentrations do not yet meet the set targets. Deltares also performed a number of additional analyses based on the measurement series. These showed, among other things, that extremely wet conditions in the summer result in higher nutrient concentrations in surface water in agricultural areas. Another striking result was an accelerated warming of the water since around 2012. Warmer water is more sensitive to fertilizers, because algal blooms and oxygen deficiency occur sooner.
Water pollution by manure from agriculture must be tackled structurally, according to the Union of Water Boards. It calls for the government to direct manure policy and to link this to the approach to achieve the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature must include measures in the eighth Nitrate Directive action programme this year to prevent nutrients from ending up in the water.
HCH (Lindane) and mercury in Twente Canal
HCH is on the government list of Substances of Very High Concern that are dangerous to humans and the environment because they are carcinogenic, hinder reproduction and accumulate in the food chain. Waterschap Vechtstromen reports that HCH, which was sold as an insecticide under the name Lindane, is toxic to aquatic organisms. The substance is slowly broken down and accumulates in the food chain, especially in fish. Since 2009, it has been prohibited to produce and use Lindane.
Rijkswaterstaat and the municipality of Hengelo are warning people not to eat fish from the Twente Canal due to increased concentrations of the toxic Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in the canal. The water between the lock in Hengelo and the one in Delden in particular is quite chemically polluted. Waterschap Vechtstromen had been aware of this for a month and only now are Rijkswaterstaat and the municipality of Hengelo publicly announcing the presence of the toxic substance in the water. The warning not to eat fish from the Twente Canal is a negative advice until further notice.
Rijkswaterstaat and Hengelo first want to investigate the risks to public health of HCH in the canal water. HCH is easily absorbed by fish and stored in the fat of the fish. That is why the concentration of HCH in fish is first investigated to determine when the negative advice can be withdrawn. Fishing therefore does not seem advisable for the time being, swimming in the canal was already prohibited.
Rowing is still allowed on the canal, the municipality of Hengelo and Rijkswaterstaat announced in a joint message. HCH has been present in the Twentekanaal in lower concentrations for some time. The toxic substance originates from a site on the Zuidelijke Havenweg where a Stork chemical factory was located until 1952. HCH was made in that factory and sold as an insecticide under the name Lindaan. Stork sold the contaminated site in 1954 to AkzoNobel, the salt producer that is now active under the name Nobian.
The government and the owner of the land have known for years that the soil here is contaminated with HCH. After selling the land, Stork left raw materials, auxiliary materials, semi-finished products and the end product Lindane behind on the site. Although AkzoNobel had explicitly excluded those products from the purchase, that HCH mountain remained on the former Stork site.
The harmful substance has been ending up in the Twente Canal for years via the groundwater and now in increased concentrations. Drinking water company Vitens emphasizes for the sake of clarity that no surface water is taken from the Twente Canal for the drinking water supply. Vitens once took water from the Twente Canal that was pumped into sand packages located next to the canal and used as drinking water via basins in Espelo, says former member of the Nature and Environment Council Johan OIthof.
During a major fire at a wholesaler of military clothing in 1996, a large quantity of mercury flowed into the canal with the extinguishing water. From that moment on, Vitens left the water in the Twente Canal as it was. Vitens monitors the concentration of HCH in the Twente Canal and surrounding streams to prevent it from ending up in the ground elsewhere with the discharge of the water.
The Rijn en IJssel Water Board and the Vechtstromen Water Board are also doing this. As is Rijkswaterstaat, which has installed additional measuring points in the canal. For the time being, this data will be read out once every two weeks instead of once every four weeks. Rijn en IJssel and Vechtstromen, which were informed about the higher HCH concentration on 17 May 2024, have in the meantime closed a number of water inlets from which water from the Twente Canal flows into streams and ditches, for example. “The specific inlets to our water system from the Twente Canal where we suspect that there are increased concentrations of HCH are closed for the time being,” reports Vechtstromen, which reports on its own website that Rijkswaterstaat first measured the increased HCH concentrations at the beginning of this year.
On 9 July 2015, the water purification plant (IAZI) on the Chemelot site near Geleen broke down and had been discharging untreated water contaminated with pyrazoles into the branched-off Ur that flows into the Maas for several weeks. The company Sitech temporarily channelled the discharges via a quickly constructed 3-kilometre-long pipe to an emergency retention basin on the Chemelot site and the factory’s production was also reduced. This reduced the leakage of contaminated water with an excessively high concentration of pyrazoles.
Drinking water producer WML stopped the intake of the polluted drinking water from the Meuse fairly quickly, and after three weeks Dunea and Evides finally stopped the intake as well. WML initiated summary proceedings against the Roer- en Overmaas water board because of the tolerated discharges of pyrazoles. The water board uses a maximum standard of 60 micrograms per liter on average for Chemelot, which according to the water board are the guidelines of the minister, but WML wants to halve this and a shorter term than the set six months.
The maximum concentration that may be present in drinking water from the end of August 2017 will be reduced from 15 micrograms per litre to 3 micrograms. The new standards were established after consultation with drinking water companies and on the advice of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and are now equal to the German standard. The RIVM had established a guideline value of 15 micrograms, but advised lowering it further as a precaution, as there is still discussion about the toxicity of the substance in combination with other substances.
Pyrazoles are produced during the production of acrylonitrile by the ACN factory of Acrylonitril BV on the chemical industrial park Chemelot near Geleen and are used in medicines, dyes and pesticides for agriculture. Chemelot has problems very regularly and was recently called to account by the province of Limburg.
A number of local residents have started the Chemelot Watch initiative, a page on Facebook where incidents are reported. Earlier, “nitrous fumes” were already emitted from the factory, which has now been temporarily shut down due to the malfunction. Nitric fumes can be extremely harmful to health. The gases can cause pulmonary oedema when inhaling high concentrations. A powder rain was also observed three times by a naphtha tank and at the end of May, seven people came into contact with hydrogen cyanide gas due to a leak.
When starting up the nitric acid factory at Chemelot in June 2012, a gas cloud with nitrogen oxide (NOx) also settled on the site and in July there was a fire. During a chemical reaction between two hazardous substances in an exploded truck on a factory site of FrieslandCampina in Borculo, Gelderland, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid came into contact with each other on 5 July 2025. The corrosive substances are used to clean the installations.
Discharges of drug waste into the sewer can disrupt the operation of the sewage treatment plant. Dumping the waste in slurry pits, which also happens with some regularity, carries the risk that the waste is spread over the land, where it can end up in the food chain. In North Brabant and Limburg, one fifth of the registered dumpings take place in a groundwater protection area, where groundwater is extracted
The drinking water from the Meuse is also already seriously contaminated by medicines, crop protection products and industrial substances, insecticides, cosmetics, biocides, fire retardants and nano particles. The pollution of the water with antibiotics continues and new pathogenic bacteria will arise due to resistance. Many antibiotics disappear into the environment, especially via agriculture, but also via hospitals and households.
The Lek Canal was contaminated with Phenol, better known as carbolic acid, on 8 January 2017. The Phenol had entered the Lek Canal in high concentrations via the German part of the Rhine. It was the second time in a short period that water intake had to be stopped.
In October, a high concentration of Phenol was also discovered, which is toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption. During World War II, prisoners were killed by injections of phenol, which is a major metabolite and is highly reactive and can cause cancer by damaging DNA in cells.
In June 2024, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) had to seize another 1,000 kilos of the banned crop protection product Vydate 10G from one of the many growers who do not take the health of people and animals very seriously. Inspectors and investigators from the NVWA found the large stock at a grower in the province of Overijssel.
Vydate 10G contains the active substance oxamyl. This substance has been banned throughout the European Union since last year due to risks for both users and consumers. The grower was reported. Growers of agricultural and horticultural crops had until 31 October 2023 to use up or dispose of existing stocks of Vydate 10G. Since then, the use and stocking of Vydate 10G has no longer been permitted.
Because the NVWA has received signals that some growers have continued to use the product since then, extra checks are being carried out. During previous inspections, stocks were also found at other growers. That is why the NVWA has stepped up enforcement of the product in question. The use or storage of unauthorised crop protection products is subject to administrative or criminal sanctions. In addition, this may have consequences for the payment of income support for the Common Agricultural Policy.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) sets requirements for water quality, but in the Netherlands European standards are exceeded. Pharmaceutical residues, PFAS, and Melamine remain a problem. Water companies have difficulty with purification, and risks to drinking water quality are increasing. Water boards are asking the government for more responsibility.
Environmental problems, such as cloudy water and algae, require additional financial resources. The report names industrial microplastics in the Rhine as a major problem. In 2023, contaminants such as Enterococci were found in drinking water reservoirs. Water systems are under pressure due to drought, salinization and increasing water demand. Concerns about drinking water quality arise in geothermal energy.
Reports warn of drug residues and benzene in drinking water. Recently, after an investigation by the French government, it was revealed that 30% of bottled waters including mineral water from Chateldon by Alma, Vittel, Contrex, Hepar and Perrier by Nestle were diluted with normal drinking water.
Project Over the Maas
In the natural lake Over de Maas near Alphen in Gelderland, sand is extracted and granulate is used to deepen the soil. At the end of 2019, Rijkswaterstaat allowed the dumping of 100,000 tons of granulate by the Bontrup company. However, the lake is connected to the Maas and the water extraction area and that could cause pollution of the river and the drinking water.
The residual product granulate came from the Bontrup company and is left over from the processing of granite. Bontrup had to get rid of the granulate on its site in the Western Port Area of Amsterdam, because it was hindering the production of the crushed stone needed for zoab highways. The residual product was perhaps wrongly regarded as “soil” by the managers of Rijkswaterstaat.
Michelle Blom of Rijkswaterstaat forced the lower officials of Rijkswaterstaat to allow the dumping after mediation by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Halbe Zijlstra because of the broad social consequences that would jeopardize road construction. However, experts from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and Rijkswaterstaat concluded that granulate is certainly not soil that can simply be dumped, because it is a building material to which a chemical substance has also been added. Officials of Rijkswaterstaat Zuid-Nederland initially rejected Bontrup’s permit application, but due to the intervention of Halbe Zijlstra in his role as CEO at Volkers Wessel, which is incidentally a major customer of Bontrup, it was approved after all.
A new application for another 500,000 tonnes has reportedly been rejected by officials so far. RWS states that the waste material has been classified as soil for the Water Act and the Soil Quality Decree, that granulate (or Nordic clay) has been classified as soil since 2009. In 2018, after discussion about this, this was reconfirmed by the ministry. ”Various laboratory studies by independent experts show that granulate can be used safely”, according to RWS, which does admit that there has been too much uncertainty for too long about whether granulate is soil or building material. RWS also refers to two research reports that allegedly show that the granulate can be safely dumped to deepen the lake.
The Over de Maas project has been in the news in recent years because of the dumping of polluted sludge from Belgium and plastic waste that came to the surface. Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Management (VVD) appears to have misinformed the House of Representatives about this matter. Former minister Halbe Zijlstra appears to have played a role in the permission for the dumping of granulate as director of construction company VolkerWessels. Zijlstra is said to have exerted considerable pressure on top officials.
The permits of Tata Steel, Dow Chemical, various refineries in the Rotterdam port area and a number of other companies discharge mercury, zinc and nitrogen without complying with the rules. This is evident from research by Het Financieele Dagblad and research platform Investico. The companies concerned were previously granted permission to discharge certain substances in certain quantities into the water, but in the meantime the rules have been tightened and the permits have not been adjusted.
The permits of Shell and waste processor AEB, among others, for the discharge of mercury are outdated. Furthermore, at some companies, mandatory environmental studies have not been carried out or the discharge does not comply with the rules for water quality. Sugar producer Cosun and gelatin company Trobas discharge nitrogen and phosphorus without the mandatory test for deterioration of water quality being carried out. At food producer Cargill, the test was carried out, but not in the correct manner. According to the researchers, these twelve companies are only the tip of the iceberg.
In North Brabant, a nursery of ornamental plants is suspected of using fipronil, resulting in massive bee mortality. During the search, the administration and crop protection products were seized. At the end of August 2024, a number of beekeepers from the region reported a sudden mass mortality among their bees. Fipronil is strictly prohibited when growing ornamental plants.
21.2 percent of Dutch honeybee colonies died in the winter of 2023 to 2024, according to a large-scale annual survey among beekeepers by the Dutch Beekeepers Association (NBV). During the last bee count, around 77,000 were counted. This is the highest number of bees counted since 2022. The honeybee and the red and horned mason bee were counted the most, with the bumblebees lagging far behind. For bee experts, the results of the eighth edition of the National Bee Count are extremely interesting.
Chemical risks with drinking water
Research into the quality of a series of active and inactive salt wells of AkzoNobel in Twente has already shown that the majority of the wells are leaking diesel, brine and brackish water. AkzoNobel Salt has been under increased supervision of the SodM since 9 September. A random sample of the 86 active wells found no leaks in the five wells examined, but a random sample of the 446 inactive wells found nine of the thirteen wells to be leaking. An investigation into another sixteen wells is still ongoing. Drinking water consists of two-thirds groundwater. When the groundwater cannot be used, we depend on surface water from the Rhine and the Meuse for our drinking water.
Since 1940, water from the rivers has also been filtered through the dunes to drinking water (infiltration). It has subsequently become apparent that the water that was introduced was seriously polluted all those years. Due to the substances that remained in the sand, the soil was polluted by all kinds of residual chemicals. Water is still being extracted from our dunes and although the water is pre-purified, the situation in the dunes is still not in balance.
In over 10 percent of the drinking water measurements for medicines and X-ray contrast agents, the maximum values are exceeded with Acetylsalicylic acid, Phenazone, Carbamazepine, Prozac, various veterinary medicines, Metformin, Ibuprofen, some 6 types of X-ray contrast agents, crop protection agents and other industrial substances. Most pollution is tackled with the latest nanotechnology, but despite this, our water has not met the EU standards for years and that is why these standards have been lowered especially for the Netherlands.
Drinking water is only tested for about 60 of the 1800 different medicines and hazardous substances in circulation. Waste from drug labs increasingly ends up in the sewer. A measurement in Eindhoven by KWR has shown that it is more than four years ago. Dumping sites for ecstasy waste are also a danger when it ends up in the drinking water via groundwater and ditches. According to the water board, large quantities of drug residues also end up in the water during festivals. Purification plants were made to remove organic substances from the sewer, but nowadays there are many more chemical substances in the waste water.
This is how medicine residues, microplastics, PFAS and drug waste end up in the water. Bottles of spring or mineral water also contain around 240,000 plastic particles per litre. Queen Máxima will open the new NX Filtration factory in Hengelo on 11 September 2024. NX Filtration produces filters based on nano-membrane technology to purify the water.
This water purification method, invented at the University of Twente, uses thin, hollow tubes with extremely small pores to filter contaminants from water. With this technique, polluted water can be filtered into clear and pure water with less use of chemicals and energy than with conventional purification processes.
Most of the substances that exceed the standard in our rivers belong to the category of pharmaceuticals, followed by substances from the group of industrial chemicals. For years, the concentrations of contrast agents have shown significant exceedances at all locations, which is relevant given the growing knowledge about possible toxic degradation products of these agents. It is therefore important to reduce the PFAS concentrations in surface water.
Of the more than 4,700 registered PFAS in the CAS register, which are potentially produced and applied, only a small part is monitored with the current approach. This means that the presence and distribution of the complex mixture of PFAS in surface water and drinking water remains unknown. In addition, lithium concentrations largely show exceedances of the indicative risk limits of 7.7 µg/l for drinking water and 11 µg/l for fresh surface water set by the RIVM.
Hazardous substances
The RIVM has analyzed twelve environmental incidents in the past year at companies in the Netherlands that work with large quantities of hazardous substances. In nine incidents, hazardous substances were released, after which an explosion occurred twice. B
In two incidents, explosions occurred directly during work. An emergency pressure supply prevented the release of hazardous substances in the last incident. As a result, only steam escaped. One person suffered permanent injuries from an explosion – reduced vision in one eye.
Other victims suffered temporary respiratory problems and irritation. CO2 compensation is offered by more and more companies, but is more of a kind of symbolic politics.
Bisphenol in clothing and plastic items (BPA)
Bisphenol or BPA is a hormone disruptor, harmful to the immune system and bad for fertility. In addition to clothing, it is also found in food and drink packaging, such as food containers, lunch boxes, reusable plastic bottles and coffee cups. As of 2025, a ban will apply from the European Union. The substance is also used in coatings of, for example, (drink) cans and jar lids and in cardboard coffee cups.
It strengthens plastics and prevents corrosion of certain metals. It ends up in small quantities in food and/or drinks via packaging. This is harmful to the immune system and reproduction and can disrupt the hormone system. This led to a ban on its use in baby bottles in 2011. Seven years later, this ban was extended to food packaging for children under 3 years of age. Restrictions have also been introduced for BPA in receipt ink and in children’s toys. It has now been shown that BPA is more harmful in lower quantities than previously assumed.
The European Food Safety Authority EFSA therefore adjusted the health limit value downwards by a factor of 20,000 in 2023. This limit value indicates how much BPA someone may consume daily without harmful effects on their health. BPA did not immediately disappear from food packaging.
Producers have one and a half to three years to find solutions. For certain applications where BPA is more difficult to replace, even longer transition periods apply. There is no obligation for producers to report in which products it is still used. According to the RIVM, it is difficult to avoid exposure to BPA in packaging now. “You can opt for more unpackaged fresh food.
The EU ban applies not only to bisphenol A, but also to other bisphenols and derivatives. In addition to clothing and food packaging, the substance is also found in building materials, electronics and medical devices such as infusion equipment, implants and catheters. Within the EU, a ban on BPA in medical devices is now also being discussed. BPA is also released through particulate matter during the erosion of wind turbine blades.
Ethylene oxide in sesame seeds
An excessively high level of residue of crop protection agents (ethylene oxide) has been found on sesame seeds. It concerns a colourless gas whose vapour can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. The substance can be carcinogenic in case of prolonged exposure. Supermarkets will immediately remove hundreds of products containing sesame seeds from the market on 14 October 2020.
They do this on the orders of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. The disinfectant is not allowed to be on food in the European Union. It is not immediately a problem for public health, but someone who would consume large quantities daily could possibly suffer harmful effects from it in the long term,” reports the NVWA.
DCPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has immediately withdrawn the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal) from the market. This is the first time in almost 40 years that the EPA has taken such a drastic step. DCPA has been shown to be harmful not only to weeds, but especially to unborn babies.
Dioxin
Dioxins are chemical substances that can be formed during (waste) combustion processes. They are also present in certain pesticides and coolants with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Excessive amounts of dioxin are found in cattle and Konik horses in the floodplains near Poederoijen and Weurt in Gelderland. Excessive amounts of dioxin were discovered in the livers of cattle near the Kaliwaal.
Excessively high dioxin values are regularly found in meat from animals that graze in nature reserves all year round. This also applies to Konik horses from the Oostvaardersplassen. From a random sample of five mares and five stallions aged four years and older, three stallions were found to be above the dioxin standard set by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). The meat from one stallion even contained twice the permitted value.
If people ingest dioxins, this increases the risk of a less effective immune system, reduced fertility and cancer. Daily intake of low levels can eventually lead to increased levels in the body and thus harmful effects. For this reason, standards have been set for meat intended for consumption. The NVWA has now started an investigation into the relationship between dioxin in wild grazers and possible soil pollution along the rivers. The sale of meat from the floodplains has now been halted.
In 2019, environmental inspectors carried out a total of 55,000 company inspections. At least one violation was found in 17,000 of these. Of the 17,000 offenders, only 362 were given a penalty. The environmental services of South Limburg and Gelderse Rivierenland did not impose a single fine or other penalty in the pre-corona year of 2019. The regions of Haaglanden and Rotterdam exceeded 25 penalties, with 45 and 142 respectively.
HCH (Lindane)
HCH is on the government list of Substances of Very High Concern that are dangerous to humans and the environment because they are carcinogenic, hinder reproduction and accumulate in the food chain. Waterschap Vechtstromen reports that HCH, which was sold as an insecticide under the name Lindane, is toxic to aquatic organisms. The substance is slowly broken down and accumulates in the food chain, especially in fish. Since 2009, it has been prohibited to produce and use Lindane.
Rijkswaterstaat and the municipality of Hengelo are warning people not to eat fish from the Twentekanaal due to increased concentrations of the toxic Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in the canal. In particular, the water between the lock in Hengelo and the one in Delden is quite chemically polluted. Waterschap Vechtstromen had been aware of this for a month and only now are Rijkswaterstaat and the municipality of Hengelo publicly announcing the presence of the toxic substance in the water.
The warning not to eat fish from Twentekanaal is a negative advice until further notice. Rijkswaterstaat and Hengelo first want to investigate what the risks to public health are of HCH in the canal water. HCH is easily absorbed by fish and stored in the fat of the fish.
Therefore, the concentration of HCH in fish is first being investigated to determine when the negative advice can be withdrawn. Fishing therefore does not seem to be advisable for the time being, swimming in the canal was already not permitted. Rowing is still allowed on the canal, the municipality of Hengelo and Rijkswaterstaat announced in a joint message. HCH has been present in lower concentrations in the Twentekanaal for some time. The toxic substance originates from a site on the Zuidelijke Havenweg where a Stork chemical factory was located until 1952. In that factory, HCH was made that was sold as an insecticide under the name Lindaan.
Stork sold the contaminated site in 1954 to AkzoNobel, the salt producer that now operates under the name Nobian. The government and the owner of the land have known for years that the soil here is contaminated with HCH. After selling the land, Stork left raw materials, auxiliary materials, semi-finished products and the end product Lindane behind on the site.
Although AkzoNobel had explicitly excluded those products from the purchase, that HCH mountain remained on the former Stork site. The harmful substance has been ending up in the Twente Canal for years via the groundwater and now in increased concentrations. Drinking water company Vitens emphasizes for the sake of clarity that no surface water is taken from the Twente Canal for the drinking water supply. Vitens once took water from the Twente Canal that was pumped into sand packages located next to the canal and used as drinking water via basins in Espelo, says former member of the Nature and Environment Council Johan OIthof.
During a major fire at a wholesaler of military clothing in 1996, a large quantity of mercury flowed into the canal with the extinguishing water. From that moment on, Vitens left the water in the Twente Canal as it was. Vitens monitors the concentration of HCH in the Twente Canal and surrounding streams to prevent it from ending up in the ground elsewhere with the discharge of the water.
The Rijn en IJssel Water Board and the Vechtstromen Water Board are also doing this. As is Rijkswaterstaat, which has installed additional measuring points in the canal. For the time being, this data will be read out once every two weeks instead of once every four weeks. Rijn en IJssel and Vechtstromen, which were informed about the higher HCH concentration on 17 May 2024, have in the meantime closed a number of water inlets from which water from the Twente Canal flows into streams and ditches, for example.
“The specific inlets to our water system from the Twente Canal where we suspect that there are elevated concentrations of HCH are closed for the time being,” reports Vechtstromen, which reports on its own website that Rijkswaterstaat measured the elevated concentrations of HCH for the first time at the beginning of this year. The Twente Canal is a popular fishing spot for fishermen of foreign origin. Rijkswaterstaat is investigating how the warning about fish poisoned with HCH will also reach them.
Mancozeb/Glyphosate
Researchers have shown for the first time that glyphosate, or RoundUp, damages the nervous systems of animals. The substance has penetrated so far into the food chain that glyphosate is now found in 80 percent of human urine samples in the US. Researchers call the results “quite disturbing”.
The researchers discovered that the agent causes severe physical reactions in earthworms that resemble those of epilepsy or strokes. Glyphosate affects the so-called GABA-A receptors in the nervous system, which are essential for movement but also influence sleep and mood. What is worrying is that the harmful effects already occur at amounts that are far below permitted standards. The effects occurred at a dosage that is 300 times less than permitted in the US. The researchers point out that it is not yet clear whether RoundUp influences the development of, for example, epilepsy, strokes or Parkinson’s, diseases that are known to be on the rise. Supplier Bayer is working on an alternative pesticide.
The drug Mancozeb is used in agriculture against fungi but has been shown to cause nerve damage. Farmers who work with certain pesticides have up to a 60 percent higher chance of developing Parkinson’s. In France, Parkinson’s has now been recognized as an occupational disease among farmers. French farmers with Parkinson’s receive benefits there in some cases. In the Netherlands, an independent committee will advise the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) in the second half of 2024 whether Parkinson’s disease can be added to the list of diseases covered by the Compensation for Substance-related Occupational Diseases (TSB scheme).
Mancozeb was approved until 2021 and is currently being re-evaluated. In the Betuwe, the number of patients with Parkinson’s is increasing rapidly. Near Angeren (Arnhem), almost everyone knows someone with Parkinson’s. Under pressure from farmers’ protests, Brussels hastened the halving of dangerous pesticide use by 2030. Farmers Defence Force even threatened Minister of Agriculture Adema and MP Holman in a released video. Vander Plas of BBB refused to distance himself from the death threats. On social media, he posted a poll asking whether CDA politicians should be “personally” tackled for their ‘betrayal’ of farmers. Worldwide, there has been an explosive increase in the number of people with Parkinson’s disease.
It was already known that the number of Parkinson’s cases worldwide has doubled in 25 years, with a further doubling expected in 2040. In the Netherlands, the number of patients has increased by 30 percent in ten years. Harmful herbicides are still found miles away from fields and flower fields. Under the title Onderzoek Bestrijdingsmiddelen en Omwonenden 2 (OBO-2), the RIVM has started a large eight-year study into the long-term effects of exposure to crop protection products on public health.
Internationally, this mounting evidence is growing that there is a link between agricultural poison and the development of diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and ALS. The agency that is responsible for approval also acknowledges ’that it is not going fast and that few or no agents on the list have been replaced. Washing vegetables and fruit thoroughly only helps to remove dirt, dust and bacteria, and not or hardly against poison. Some pesticides are specifically intended to stick to water and must therefore also be able to withstand a rain shower.
Although the European Commission and the Health Council have been suggesting for some time that fewer pesticides should be used, the non-profit organization Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe previously concluded that illegal use of pesticides is only increasing. The Netherlands plays a dubious role in this. Research by Argos shows that the Netherlands plays a major role in the export of banned pesticides.
In 2022, more than 6,000 tons of hazardous substances were exported from Rotterdam to Brazil. The pesticides are linked to many diseases. Cancer, birth defects, brain diseases and also Parkinson’s. Pesticides are also said to be hormone disruptors. After export, the pesticides used return to the EU because the sprayed fruit from, for example, Brazil, is re-imported and eaten in the Netherlands. Fruit is ‘more contagious’ for pests than vegetables, although they are also sprayed frequently.
But according to Hans Muilerman, chemical coordinator at PAN Europe, these pests are becoming resistant to pesticides, which means that more and more spraying is required, even with different agents mixed together. According to him, it is a kind of vicious circle, because more spraying means more resistance. Muilerman advocates mechanical or biological control instead of toxic chemicals. Although the precise figures on this were not yet known, the Swiss organization Public Eye has been researching this for years. They requested the data via a WOO procedure. This shows that global export from the Netherlands has only increased in recent years.
$100 million damages awarded to Roundup
A jury in Washington has convicted Bayer on January 14, 2025, of injuring four victims of toxic PCB chemicals. The four worked at a school near Seattle. Bayer was found not liable for injuries suffered by 11 others. The verdict, which followed a two-month trial, is the latest in a series of lawsuits against the chemical company over the alleged contamination of the Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe, Washington.
More than 200 students, employees and parents suffered cancer, thyroid disorders, neurological injuries and other health problems from PCBs leaking from Monsanto light fixtures at the school. Monsanto intentionally withheld information about the PCBs. The victims were awarded $25 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages.
Previous court cases have cost Bayer more than $1.5 billion in total. Some judgments have been reduced, overturned or are still under appeal. In 2024, a $185 million judgment in favor of three teachers and a teacher’s husband was overturned on appeal in favor of Monsanto due to procedural errors.
The state appeals court had to recognize that Bayer had misapplied the laws of Missouri, where Monsanto was based, allowing the claims to be filed decades after the company stopped producing PCBs in 1977. Bayer successfully argued that Washington law should apply and that it would block the plaintiffs’ claims because they were filed too late. The Washington Supreme Court is expected to hear the appeal of that ruling.
In August, the $857 million verdict was reduced to $438 million after a judge ruled the award included excessive punitive damages.
Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 for $63 billion. Since then, lawsuits over PCBs, and in particular claims that the weedkiller Roundup caused cancer, have weighed heavily on the company’s stock.
PCBs were once widely used to insulate electrical equipment and were also used in products such as carbonless copy paper, caulk, floor finish and paint. They were banned by the U.S. government in 1979 after being linked to cancer and other health problems. Monsanto produced PCBs from 1935 to 1977.
Monsanto has known about the dangers of PCBs for decades, but kept them secret from the public and government regulators.
Bayer has argued that plaintiffs have failed to prove that their injuries were caused by PCBs, and that the levels found in the school were considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. Bayer has said the school ignored warnings from government officials that lighting fixtures in the aging building needed to be updated.
Bayer was also ordered to pay $2.25 billion in damages to an American Roundup victim. A jury in a Philadelphia court ruled in January 2024 that the non-Hodgkin lymphoma the victim suffers from was caused by using Roundup against weeds around his home for a period of several years. Of the $2.25 billion, $250 million is compensation for the damage suffered, the rest of the amount is intended as a penalty.
Bayer has announced that it will appeal. Monsanto, the producer of the weedkiller Roundup, was also ordered by a court in the US state of Missouri on November 17, 2023 to pay more than 1.5 billion dollars in damages to three Americans who developed cancer after using the drug. James Draeger, Valerie Gunther and Dan Anderson were awarded a total of 61.1 million dollars (55.9 million euros) in damages by the judges in Jefferson City, Missouri, for damages suffered, plus an additional 500 million dollars (458 million euros) each to punish Monsanto.
The three had developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and the cancer was the result of years of gardening use of Roundup. Owner Bayer appealed and won the case brought by a California man who said the drug gave him cancer. The company has now won 10 of the last 15 similar lawsuits in a row. More cases are expected in the coming year.
Bayer AG, which bought Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018, has had to pay out about 95,000 Roundup personal injury claims for $11 billion. Starting in 2023, glyphosate will no longer be used in Roundup sold to regular consumers, but will remain available to farmers and agricultural companies. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used pesticides in European agriculture.
Concentrations of Glyphosate have been found in drinking water, food and many German beers. Research has shown that even Ben & Jerry’s ice cream contains traces of glyphosate. The “Urinale 2015” study, published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, showed that 99.6 percent of 2,000 German citizens tested positive for glyphosate.
They had five to 42 times the European drinking water standard of 0.1 micrograms per litre in their urine. The European Commission, following the food watchdog EFSA, does not see enough evidence to ban glyphosate. There would be no unacceptable risks provided that restrictions are placed on the agent spreading through the air after spraying.
The permit for glyphosate runs until the end of 2023. The EU can extend it for fifteen years, but the Commission now appears to opt for ten years. The European Commission extended the approval of the controversial weed killer glyphosate in November 2023 by 10 years. That decision was taken immediately today, after the European member states again failed to take a decision on the European Commission’s proposal.
In a new vote, a majority, including the Netherlands, again abstained from a verdict. This also happened a few weeks ago. The Dutch Minister of Agriculture Piet Adema insults the choice of the House of Representatives and many others and abstained from voting on the extended use of the weedkiller glyphosate in Europe. He ignores the many calls from the FNV, Natuur & Milieu and the Parkinson Association.
Bayer is now working on an alternative product that is currently being tested on plants. The replacement product should be on the market in 2028. ProRail has been promising for years to spray less with glyphosate. The goal now is to stop in 2028. Previously, 2025 was promised. The Dutch government must withdraw crop protection products with the active ingredient glyphosate from the market as much as possible until it has been proven that they do not pose a risk to health. A motion on this matter by the Party for the Animals was adopted by the Lower House thanks to the approval of the PVV.
According to a large meta-analysis of European and American data from water protection authorities from the Netherlands, Germany, the US and Sweden, among others, glyphosate also appears to come from additives in detergent.
Scientists now believe another source has been overlooked for decades: certain aminopolyphosphonates found in detergents. In sewage treatment plant sludge, these are converted into a form of glyphosate. “In soil and water, glyphosate is partially converted to aminomethylphosphonic acid, or AMPA. Both substances can be moved by precipitation and find their way into rivers and drinking water.
A detailed analysis of millions of measurements shows that municipal wastewater plays a role and that a source of glyphosate must be sought close to households. The researchers identified a substance that is chemically related to glyphosate and that solves all the questions from the meta-analysis. They therefore suspect that glyphosate is a by-product of aminopolyphosphonates that are widely used in Europe, especially in detergents.
These chemicals in a detergent soften the water, prevent stains and buildup, and improve overall cleaning performance. So they’re very effective in your detergent. The problem is that it can be converted into glyphosate in the wastewater treatment plants. Some wastewater treatment plants use ozone to break down contaminants, and when aminopolyphosphonates like EDTMP come into contact with ozone, they can be converted into glyphosate.
In addition, there are microbes present in the treatment plants that break down organic matter; some of these microbes can break down aminopolyphosphonates into AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid), which can then be converted into glyphosate by other microbes under certain conditions, especially in an oxygen-poor environment
The first laboratory tests have been completed and confirm the hypothesis. Worrying news, which makes clear why it has not been possible to reduce glyphosate pollution in European rivers so far. New methods must therefore be devised to ensure that glyphosate does not form in sewage treatment plants, so that rivers become cleaner. “We are aware that our findings may have far-reaching implications for industry and policymakers, but also for how surface water monitoring should be improved.
Diquat instead of Roundup
In the US, Diquat is increasingly being used as a replacement for Roundup. While glyphosate is controversial due to potential health risks, recent research suggests that diquat may be even more harmful to humans and the environment. In the new formulation of Roundup, glyphosate is replaced with a mix of other active ingredients, including diquat. Diquat is also used in the US as an alternative to araquat, another controversial herbicide. Both diquat and paraquat are banned in the European Union due to their toxicity, but both are still permitted in the US. An analysis of EPA data by environmental group Friends of the Earth found that diquat is approximately 200 times more toxic than glyphosate after long-term exposure, measured in terms of chronic toxicity.
Ironically, diquat and paraquat were replaced by glyphosate in the past, as glyphosate was considered more modern and less harmful. Diquat and paraquat, both bipyridilium herbicides, were developed in the 1950s and 1960s and were popular because of their rapid and non-selective action. However, their high toxicity to humans and the environment led to a shift to glyphosate in the 1970s.
Recent research published in May 2025 in Frontiers in Pharmacology shows that diquat poses serious health risks. The substance damages the intestinal barrier by reducing the production of essential proteins, which hinders the absorption of nutrients and promotes the growth of harmful bacteria, while reducing beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus. This can lead to the leakage of toxins and pathogens into the bloodstream, causing chronic inflammation. In addition, diquat causes damage to organs such as the kidneys, liver and lungs by creating reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage cell membranes and trigger inflammatory responses. In severe cases, this can contribute to multi-organ failure (MODS), a life-threatening condition. Although diquat is less toxic to the lungs than Paraquat, the risk remains significant. Within the EU, the renewal of the license for diquat dibromide, the active ingredient in Reglone, is also under discussion.
After the EFSA expressed its concerns about the substance, the European Commission now wants a ban. Diquat dibromide is a highly toxic substance and strongly irritating to the eyes, and irritating to the skin and respiratory tract. Contact of the skin with concentrated material can cause blisters. Ingestion of a high dose can lead to poisoning of the liver, kidneys, stomach and other intestines. Diquat dibromide is also very toxic to aquatic organisms.
Environmentally, diquat remains active in water for up to 10 days and even longer in soil, where it attaches to soil particles and potentially enters the food chain. This makes it a risk to aquatic ecosystems and drinking water sources, such as in the California Delta, where it is used to control invasive aquatic plants.
In the US, Roundup with Diquat is available over the counter to consumers, often without clear warnings on the label about its increased toxicity. This lack of transparency leads users to unknowingly apply a more toxic product.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has so far taken no steps to ban Diquat, despite calls from environmental groups. This is partly due to weak pesticide regulation in the U.S., where the burden of proof often lies with the government rather than the industry. By comparison, SDiquat has been banned for years in the EU, the UK, Switzerland and China due to risks to humans and the environment. The EPA is struggling with limited resources and focuses its attention on controversial substances such as glyphosate and paraquat, meaning that Diquat has been a lower priority. An example of weak enforcement is the chlorpyrifos case: the EPA banned the chemical in 2022, but the ban was overturned following a lawsuit by industry.
Paraquat, which is banned in more than 70 countries, is even more toxic than diquat and is best known for its links to Parkinson’s disease and acute lung injury. In the US, paraquat is still widely used despite growing concerns and lawsuits. Diquat shares a similar mode of action but is less actively taken up by lung cells, making it slightly less acutely toxic. Still, diquat remains a worrisome alternative, especially since it is used as a substitute for paraquat in some countries.
Paraquat
Paraquat is also a controversial and toxic substance. Paraquat is a powerful, non-selective herbicide that has been used worldwide for agricultural weed control since the 1960s. It works quickly by destroying plant tissues through the formation of reactive oxygen species. Although effective, paraquat is extremely toxic to humans and the environment. If ingested, inhaled, or through skin contact, it can cause acute lung damage, kidney failure, and even death. Long-term exposure has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, which has led to growing concern and lawsuits, particularly in the U.S. Paraquat has been banned in the European Union since 2007, and more than 70 countries, including China, have restricted or banned its use. It is still allowed in the U.S., despite calls from environmental groups for a ban. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tightened regulations, but critics point to weak enforcement and the influence of the agricultural industry. Paraquat remains controversial due to its high toxicity and the availability of safer alternatives, such as glyphosate, although that substance has also come under fire. Environmental effects include damage to aquatic ecosystems and soil contamination, as paraquat binds strongly to soil particles. Users are advised to follow strict safety precautions, such as protective clothing and respiratory protection, to minimize exposure.
Quartz
In 2010, 2017 and 2020, ProRail determined after investigations that employees on the railway have been systematically exposed for at least ten years to excessively high concentrations of carcinogenic quartz dust that is released during work from the stones that lie on the railway sleepers. These stones dampen vibrations, drain rainwater and ensure that the track remains in a straight line. The regulations regarding the wearing of dust masks during work are not always complied with, while this is necessary. There is insufficient supervision and research is being conducted into replacement material.
In 2017, at least 18.9 billion euros worth of ecstasy and amphetamine were produced, according to a conservative estimate. The waste from the production process is dumped in ditches, along the road, in the forest and sometimes even in the middle of residential areas.
Also dumped in the sewer via the sink or toilet. This mainly involves large quantities of solvents, acids and pressure bottles with hydrochloric acid gas, hydrogen and methylamine. In some cases the waste is put in cars, vans or small trucks which are then set on fire.
The soil contaminated with arsenic, cyanide, mercury and PAHs on the Waal beach in the Stadswaard near the Ooijpolder next to the Waal bridge in Nijmegen must be excavated. A blue layer was found on the beach and had to be closed off by Rijkswaterstaat in June 2023 with fences and an oil boom in the water to prevent the pollution from spreading further via the Waal. After the summer, Rijkswaterstaat will conduct further soil research and also a historical study. PFAS is also processed in 95 percent of the old and around 80 percent of the newer models of solar panels.
The Netherlands has ten drinking water companies. In general, companies in the southeast of the country get their water from the ground – they have less to no problems with PFAS. In the west, mainly purified surface water comes out of the tap.
There are two commonly used methods for filtration of surface water: with activated carbon and with membranes. The latter method consists of tubes with thin straws through which the water is pushed. With this energy-intensive technique, a residual flow of twenty percent remains after purification. Drinking water companies cannot do anything with this residual flow, which still contains almost all PFAS.
You can almost completely remove PFAS using very advanced techniques with membranes.’ But once PFAS has been captured, the drinking water companies are faced with a problem. Then there is no other option than to discharge it.
‘Membranes do not break anything down, they only separate’, says Jan Peter van der Hoek, professor of drinking water supply (TU Delft) and Chief Innovation Officer at Waternet in Amsterdam. ‘The residual water eventually reunites with the used drinking water in the surface water. In net terms, you do not add anything to the environment that was not already there, but you do have a concentrated point discharge. There is no good solution yet for that twenty percent.’
The first purification plant in the Netherlands that produces drinking water entirely with membrane filtration is located in Nieuw-Lekkerland. The residual flow goes via the sewer to the wastewater treatment plant. There it is further purified together with other wastewater flows until the water is ‘clean enough’ to be allowed to flow back into the stream, ditch or river. In this way, PFAS are, as it were, pumped around the Netherlands.
‘The waste stream is discharged back into the surface water’, says Koen Zuurbier of PWN Noord-Holland. This has been happening since the nineties. ‘We can’t do much with it. There is no suitable technology yet to completely clean that stream.’ The entire sector is doing research, says Zuurbier. ‘You make a choice: do you want it in drinking water or in surface water? Now we are in a catch-22. Because in the dunes, the PFAS simply blow back onto the land from the sea.’
The other method, with activated carbon, is however running up against the limits of the system. It removes PFAS relatively poorly, short PFAS compounds such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) are not and has a limited lifespan. Due to increasing insight into the harmfulness of PFAS and the adjusted RIVM standards, drinking water companies increasingly have to replace the filters or add activated carbon. The result is not sustainable, but expensive: trucks drive back and forth to burn the carbon (‘regenerate’) in large ovens at high temperatures, an activity that emits a lot of CO₂.
Coal merchant Norit says they heat the coal to ‘more than 900 degrees’. Scientists doubt that number, and some argue that a higher temperature is needed before all PFAS are broken down. Hans de Groene (Vewin) also says in the podcast Red de Lente that opinions differ on the correct heating temperature.
Drinking water company Evides (Zeeland and parts of South Holland and North Brabant, 2.5 million people) says it has increased its purification efforts with activated carbon in the past year. The effect: an increased CO₂ footprint and a cost increase of 2.5 million euros. Costs that will ultimately be borne by the citizen.
Dunea (South Holland, almost 1.4 million people) indicates that it has to dose ‘more than three times as much powdered charcoal’. ‘As a result, our drinking water is well below the applicable standard for PFAS, but not yet below the RIVM advice issued all year round.’ The RIVM guideline value for drinking water is so low to leave room for exposure via other routes, such as food.
The drinking water companies are jointly calling for a European ban on PFAS, because if pollution does not decrease and standards become stricter, even more purification efforts will be necessary.
As far as the water companies are concerned, the question should not be whether and which purification steps they add. They find it ’the world upside down’ that they are made responsible for the pollution of others.
This goes against the principle that the polluter pays. Evides states that ‘governments hardly fulfill their legal duty of care for the protection of drinking water sources.’ The Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) also came to this conclusion. ‘To demand that drinking water companies must purify their waste stream from membrane filtration again is an extra step’, says professor Jan Peter van der Hoek. ‘If you place that responsibility with drinking water companies, they become the cleaners of the Netherlands.
Money, resources and manpower will have to be added. Treating a concentrate stream is difficult, that research is still in its infancy.’ Here and there, inventions are being made that claim to be able to break down all PFAS compounds, for example using fungi or by baking bricks from contaminated sludge, but these innovations still have to prove their value on a large scale. Van der Hoek: ‘The problem must be tackled at the source, it is not for nothing that these substances are called ‘forever chemicals’.’
Fish, shrimp, oysters and mussels from the Western Scheldt have not been suitable for consumption for some time. They contain eight to ten times higher levels of PFAS than comparable products in the store. The RIVM advice is not to eat fish from the Western Scheldt that you have caught yourself. In 2021, it emerged that the chemical company 3M in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, discharged thousands of kilos of PFAS per year into the Scheldt that flowed to the sea via the Western Scheldt. PFAS that enters the human body through fish and other marine products contributes further to the already high PFAS exposure via other sources in the Netherlands.
At a later stage, the company Indaver was called in to process and destroy the toxic substances, but in practice PFOS and PFAS were simply discharged into the surface water to the Western Scheldt. According to the existing standards, the water in the Western Scheldt already contains 22 times too much PFOS and according to the new limits of the RIVM, this will be no less than 2000 times too much.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management can, partly based on the RIVM research, decide to adjust the standards for PFAS in surface water. The Antwerp waste processing company receives PFAS-containing material from all over Europe, including from Chemours in Dordrecht, which contains the PFAS type GenX. Annually, around 1.8 million kilos. Until recently, Indaver did not have a permit to discharge GenX. Indaver appealed against a number of the new discharge standards, because according to the company, it can only meet these standards if the factory is shut down completely or partially.
If the standards are exceeded, the company can receive high fines or even prison sentences. Indaver points out that when production is stopped, PFAS-containing material will accumulate. The Flemish authorities do not enforce violations. 3M has also had to reach a multi-billion dollar settlement in the United States with a large number of water companies due to PFAS pollution. The total amount involved is 10.3 billion dollars, equivalent to around 9.4 billion euros. The judge still has to approve the settlement. Chemical giant 3M will stop producing PFAS at its factory in Zwijndrecht at the end of 2024.
In the Netherlands, a number of chemical companies are responsible
At more than half of the companies, the emission of one or more toxic substances increased between 2015 and 2022. These are carcinogenic substances such as benzene and formaldehyde and mercury and lead, which can be particularly harmful to (unborn) babies and young children. Their brains and nerves can be damaged by these substances. Sissy-Boy BV warns against various teaspoon sets and a cake server set. This cutlery contains lead. When the cutlery comes into contact with food, too much lead is released. Lead can be harmful to health. Do not use the teaspoons and the cake server set.
The government is making 54 million euros in subsidies available to Rockwool, OCI and Fibrant to further reduce ammonia emissions in industry. Thanks to this subsidy, these companies can invest in advanced techniques, such as scrubbers, with which they can significantly reduce their ammonia emissions. This initiative is part of the previously announced approach to peak load industry and contributes to a more sustainable and cleaner basic industry. In the top 100 of ammonia emitters, Rockwool in Roermond is number 1.
It is striking that these three companies, all in the South of the Netherlands, are now being tackled together, possibly due to their proximity to sensitive nature reserves. It seems a targeted move to reduce industrial nitrogen pressure by 2030. In January 2025, a court in The Hague ruled that the Dutch government must reduce nitrogen emissions in 50% of vulnerable nature reserves (Natura 2000 areas) below the harmful limit by 2030, with a fine of 10 million euros for non-compliance.
This ruling builds on previous nitrogen cases and forces the government to take concrete action. Ammonia, a major component of nitrogen pollution, partly comes from industrial processes, and these three companies—Rockwool (stone wool), OCI (fertilizers), and Fibrant (caprolactam)—are significant emitters in the South of the Netherlands, close to sensitive nature reserves. The subsidy, likely through a scheme of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), seems intended to accelerate technologies such as emission filters, electrification, or green ammonia production. This will not only help meet the 2030 court deadline, but also reduce nitrogen deposition that threatens biodiversity.
The subsidy seems like a pragmatic move: instead of just imposing fines or restrictions, the government is encouraging industries to become more sustainable, which makes the legal claim more feasible. At the same time, it remains a race against time, because implementation must go fast enough to achieve the goal. More measures will follow, because the nitrogen crisis requires a broader approach. Think of:
Additional subsidies for other sectors (such as agriculture, the largest source of ammonia).
Stricter emission standards or fines as an incentive.
Investments in innovation, such as hydrogen infrastructure or CO₂ storage, which OCI already hints at.
The government is caught between legal pressure, economic interests and social resistance, so they will gradually roll out more measures—perhaps via the 2026 Budget Memorandum or a new nitrogen agreement. A logical next move is an extension of the buy-out scheme for livestock farms near Natura 2000 areas, coupled with stricter manure rules and subsidies for low-emission stables.
At the same time, there may be a second round of subsidies via the RVO, specifically for hydrogen technology or electrolysis, to further decarbonise companies such as OCI and Fibrant. This could be announced in 2026, for example in the Budget Memorandum, to keep the judicial deadline of 2030 feasible. It combines quick wins (agriculture) with long-term investments (industry), while the threat of fines drives the urgency.
3M
Chemical company 3M has promised to pay a total of 571 million euros in 2022 to solve the problem of PFAS pollution around its factory in Zwijndrecht. This is stated in a remediation agreement that the Flemish government has concluded with the company. Flemish Minister of Environment Zuhal Demir and John Banovetz of 3M announced the news together during a press conference at her office. At the end of November last year, 4 soil remediation plans were submitted on behalf of 3M in Zwijndrecht. But 3 years later, these plans still do not meet the requirements, OVAM reports. 3M must now submit a new version in the coming 2 years. In addition, OVAM also demands an overarching trajectory with an approach across the various soil remediation projects.
APN
Next to the Nijmegen district of Hees, there is an industrial estate where asphalt company APN is located. Local residents have repeatedly held demonstrations against APN’s emissions. In 2021, it turned out that the asphalt production company emits 17 times the legally permitted amount of the harmful substance naphthalene. The company is mentioned in the new report of the Dutch Safety Board. In the report, the Dutch Safety Board is harsh on the way in which governments try to protect the health of residents of Nijmegen-West, among others. The municipality of Nijmegen is also accused of not carrying out its duties properly.
ATM (Waste Terminal Moerdijk)
The Public Prosecution Service is conducting a criminal investigation into Afvalstoffen Terminal Moerdijk (ATM), which in the past supplied dirty, poorly recycled soil to at least ten locations in the Netherlands. The soil thermally cleaned by ATM has been used in dikes and under roads, among other things. Harmful substances normally disappear from the contaminated soil due to extreme heating, after which it may be used as industrial soil.
The soil came from soil remediation and contained tar-containing asphalt granulate. In various places, pollutants such as arsenic and benzene are now leaking into the groundwater and surface water. A striking number of calves died in Bunschoten a few years ago. The dike there is now being remediated for 32 million euros. In Perkpolder in Zeeland, farmers have filed a lawsuit. ATM is said to have made mistakes in the recycling process and skipped certain steps, which meant that, for example, the benzene did not evaporate. In 2017, the production process at ATM was temporarily halted by the Environment and Transport Inspectorate because regulations were not being followed.
During an inspection of the wastewater of ATM, GenX-containing substances were also found. The Moerdijk Waste Terminal is the third company in North Brabant after Custom Powders in Helmond and Suez Ecoflow in Son where GenX has been found in the wastewater. In October and November 2017, Rijkswaterstaat found GenX in the treated wastewater at the sewage treatment plant in Bath. In mid-January 2018, it was determined that GenX-containing substances were present again.
ATM has started its own investigation. GenX cannot be broken down by any water purification system. In 2021, nine incidents released hazardous substances, which resulted in two explosions. Two incidents resulted in direct explosions during work. An emergency pressure supply prevented the release of hazardous substances in the last incident. As a result, only steam escaped.
AkzoNobel
According to the Public Prosecution Service, AkzoNobel is also guilty of several incidents in 2013 and 2015 in which the safety of employees was endangered and is demanding a fine of 450,000 euros. These are incidents in which chlorine gas and hydrochloric acid escaped and the discharge of unknown substances. These incidents could have been prevented if the company had put safety first. The first incident was in April 2013. Chlorine gas was released during work on pipes. Two employees inhaled the gas and became unwell.
The incident was never reported. In the second incident in 2015, four employees were doused with hydrochloric acid. They were not wearing protective clothing, even though this was mandatory. The cloud of hydrochloric acid eventually moved over the public road next to the installation. As a result, companies in the area had to be evacuated. In the past, the company also failed to report twice that substances were being discharged into the water.
According to the company, this is due to human error, in which existing safety measures and work procedures were not followed. In Peru, a state of emergency was declared for a large part of the southeastern region of Madre de Dios on May 22 due to high concentrations of mercury from illegal mining. The harmful metal ends up in fish via rivers, which are the main food source for the local population of the Amazon region. Approximately 40 percent of the region’s 110,000 inhabitants suffer from excessively high concentrations of mercury in their bodies. The contaminated area covers approximately 85,000 square kilometers.
Asphalt Now
For years, there have been major concerns from residents of an asphalt factory in Deventer. The owner is a collaboration between Heijmans and Koninklijke BAM. It has repeatedly been shown that the factory emits more toxic substances than permitted. Residents living in the area spend an average of 113 euros more on healthcare each year.
That amounts to 6 percent higher healthcare costs than the average in the Netherlands. The asphalt plant is located on the Bergweide industrial estate in Deventer. According to the residents of the Rivierenbuurt, it is not only the stench that bothers them. Sometimes the fumes from the asphalt plant are so strong that they also suffer from stinging eyes, a sore throat and headaches.
The GGD has always denied that the emission of toxic substances from the asphalt factory poses an increased risk to the health of local residents. When the toxic substances leave the factory’s chimney, they blow away. Once they reach the residential area, the substances are so diluted that they are no longer harmful, is the explanation. “In the case of AsfaltNu, there is no danger to (public) health. As also stated in the GGD advice,” the IJsselland environmental service stated when asked.
However, measurements showed that the asphalt plant emitted too many harmful substances, including the toxic carcinogenic benzene. Too many volatile harmful organic substances (VOCs) were also measured. Alderman Thomas Walder (D66) and the IJsselland Environmental Service intervened. Since then, the asphalt plant has been facing fines of hundreds of thousands of euros.
The company promised to make less asphalt in order to meet the standards. Additional measurements followed. In the second half of 2022 and early last year, there seemed to be an improvement. But in June 2023, it happened again. When the municipality of Deventer had measurements taken on 13 June, it turned out that the emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was higher than permitted by law.
While the maximum amount of PAH per cubic meter in the air is allowed to be 0.05 milligrams, the asphalt factory measured 0.09 milligrams. Almost double. Due to this excess, the asphalt factory had to pay a fine of 40,000 euros. The Cancer Atlas of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of the Netherlands (IKNL) shows that some cancers do indeed occur more frequently than average in this area. Lung cancer (19 percent), liver and bile duct cancer (13 percent), head and neck cancer (8 percent), malignant tumors of the central nervous system (7 percent) and bladder cancer and cancer of the urinary tract (5 percent) occur more frequently than expected based on the Dutch average. According to the cancer experts of the IKNL, for all these types of cancer there is “sufficient certainty that the area actually deviates”.
Black Bear Carbon
Despite the many donations, subsidies and investments, tire recycling company Black Bear Carbon in Eindhoven can no longer meet its financial obligations, including the salary payments of its approximately ten employees. The company announced that losses in the years up to and including 2021 have increased to 21 million euros. The investment fund of Capricorn from Leuven, which owns a stake of more than 29 percent, and Chemelot Ventures from Geleen with 14 percent of the shares are not prepared to finance the company any further.
In May 2021, State financier Invest-NL also invested another 2.5 million euros and there were various financing rounds for many millions. In addition to Capricorn and Chemelot Ventures, ING Sustainable Investments, Dutch investors 5square and Social Impact Ventures, the Thai conglomerate SCG Chemicals, Circle Economy. Particon, Climate KIC, RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency), Ellen Macarthur Foundation, the Cradle to Cradle foundation, Hollandcircularhotspot and Clean Future Synergy provided capital. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) had a subsidy of 15 million euros ready, of which 500,000 has already been made available. The remainder would come when the major investment round for the new factory had been completed.
Black Bear extracted black powder from used car tires, which is successfully used in pilot projects by paint and coating giant AkzoNobel and tire manufacturer Vredestein. The so-called pyrolysis oil that it generates during the recycling process could also be used for printing ink and as a fuel and used in the refining of petroleum. In 2019, the production site in Nederweert burned down.
After lengthy procedures, a new permit was obtained for a new location on the Chemelot site in Geleen, but it turned out that another 100 million euros in financing was needed to make this location operational. They are still waiting in vain for the German Aurelius Group to invest 80 million for this. Since the fire in 2019, the company has been without a production location and income.
Chemcom
In 1970, AKZO and DSM announced a collaboration. A methanol factory was established in Delfzijl, intended for the export and the manufacture of formaldehyde. A subsidiary of AKZO, Koman, produces urea-formaldehyde. In 1973, the existing industrial estate was significantly expanded with a factory for the production of formaldehyde (1973), intended for glues and synthetic resins.
This factory is named Methanol Chemie Nederland (MCN). In 1974, MCN opens a methanol factory and a factory for wood adhesives: urea (melamine) formaldehyde. In 1991, MCN is taken over by Neste Oy, now Dynea. In 2012, the shares are sold to ChemCom Investments BV and a name change takes place: from Dynea BV to ChemCom Industries BV ChemCom Industries has a resin factory with two large, multifunctional reactors that can produce independently of each other. The production capacity is 210,000 tons/year.
Chemelot
Chemelot is one of the largest chemical complexes in Western Europe, with approximately eight square kilometres. On the industrial estate in Geleen, an unknown quantity of ammonia was released on 6 December 2017 and 17 August 2023. A week earlier, on 29 November 2017, Chemelot was hit by a major steam failure, which caused three quarters of the sixty factories to come to a standstill due to a defective valve in the water system. On 3 August 2019, a toxic substance was released around noon. The leak was sealed around 12:40. It involved a cloud of smoke that was released from the nitric acid factory OCI Nitrogen.
Brown nitrogen smoke plumes are very regularly seen above the area that are reported via the internet. This happens very frequently and regularly, which is why it has been given the status of a standard message. Unusual events are also occurring more and more often: in 2017 26x, in 2018 15x, in 2019 25x, in 2020 18x, in 2021 21x and in 2022 24x.
The number of unusual incidents in 2022 shows an increase. The multi-year average is more than 20. Almost half of the reports are related to the opening of a safety valve at the Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) factory of Sabic, (increased from 7 to 11). Zuhal Demir, the Flemish Minister of the Environment, now wants to put the Dutch State in default for violating international environmental regulations because Waterschap Limburg wrongly issued a permit for water discharges from the company Sitech Services BV on the Chemelot industrial complex. Discussions have been going on for some time between the Dutch and Flemish governments about the discharges of chemical substances into the Meuse.
Sabic was fined 10 million euros by the court in Den Bosch for negligence and because it has been proven that the company has not taken sufficient measures to prevent serious accidents. The fine is lower than the demand of the Public Prosecution Service. They had requested a fine of 25 million euros and wanted to set an example for other companies with high penalties.
Sabic was on trial for four accidents on the Chemelot site. In 2016, a fire broke out at a naphtha cracker, a tank in which oily naphtha is heated so that the raw material breaks down into smaller parts. Two people were seriously injured, one of whom later died in hospital. In an earlier incident in 2015, naphtha leaked from a tank storage.
This caused stench nuisance for the surrounding area and was dangerous for personnel. In another incident, the gas isobutane leaked. Less than three years later, another accident occurred at the naphtha cracker. A maintenance engineer suffered burns. According to the court, Sabic’s negligence caused casualties and the company “acted negligently and carelessly”. “On several occasions, the company did not or hardly responded to indications of potentially dangerous defects.
According to the court, it has not been proven that naphtha was deliberately released. The chemical company was found guilty because the installation was not properly maintained. The court also found that Sabic was to blame for the fact that a loose roof of a tank storage did not close properly, which caused a major problem. And in the event of a leak, Sabic waited far too long to report the incident. All in all, the court found a fine of 10 million euros appropriate.
The amount of the fine was determined based on the company’s annual turnover. Sabic has already announced that it will appeal. The court also ruled against three other chemical companies at the Chemelot complex, as well as against Chemelot itself, which is the license holder as an umbrella company. The Public Prosecution Service accused the operator of being partly responsible for six incidents that took place between 2015 and 2017 and therefore demanded a fine of 7.5 million euros, of which 5 million conditional.
The court did not agree and acquitted Chemelot completely. According to the court, Chemelot is not responsible for the way in which the various companies set up their business processes on the site. Chemical companies OCI Nitrogen and AnQore were each fined 360,000 euros for the dangerous incidents that occurred at the companies.
The court finds that the companies have not taken sufficient measures to prevent accidents. The fines are considerably lower than the 2.5 million that the Public Prosecution Service had demanded. The Public Prosecution Service had demanded a fine of 45,000 euros against chemical company Borealis, because it had allegedly made a mistake in reporting a fire to the company. According to the court, the company had acted correctly and the fault lay with the central control room. The company was therefore acquitted.
Chemistry Pack
Chemie Pack has been fined 730,000 euros for the preventable consequences of the fire at the company in January 2011. Three managers of the company were given community service sentences of up to 216 hours on appeal.
The director and the safety coordinator were also given a six-month suspended prison sentence and a two-year professional ban. The production manager was given 162 hours of community service and four months suspended. The three are responsible for not complying with the permit and not taking the correct safety and environmental measures.
The fire started after an attempt was made to thaw a frozen pump by burning it. The damage is estimated at 75 million euros and had major consequences for the environment and the residents. The three managers are not held responsible for the start of the fire because they were not aware that open fire was used to thaw pumps.
Chemours/formerly DuPont / Custom Powders
Eggs from free-range chickens and chickens contain more PFAS because of the worms they eat. After research commissioned by the municipalities of Dordrecht, Molenlanden, Papendrecht and Sliedrecht, consultancy and engineering organisation Arcadis discovered that earthworms appear to be the main cause of the high concentrations of PFAS in the eggs of hobby chickens from the vicinity of the Chemours factory in Dordrecht, South Holland.
Chicken eggs from the South Holland South region mainly contained PFOS, a substance that falls under the collective name PFAS. A factory in Helmond discharged wastewater containing PFAS directly into the sewer for years. This was a factory of the British company Custom Powders, which processed Teflon powder for the chemical company DuPont (now Chemours). Water with very high concentrations of PFAS was discharged into the sewer for at least fifteen years. Custom Powders has since gone bankrupt and the factory in question has been closed.
Director Pascal van Wegberg of Custom Powders has started a similar company, with the machinery that was left behind in the bankruptcy. DuPont would have been aware of it since at least 2011. DuPont told employees of the Helmond factory that exposure to PFOA was not unhealthy. In 2007, the company had blood tests done among the staff.
According to Zembla, the measured values are many times higher in some employees than the concentrations measured in the blood of employees of the DuPont factories in Dordrecht and the United States. One of the employees is even said to have a concentration that is a thousand times higher than the current standard for PFOA in his blood. The Custom Powders factory in Helmond went bankrupt at the end of 2024 due to a claim for damages from the municipality.
This was filed because of the PFAS pollution by the factory. The costs for the remediation are estimated at at least 10 million euros. The municipality also wants to file a claim for the discharge of PFOA into the sewer, but then with Chemours. The fact that DuPont was aware of this is an additional reason to send the bill for the remediation directly to Chemours now that Custom Powders is bankrupt.
Chemours was held partly liable in 2023 for damage suffered by municipalities in the vicinity of the factory in Dordrecht due to contamination with PFAS. A Zembla broadcast previously revealed that DuPont, Chemours’ predecessor, had known for decades about the risks of PFAS for its employees and the environment of the factory.
During a power outage in Dordrecht and the surrounding area, toxic Hexafluoropropene (HFP) gas was released again at Chemours on 18 June 2024. This substance falls under the PFAS family. HFP does not belong to the list of Substances of Very High Concern, which are dangerous to humans and the environment. A week earlier, the power also went out and PFAS also escaped then. Due to the outage on 18 June, less than half of the amount of last week escaped. Near the Custom Powders factory in Helmond, which discharged and emitted PFAS for years, a striking number of people have cancer.
The weekend of June 15, at least five hundred people protested against emissions from Chemours. With music, banners and lots of chants, the group of demonstrators walked from the center of Dordrecht to the Chemours factory site. The factory had specially kept the parking lot free. Hundreds of people made it clear that, as far as they were concerned, enough was enough with the emissions of PFAS.
The STOP PFAS Chemours march was organised by groups from the Drechtsteden region, including: the Stop PFAS Stop Chemours Foundation, the Health for Everything Action Group, Sustainable Dordrecht Platform, Dordrecht Climate Coalition, FNV Drechtsteden. They are supported by national organisations, including STOP ECOCIDE, Health on 1, Urgenda, Greenpeace, Milieudefensie, Extinction Rebellion Netherlands and NRJ.
The organizations demanded that Chemours:
stop ALL emissions IMMEDIATELY! Zero out of the pipe is zero out of the pipe;
clean up all contamination. Otherwise PFAS will remain a threat to all living organisms;
pay all costs for health research and for purification facilities for our drinking water;
and compensate for all damage caused by discharges, such as loss of house value, for years to come
Delrin, a company located next to Chemours, also previously experienced a leak in a cooling installation.
The eggs of hobby chickens from places like Dordrecht, Papendrecht and Sliedrecht were not suitable for consumption. These places are all located around the chemical factory Chemours in Dordrecht. In three quarters of the tested eggs there is ten times too much pfos.
It is not yet known where exactly the PFOS comes from. The GGD hopes to have the results of the follow-up study in the spring of 2024. The Provincial Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality (PAL) wants the province of South Holland to shut down Chemours in Dordrecht until it is clear that it no longer emits PFAS. The Association of Drinking Water Companies in the Netherlands and the Union of Water Boards have also recently spoken out strongly and Groen Links submitted a motion to this effect during the general debate. According to them, there should be a total ban on PFAS emissions and more legislation and regulations are needed in the short term, without exceptions.
The province of South Holland then filed a complaint against Chemours. The substance that was illegally discharged by Chemours is trifluoroacetic acid (tfa), which was found in Chemours’ wastewater in May. Trifluoroacetic acid is a potentially very worrying substance. The province had previously imposed a penalty on Chemours for discharging the toxic substance.
If the factory continues to discharge TFA after four months, it will have to pay the province 125,000 euros per violation. This can amount to a maximum of 1.25 million euros. Due to emissions and incidents at Chemours (Dupont) and Custom Powders, the toxic substances PFAS are now in the soil, in sludge and even in surface water. PFAS substances are widely used because they are fire-resistant and repel water and dirt. High concentrations of PFAS can often be found at fire training sites, because it is found in fire-fighting foam. Only a PFAS policy on a European scale, in which the substances are captured and their dumping and leakage are tackled, offers a lasting solution to the problem.
The quality of drinking water is at stake, especially the drinking water in the region around Dordrecht, Ridderkerk, The Hague, Leiden and Lekkerkerk. Chemours is a spin-off from Dupont, the company that previously came under fire for emitting the hazardous substance C8. Chemours is allowed to discharge 6,400 kilos of wastewater with GenX into the river Merwede each year. The toxic substances C8 and GenX from Chemours have also polluted the soil. Landscaping companies, contractors and builders working within a radius of ten kilometres have nowhere to dispose of excavated contaminated soil.
Canadian scientists have recently discovered a new way to break down PFAS. Chemours – formerly DuPont – had known for decades that PFAS was dangerous to employees and the environment. This is evident from hundreds of confidential documents and American court documents obtained by the BNNVARA program Zembla. In 1993, it was discovered at the Dordrecht site that there was a problem with groundwater pollution under the factory. PFAS concentrations were measured that were 75 times higher than DuPont’s own standard.
At the behest of the US headquarters, a PFAS coordinator was appointed. He found that large quantities of PFAS had leaked through broken and cracked pipes and that “a dump” had formed underground. He warns that the contamination is very difficult to control and that the spread of the substance could have serious liability consequences.
In 2016, the Environmental Service determined that the pollution could not be cleaned up because it was not technically and financially feasible. In May 1984, the company concluded that they would eventually have to stop all PFAS emissions, because they were concerned about the health effects. From the early 1980s, blood samples were therefore regularly taken from employees.
The PFAS values of the employees in Dordrecht were higher than those of colleagues in other locations. One employee even had more than 11,000 micrograms per liter in the blood, while the safe limit is 6.9 micrograms per liter. In 1992, a scientific link was established between PFAS and prostate cancer. Chemours also illegally discharges trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), this is also a PFAS compound that may pose a risk to public health. The provincial environmental service will demand a penalty of 125,000 euros per violation found. To determine this, water samples are regularly taken and analyzed.
Chemours (formerly DuPont) has been aware of groundwater pollution since 1993. In 2018, a penalty of 250,000 euros per violation was also required to make the company stop discharging perfluorooctanoic acid. Chemours in Dordrecht tried to settle for several million euros in a case in which municipalities held the company responsible for PFAS damage in the run-up to a lawsuit. The condition was that the municipalities would not submit any more claims for future damage after the settlement and that no further proceedings would follow, even if Chemours were convicted by the court.
The municipalities rejected the offer. Dordrecht, Sliedrecht, Papendrecht and Molenlanden held Chemours, formerly part of DuPont, liable for the PFAS damage in their municipalities in 2018. The substantive hearing of the civil case took place this spring, the verdict followed on 23 September 2023. Zembla demonstrated that the management of the factory had known for decades that they were seriously polluting the soil, air and surface water with the emissions and discharges of PFOA and GenX. while they did nothing about it.
At the time of Chemours’ proposal, the municipalities involved were not aware of this. A public hearing was held in the city hall in Dordrecht on 1 September 2023, where residents could express their views on the emission of harmful substances and the consequences for their health. The management of Chemours also spoke, as did aldermen and the GGD.
The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) concluded in a report that it is possible and even necessary that citizens should be better protected against the harmful emissions of industrial companies such as Chemours. Lawyer Bénédicte Ficq files a complaint on September 4, 2023 on behalf of more than 2,600 people. They accuse the factory’s managers of deliberately discharging toxic substances for years.
Diederik Gommers, influencer and intensivist at the academic hospital Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and former chairman of the Dutch Association for Intensive Care also joined the complaint against the criminal management. At the environmental service of the province, fifteen people work full-time on the Chemours file.
The plant’s emissions and discharges are monitored more than 50 times a year. Chemours successfully challenged nearly every decision to restrict the plant in court, but lost a lawsuit on September 27, 2023. The judge ruled that the release of the PFAS variant PFOA between 1984 and 1998 constituted an unlawful act. DuPont knew of the dangers and failed to notify the authorities responsible for issuing the permit.
It is possible that the emission of PFOA was also illegal from 1998 to 2012, but the court cannot yet establish this. A ruling on this will be made later. According to the court, the emission of another substance, GenX, was not unlawful. The municipalities have not been able to substantiate sufficiently what the risks are of the relatively small quantities that have been emitted since 2012.
The judge does say that Chemours may still have to pay for the costs of removing GenX if the quantities emitted are greater than is currently known. In early September, more than 3,000 residents filed a complaint about criminal conduct by the management of Chemours. The company allegedly endangered the health and even lives of residents, while it knew what the risks were, and a seriously ill former employee has summoned the company, because he holds the company liable for his ill health.
The Public Prosecution Service then started a criminal investigation on 18 October 2023, which will also examine whether managers and/or directors can be held liable. There is also an appeal pending from the Province against Chemours, which concerns the question of whether the emission of potentially harmful substances may be limited. South Holland has also filed a report for the illegal discharge of PFAS variant trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Chemours had previously been imposed a penalty of 125,000 euros.
The company must pay this if it discharges TFA into the sewer again. In the early 1980s, the Ministry of Economic Affairs paid little attention to potential environmental and health problems when it decided to grant the chemical company DuPont near Dordrecht millions in subsidies for an expansion of the factories. This can be concluded from archive documents that were released today at the annual Openness Day at the National Archives.
The Morsebel district in Oegstgeest is also full of people who have gotten cancer, many have already lost their lives. 1 person there has already survived cancer 3 times. The district was built on old naval terrain. There was poison dumped there and the cows fell dead on the land. There was just an entire residential area built on polluted ground.
Chemours, which is increasingly emitting PFAS, had to immediately prevent it from emitting PFAS into the air and water. All PFAS have been added to the RIVM list of substances of very high concern. However, Chemours wants to be able to emit more PFAS and has applied for a permit with the province of South Holland.
The current permit allows for PFAS emissions of 0.7 kilos per year. Chemours wants to increase that to 8.5 kilos. The company has also requested 27 new types of PFAS to be emitted. If it were up to Chemours, that would be 9.1 kilos per year. But the permit application is incomplete, according to ILT, which has already given negative advice on a permit application from Chemours. According to ILT, “crucial information” is missing from the application.
The inspection advises the province of South Holland as the licensing authority not to make a decision on this for the time being. “It should be clear to Chemours what an application must comply with,” according to the ILT. “Nevertheless, the applications that Chemours submits for PFAS continue to demonstrate a ‘big steps, get home quickly’ mentality.”
According to the inspection, important information about, among other things, measurements carried out and the risks for local residents is missing. As a result of a pipe break, 45 kilos of tetrafluoroethylene, a so-called ZZS, a very worrying substance, escaped on 6 January. This was reported by DCMR Environmental Service Rijnmond. Tetrafluoroethylene is used in the production of Teflon, a substance that is used, for example, as a non-stick coating in pans. The substance is carcinogenic.
The leak was caused by a break in the so-called rupture plates, which protect the pipeline. The pipeline was immediately taken out of service after the incident. The police raided the company in April 2025 as part of a criminal investigation into pollution by the company. The Public Prosecution Service started an investigation after lawyer Bénédicte Ficq filed a complaint against the management of Chemours on behalf of more than 3,000 local residents. The local residents claim that the company has polluted the environment with PFAS and has thus endangered their health and lives.
Chemours is also said to have known about the pollution and deliberately concealed it. Chemours was previously held partly liable for damage suffered by municipalities in the area due to PFAS pollution. A Zembla broadcast previously revealed that Chemours’ predecessor, DuPont, had known about the risks of PFAS for the environment and employees of the company for decades.
In June 2025, fines of 10,000 to 15,000 euros per violation were again imposed for multiple minor violations of environmental regulations. Violations and measures Environmental service DCMR, which supervises on behalf of the province, found five violations, including incorrect storage of waste and missing reports on emergency power supplies.
According to the province, the violations have no effects outside the company. Chemours acknowledges the points of attention, but does not agree with all of DCMR’s findings. The company has already taken measures for some violations, while it disputes the interpretation of the rules for other points. At the beginning of 2025, a fine of up to 3.75 million euros was imposed for discharging an unlicensed substance. The company was granted a deferment until 4 July 2025 to test a new purification technique.
DBM Blending
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) is demanding a community service order of 240 hours and a suspended prison sentence of three months against the former director (79) of a chemical company in Klundert. If it is up to the justice department, the company DBM Blending must pay a fine of 300,000 euros. The OM accuses the company and the former director of “deliberately ignoring for years” a demand to stop work in a factory hall. In this hall, hazardous substances were used and safety regulations were not sufficiently observed.
The former director deliberately ignored all the rules, ignored the government and exposed himself, his staff and the environment to long-term and serious danger,” the public prosecutor believes. “That it did not go wrong is pure luck. It was a company with a very poor safety culture. In 2014, the Social Affairs and Employment Inspectorate (ISZW) halted work in a production hall of the chemical company. Explosive substances were filled and stored in that hall.
The inspection visited several times between 2014 and 2018, but did not see that work in the hall was continuing. This only became apparent later. During an inspection in 2018, the inspectors found suspicious circumstances. The investigation that followed showed that the company had ignored the requirement not to work in the production hall almost 600 times. Although the inspection demanded several times that the Brabant chemical company would better regulate explosion safety, the company and its management did not do so, according to the Public Prosecution Service.
The Public Prosecution Service also finds that the staff received insufficient instructions on working with hazardous substances. The chemical company also took insufficient safety measures for the processing of acrylonitrile. This is a very dangerous toxic substance that is used in the production of nylon and synthetic rubber, among other things. According to a calculation by the Public Prosecution Service, the company earned more than 550,000 euros by simply continuing to work in the hall where production should have been halted.
Du Pont see also Chemours
The Ministry of Economic Affairs paid little attention to potential environmental and health problems in the early 1980s when it was decided to grant millions in subsidies to the chemical company DuPont near Dordrecht for an expansion of its factories. This is evident from archive documents that were released today at the annual Openness Day at the National Archives. Environmental problems were barely discussed by the ministry and the emission of harmful substances was taken for granted, while the Dutch business climate and employment were considered important.
Precious chemistry
The court in Roermond has only imposed a fine of 25,500 euros on the director of Edelchemie. His company in Panheel has to pay 25,000 and subsidiary Phoenica 5,000 euros. Director Leo Nevels was guilty of soil pollution and operated for seven years without an environmental permit. His two sons were acquitted and his partner and former manager of Phoenica was found guilty, but did not receive a sentence. A prison sentence of sixteen months had been demanded against Nevels and twelve and ten months against his sons. The company was already shut down by the province in 2012. The summons did not arrive until 2015.
Fibrant
Fibrant is a Dutch company, founded in 1952, producing caprolactam (for nylon-6) and ammonium sulphate, with factories in Geleen (Netherlands) and China. It is part of the Highsun Group (HSCC). With EcoLactam®, Fibrant has developed a caprolactam with up to 70% lower CO₂ emissions than traditional production, through N₂O reduction (nitrous oxide, 298x more harmful than CO₂), green electricity since 2022, and circular/bio-based options (ISCC PLUS certified).
This helps customers reduce their environmental footprint. However, production remains energy-intensive and still emits CO₂ and nitrous oxide, despite improvements. Emissions used to be higher, and the environmental impact of raw materials (such as ammonia) remains an issue. Fibrant focuses on sustainability with innovations such as HPO® technology and collaborations (e.g. with Didriksons for low-impact clothing), but the chemical basis creates an unavoidable ecological burden. The company profiles itself as a leader in sustainable chemistry, which is partly marketing, but supported by measurable progress.
Forafina
Forafina (formerly KBS Holland) did not appear in court but is liable for the injuries sustained by five Iranians, because the company supplied the raw materials for poison gas. The Iranians were active as soldiers or volunteers in the Iranian army and were injured by Iraqi attacks with mustard gas. At that time, they were fighting in the border area between Iran and Iraq.
The Dutch company Melchemie (now Otjiaha) of the billionaire Hans Melchers, who died earlier this month, was acquitted earlier. That company supplied Thionyl chloride to Iraq until mid-1984. A director of Melchemie said in court that the company did not know and could not have known in the early 1980s that Iraq would use the chemical for the production of mustard gas.
The judge agreed with this, since it was not yet common knowledge at the time that the Iraqi regime was using the substance in the war against Iran. The chemical could also be used for peaceful purposes, for example as a pesticide in agriculture. It could also be used to make plastic. In 1984, the Dutch government decided that thionyl chloride did not need to be placed on a list of substances for which an export permit was required.
MCA
The substance that escaped on Tuesday evening, March 11, 2025, at the MCA chlorine factory at the Chemiepark in Delfzijl, was a mixture with hydrochloric acid. A small leak had occurred in the gasket of a pipe. The company fire brigade deployed multiple fire extinguishers to dilute the substance. According to the Groningen Safety Region, there was no danger to the environment and the hazardous substances did not leave the company premises. The factory was briefly shut down during the incident.
MOSA
At the wall tile factory Royal Mosa in Maastricht, mercury emissions rose from 2.3 to 6.3 kilograms between 2015 and 2022, an increase of 174 percent. Lead and mercury are very harmful to the nervous system. “Short-term exposure during pregnancy or childhood can also have serious effects. For example, lead can have effects on the learning performance of young children. Mosa says it is committed to reducing substances of very high concern, but admits that it has not yet succeeded in doing so with mercury.
OCI
OCI is a global company, headquartered in Amsterdam, that produces nitrogen fertilizers, methanol and hydrogen products. Global producer of nitrogen fertilizers and chemicals with production sites in the United States, the Netherlands, Egypt, Algeria and China. OCI has 3,000 employees.
The production capacity is approximately 7 million tonnes. They produce cyanuric acid from urea, with ammonia and carbon dioxide as by-products under high pressure (> 7 MPa) and a temperature above 370°C, which leads to cyanuric acid via an exothermic reaction. The cyanuric acid condenses with ammonia to melamine and water for use in industrial applications such as wooden panels, laminate, coating, casting powders, concrete plasticizers and flame retardants.
Pets in the United States and infants in China died of kidney failure due to Melamine around 2007/2008. Melamine and cyanuric acid alone do not normally cause kidney damage, but combined administration (combination toxicology) does cause crystal formation and lesions in kidney tissue and clinical signs of (acute) kidney damage.
OCI focuses on decarbonization, with low-carbon products such as green ammonia and methanol, and claims to reduce CO₂ emissions through carbon capture and renewable energy. For example, they supply fertilizers with a lower carbon footprint, as recently in a German project (March 2025). However, production is energy-intensive and produces CO₂ and other emissions (such as N₂O from fertilizers), despite reduction efforts.
Their factories, such as in the Netherlands and the US, have an environmental footprint due to raw material use and waste. Like Rockwool, OCI balances environmental benefits (more sustainable products) with production costs. They have ambitious goals, such as 20% less emissions by 2030, but the impact depends on how effectively they achieve them.
Odfjell
The chemical tank storage company Odfjell, where chemical liquids and acids are stored, has already been fined tens of millions and has suffered two explosions and a fire in 2014 after a reactor vessel collapsed at Shell Moerdijk, caused by the leakage of carcinogenic ethylbenzene.
After the explosion, 50,000 liters of ethylbenzene were on fire. After replacing a catalyst, it was rinsed with heated, liquid ethylbenzene and then things went dramatically wrong. Heavy metals were found in soil samples and ethylbenzene was found in the sewage water at the purification plant in Zwijndrecht. It is alarming that the drinking water company Evides was not alerted after the fire in Moerdijk.
On November 11, another major fire broke out at the company, which started in the compressor room. Shell Moerdijk discovered at the end of January that an error during repair work had caused an installation not to be shut down, causing approximately 25 tons of toxic ethylene oxide to leak into the atmosphere since November 21 last year.
Because the installation is 25 meters high, it was only discovered months later. Ethylene oxide is carcinogenic and can cause hereditary genetic defects in human reproductive cells. The emission falls under the Seveso III directive, so the Dutch Safety Board started an investigation. Shell had to pay a fine of 2.5 million euros for the explosion.
One Dias
One Dias is temporarily not allowed to extract gas in the North Sea above Schiermonnikoog because the permit is not in order. This was determined by the court in The Hague on 18 April 2024. Nature organisations, the municipality of Schiermonnikoog and islanders had objected to the gas extraction. The government has invested approximately 200 million euros in the project.
In 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) granted a permit to mining company ONE-Dyas to extract gas in the North Sea above Schiermonnikoog. The World Wildlife Fund, Natuurmonumenten, Greenpeace, Stichting ARK, Vrije Horizon working group, the municipality and the Waddenvereniging filed a lawsuit.
If the State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate still wants to proceed with the project, he will first have to remedy the defects in the granted environmental permit, according to the court. The court ruled that the decisions regarding the extraction of natural gas, the construction of the pipeline and the electricity cable remain in force.
The parties that had initiated the lawsuit were therefore not successful on these points. However, this does not mean that ONE-Dyas can now carry out the project. The claimants were successful in the area of nitrogen emissions and the disturbance of protected marine mammals such as porpoises and seals by underwater noise.
The consequences for the environment and nature have not been properly mapped out on these points. ‘During the construction phase of the drilling platform, there is nitrogen deposition that can have significant consequences for natural values in the Natura 2000 area Dunes Schiermonnikoog.
The court finds the method to compensate for these consequences, the purchase of nitrogen rights from three farms, incorrect’, the court ruled. The court concluded that the State Secretary has sufficiently demonstrated that the subsidence is limited to a maximum of 4.6 cm and that the chance of earthquakes is negligible.
The objectors believe that the drilling will cause irreparable damage to the Borkumse Stenen nature reserve, an oyster reef near the drilling platform. They also find it incomprehensible that gas is being extracted close to the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site. The objectors believe that further gas extraction is outdated and in conflict with climate goals.
German nature conservation organizations and the municipality of Borkum have also joined the fight against gas extraction. The gas field above Schiermonnikoog is called N05-A and is located approximately nineteen kilometers north of Schiermonnikoog. ONE-Dyas has calculated that approximately 4.5 to 13 billion cubic meters of gas can be extracted.
To achieve this, the company invested 500 million euros (including 200 million from the government). This is the largest Dutch investment in natural gas development in the past fifteen years, ONE-Dyas announced last year.
Rockwool
Rockwool is a Danish company, founded in 1937, and the world leader in the production of stone wool insulation. Their headquarters are in Hedehusene, Denmark, and they have factories all over the world, including the Netherlands (Roermond). Their core business is making insulation from molten rock, which results in energy savings in buildings—they claim that their products save 100 times more CO₂ over their lifetime (50+ years) than is emitted during production.
The insulation they create contributes to energy efficiency, which reduces CO₂ emissions from heating and cooling. The material is recyclable and the company offers recycling programs in 19 countries (Rockcycle). They are also working on decarbonization, such as electric smelting in their new factory in China, which reduces emissions by 60%.
However, production is energy-intensive and produces CO₂, particulate matter, and sometimes chemical emissions (such as ammonia or formaldehyde), depending on the factory and fuel (used to be coal, now partly gas or electricity). Stone wool is not biodegradable, which causes waste problems if it is not recycled. Rockwool profiles itself as sustainable and is affiliated with initiatives such as the Science Based Targets (SBTi), with goals to reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2034. However, there are criticisms, such as from local communities near factories (for example in West Virginia), about air pollution and health risks.
The balance therefore depends on how you weigh production impact against the energy savings of the end product. Rockwool is an insulation material made from stone wool, which provides energy savings through better thermal insulation of buildings. However, the production process costs a lot of energy and causes CO₂ emissions, partly due to the melting of rocks at high temperatures.
The material is sustainable and recyclable, but not biodegradable, which leads to waste in landfills. In addition, the production can cause air pollution, such as particulate matter and ammonia, depending on the factory and local regulations. The environmental impact therefore depends on the balance between energy saving and production costs.
Schiphol
ECN has investigated the air quality research around Schiphol at the request of RIVM. and as expected, an increased concentration of ultrafine particles is found. Directly outside the airport area, the average contribution of aviation activities is comparable to the contribution of road traffic in streets in inner-city areas.
As the distance to the airport increases, the concentration of ultrafine particles decreases. At about fifteen kilometers from the airport, the contribution is still measurable, namely 20% percent of the contribution directly next to the airport.
“Ultrafine particles can be harmful to health,” the council states in a report. Ultrafine particles consist of particles smaller than 0.1 micrometer that are released during all kinds of combustions. The particles are mainly found near airports, along roads, in shipping and at factories. “These particles are so small that after inhalation they end up deep in the lungs, after which they can have an effect elsewhere in the body via the bloodstream,” the Health Council writes.
The microscopic particles are not only harmful to adults and children, but also to unborn babies. Babies in polluted areas generally have lower birth weights and premature births are more common. Soot particles that pregnant women inhale reach the baby through the amniotic fluid.”
Sitech
Sitech Services started in 2008 from various DSM departments, which provided on-site services. Sitech’s services focus broadly on Managed Services, Technology and Operate. Their services are divided into 5 service lines. They will soon enter a new phase with the independence of the individual companies.
The company provides full maintenance, technical support and the realization of necessary or desired adjustments. In addition, they design, deliver, implement and maintain future-proof IT infrastructures. And Asset Health Center, checks the operation and functional reliability of the companies at Chemelot.
They also provide analysis and inspection of installations, where manual control makes way for online processing based on monitoring. Finally, they provide support in the area of permits, recycling of materials and components, reuse of heat, waste processing and energy saving.
Sterigenics
The municipality of Zoetermeer and the company Sterigenics will not be prosecuted for the discharge of high concentrations of carcinogenic ethylene oxide between 2004 and 2009, because it has not been irrefutably proven that there was a direct and immediate life-threatening risk to people in the vicinity of the company. And this while the company is located in the middle of a residential area.
The toxic ethylene oxide was discharged unprocessed through a disaster pipe for all those years. Sterigenics and two managers were acquitted by the court. Because Sterigenics acted with the permission of the municipality of Zoetermeer, the company could trust that the municipality agreed to violate the regulations of the permit.
The carcinogenic substance ethylene oxide originates from the American company Sterigenics operating under the name Deross Holding. The company has since left. Between 2004 and 2009, the company emitted carcinogenic substances and the municipality did not intervene.
Dump Doonweg BV
The company Stort Doonweg BV violates the law when applying steel slag in Eerbeek. The steel slag, which forms a cover layer on a former landfill, can cause serious damage to human health and the environment.
According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the company is not taking sufficient measures to prevent this. In December 2024, the public prosecutor requested an interim measure from the court to stop the company from polluting the soil.
Based on research by the Intelligence and Investigation Service of the Inspectorate for the Environment and Transport (ILT-IOD), the Public Prosecution Service suspects the company Stort Doonweg of having applied the steel slag incorrectly. The company is deliberately violating environmental legislation. In Eerbeek, more than 220,000 tons of LD steel slag was applied as a cover layer on a landfill.
In addition, the steel slags form a foundation for a solar park and have been used in the construction of a ring road. The steel slags have been applied uncovered. Since completion in 2019-2020, contaminated rainwater has been leaching from the steel slags. This percolate water has a very high pH value due to contact with the steel slags and is contaminated with (heavy) metals.
The contaminated water enters the ground and can damage the quality of the soil and groundwater. The economic chamber of the Zwolle court will hear the claim on 17 January 2025.
Tata Steel
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has twice assisted Tata Steel in disposing of polluting steel slag containing heavy metals. In both cases, this was contrary to internal policy or existing knowledge within the ministry about the environmental risks. For example, in 2010, the ministry instructed Rijkswaterstaat to use steel slag as a material in the construction of roads.
While the same service had just stopped doing so due to ‘unacceptable risks’. In 2017, the ministry, at the request of Tata Steel, issued an official statement that the material is not waste, despite its own negative experiences.
It came out after research by radio program Nieuws & Co and Nieuwsuur (NOS/NTR). Tata Steel can’t do anything with it itself, but it does produce about 650,000 tons of steel slag per year. That amounts to about 26,000 trucks. The Dutch government stimulates the so-called circular economy: waste should be reused as much as possible. Companies that produce and sell steel slag therefore like to label it as building material and not as waste.
For years, these contaminated steel slags have been used as building material in the foundations of roads, paths and in waterworks in the Eastern and Western Scheldt. Both contractors and the government agency Rijkswaterstaat, which is responsible for the national roads in the Netherlands, were happy to use the material. Steel slags are much cheaper than sand and gravel.
However, there are risks associated with the use of steel slag as a building material. Supervisory bodies such as the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT), the RIVM and the General Audit Office have increasingly raised the alarm about this over the past three years. In April 2025, the ILT concluded for the second time in two years that legislation and regulations do not sufficiently protect the environment. In practice, the use of steel slag results in soil contamination.
This happens when the steel slag comes into contact with groundwater or rainwater. This water then gets an increased pH value and therefore a low acidity, comparable to drain cleaner. Polluting metals are also released into the soil. Responsible State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, Chris Jansen (PVV), maintains his position that steel slag can be used safely “if applied properly”.
Rijkswaterstaat, the government agency that falls under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, has been one of the largest buyers of steel slag for years. But in 2009, the government agency stopped doing so, after problems occurred on the A28 near Hoogeveen: the steel slag caused “cauliflower and crack formation” in the road.
Environmental problems have also arisen in other situations, such as increases in the acidity of surface and groundwater. According to Rijkswaterstaat, the use of steel slag leads to “unacceptable risks”. After coordination with the minister in 2009, the service stopped using the material in road foundations.
That decision led directly to stagnation in the sale of steel slag around that same year, Rijkswaterstaat confirmed to Nieuwsuur. Result: Tata Steel, together with steel slag supplier Pelt & Hooykaas, approached the ministry and reported the “sales problems”.
Internal documents from Rijkswaterstaat show that the ministry gave Rijkswaterstaat the order to use the polluting steel slag again, despite the previously identified problems. Rijkswaterstaat carried out the order in 2012 and started a number of pilot projects using steel slag. One of these was the ‘Haak om Leeuwarden’ motorway. According to a spokesperson, the province of Friesland did not know that this was a pilot project or of the previous problems with steel slag. According to the province, the government promoted steel slag at the time.
Members of the Provincial States of Friesland reacted indignantly. All pilot projects, including the one in Leeuwarden, failed. Environmental problems and damage to the roads arose again. Rijkswaterstaat therefore decided in 2016 to definitively stop using steel slag as a building material for roads.
Although many commercial contractors were still using steel slag at that time, Rijkswaterstaat did not make the decision public and did not actively communicate to stop using steel slag in road construction. As a result, other governments and contractors do not know that the Rijksdienst considers the material unsuitable for road construction. Tata Steel turned to the ministry again in 2017 for a declaration – a so-called legal judgment – stating that steel slag is not waste, but a by-product.
Such a legal judgment has no legal status, but is important for the image of the company and the product. Rijkswaterstaat drew up the statement, but had to test several conditions. For example, it had to be certain that there were no disposal problems for steel slag. And another condition was that steel slag would not cause environmental problems.
Rijkswaterstaat was aware of the disposal problems of steel slag and also the environmental problems caused by the material, but Rijkswaterstaat nevertheless states in a statement: “steel slag is a by-product and can be used in roads, among other things.
The ministry then officially issued the legal ruling. Steel slag is therefore still a legally permitted building material and the province of Friesland considers this a bad thing. Both Rijkswaterstaat and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management refer to the ministry, which is said to be responsible, for a number of aspects. The ministry says it cannot answer many questions because it was too long ago and documents cannot be found.
Construction companies that purchase polluting steel slag from Tata Steel can receive a large sum of money. This became apparent during a lawsuit against a company and two subcontractors who are suspected of environmental pollution with steel slag in Hellevoetsluis.
Pelt & Hooykaas, a company that is being investigated by the Public Prosecution Service (OM), markets the steel slag on behalf of Tata Steel. However, there appears to be no actual sale: in 2018, a subcontractor in Hellevoetsluis received 6.65 euros per ton of steel slag, the OM states. Pelt & Hooykaas also paid for the transport by ship; the contractor only had to pay for the transport from the ship.
Ultimately, the subcontractor hoped to construct a 30-meter-high artificial hill to attract tourists along the N57. The so-called ‘Landmark’ would contain 750,000 tons of steel slag, more than Tata Steel’s annual production. Pelt & Hooykaas would pay the contractor a total of 5 million euros to take the gravelly material.
However, it did not come to that. After 63,000 tons of steel slag had been dumped in the polder near Hellevoetsluis to build a temporary road and a dredging depot, the work was stopped after many residents complained: they had health problems due to dust from the steel slag.
The material, which is created during steel production, contains quicklime. Inhalation or contact with the eyes causes complaints. These complaints were reported on a large scale by local residents. People said they suffered from nosebleeds, coughing fits and even burns due to the steel slag dust. Animals also became ill. “It has had a considerable impact on us,” said Cora van Mook, one of the local residents, during the hearing.
Trafigura
Trafigura is known for the ship Probo Koala. In 2006, the company brought 500 tons of hazardous waste into and out of the Netherlands without permission from the authorities and then dumped it near the port city of Abidjan on the Ivory Coast, causing approximately ten deaths and making tens of thousands of people ill. The Probo Koala tried to offer contaminated waste water to Amsterdam Port Services (APS) for a thousand euros per ton.
However, APS could not process the toxic water and a large part was pumped back into the ship by APS, after which the cargo was eventually offered to a local processor on the Ivory Coast. Amsterdam Port Services and a former director were prosecuted personally and the municipality of Amsterdam as the owner of APS.
In Ivory Coast, Trafigura settled the matter in 2009 without admitting guilt. In addition, the company paid 33 million euros in compensation to victims. 6,000 of them never saw a cent because millions disappeared through corruption. The case is now before the court, because a large group of some 78,000 Ivorians, united in the foundation Victimes des Déchets Toxiques Côte d’Ivoire, filed a claim via Van Beer lawyers because of skin and lung problems and neurological complaints.
The owner of the waste processor that dumped the poison has been in prison for twenty years since October 2008 and an intermediary was sentenced to five years. Trafigura was founded by De Turckheim and Claude Dauphin, former employees of the notorious Glencore. Dauphin himself spent five months in prison on the Ivory Coast for this case and died of cancer in 2015 at the age of 64. Trafigura is based in Amsterdam for tax reasons.
Tick
The Barneveld waste company Vink has used contaminated soil for housing construction in Barneveld. The soil used was not cleaned sufficiently, which left the toxic substance styrene (used in the production of plastic) and residues of agricultural poison in the soil. Documents show that Vink has tampered with the administration, so that the toxic soil is clean on paper.
Chemical risks from the railway
Research shows that compliance with the legal obligation to register hazardous substances on railway yards is also generally far below standard. In 2020, more than 8,000 tank wagons with toxic substances ran on the connection between Rotterdam and Belgium. In the coming years, this number will increase to almost 40,000 in 2030
In Brabant, many more wagons with hazardous substances than legally permitted are still running due to work on the third track in Germany (Betuweroute to Oberhausen). The established quantities for the transport of flammable gas (LPG) are exceeded, especially at Breda, Tilburg and Eindhoven. In the second, third and fourth quarters of 2015, no fewer than 6,931 wagons with flammable gas ran past Breda instead of the permitted number of 4,350.
In Tilburg too, twice as many wagons of flammable gas were running as agreed, and in Eindhoven the number was exceeded by a factor of four. In 111 inspections carried out by the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) in 2015 during railway works, violations were found in 35 inspections.
In the Basic Rail Network, maximum risk ceilings have been established based on established formulas. Inspections by the ILT showed that in 2014, 14 of the 412 trains transporting hazardous substances were wrong. The violations range from incorrect train compositions to the complete absence of information about the hazardous substances present.
Such an imperfection led to a near disaster in 2011 at the Kijfhoek marshalling yard near Zwijndrecht, where derailments and accidents occur with some regularity. According to the inspection service, emergency services cannot assume that the information they receive about trains carrying hazardous substances is reliable and factually correct.
In 2022, 1449 tank wagons with ‘flammable gas’ drove between Deventer and Hengelo, while only 210 wagons are allowed annually. The amount of ‘highly flammable liquid’ was also significantly exceeded, namely 2153 tank wagons where a thousand are allowed.
Chromium-6
Carcinogenic chromium-6 paint has been used in several buildings of the NS, Defence, the National Shipping Company, Rijkswaterstaat and the Central Government Real Estate Agency. In November 2017, the province of Utrecht reported that it had found paint containing chromium-6 on buildings at the former Soesterberg air base. A recently completed investigation shows that paint containing chromium-6 may have been frequently used on defence real estate. Chromium-6 is used in paint to prevent rust formation. Anyone who saws wood that has been painted with chromium-6 paint can become ill.
Chromium-6 is a health hazard when dust particles are released, a small amount of which can cause cancer. Chromium-6 can enter the body through inhalation, ingestion and exposure of the substance to the skin. Paint containing chromium-6 was also used on aircraft and tanks of the American armed forces.
The equipment was maintained in five former Defense storage facilities in the Netherlands. When sanding the equipment during maintenance work, dust was released into the air. Earlier this year, Defense had to apologize to personnel who had worked with chromium-6. In April, it was announced that 359 people had received compensation based on a special arrangement. They received a maximum of 15,000 euros.
The NS and the municipality of Tilburg, among others, are said to have been negligent by putting hundreds of unemployed people to work at the former workshop of the Dutch Railways in Tilburg between 2004 and 2011. Old trains were sanded in the workshop.
The old layers of paint most likely contained the carcinogenic substance chromium-6 that was released during the work. Many of those involved have been suffering from health problems since then. 700 of those involved will still receive compensation of 385 euros, so that they do not have to pay their own risk for medical costs.
Chromium-6 has also been found in groundwater on the Tata Steel site in groundwater samples taken by the supervisory authority, the North Sea Canal Area Environmental Service. The NS has long failed to comply with the regulations to protect employees against chromium-6. This is evident from a study by the RIVM.
However, NedTrain does not have to pay compensation to thirty people, because they worked with chromium-6. The court of appeal in Den Bosch came to this decision. The employees have not provided sufficient evidence to support their claim, the court ruled.
Artificial grass fields
Almost all the artificial grass fields that were tested contained higher concentrations of carcinogenic substances than permitted. More than half of the fields even contained four carcinogenic substances with higher concentrations. On average, these substances exceed the standard for consumer products by between 1.5 and 3.7 times, and on the most polluted fields by up to six times.
There are more than 2,000 football fields with artificial grass that are finished with rubber granules (granulate) – mostly made from finely ground old car tires. The granules should ensure that the ball reacts just like on natural grass and that slidings can be made without too much abrasion. There is no hard scientific evidence that these rubber granules are harmful because of the Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrosamines and plasticizers.
The substances are also common in cosmetics and sex toys. According to the tire industry, the rubber granulate on Dutch artificial grass fields meets European standards, but these are not the standards set for consumers. “The rubber granulate contains 1 to 10 milligrams per kilogram of carcinogenic substances, which exceeds the standard that applies to consumer products by a factor of a thousand.
The experts studied a total of 100 artificial grass fields on behalf of the RIVM and it emerged that the rubber granulate does indeed contain carcinogenic PAHs and phthalates, benzothiazoles, metals and phenols. However, according to the national institute, they are released to a “(very) limited extent” when sports are played on it. “The results do not give reason to expect health damage,” according to the RIVM. New research from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam shows the opposite.
In experiments with zebrafish and zebrafish embryos, which were exposed to water in which the granules had been, the embryos died and the fish showed behavioral changes. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) confirms that there are numerous hazardous substances in the rubber granules, but that the risk of cancer is very low. In addition to ingestion and inhalation, skin contact with the granules was also examined. The advice is to shower after exercising. From March 1, the granules must comply with stricter rules with which the industry wants to limit the discussion about the rubber granules on artificial grass fields.
Shale gas
The cabinet has agreed to a proposal by Minister Kamp of Economic Affairs (VVD) not to extract shale gas for commercial purposes for the next five years and after a motion in the House of Representatives, shale gas may not be extracted commercially until 2023. Incidentally, the TTIP trade agreement will allow fracking everywhere in Europe and in England, after the change of power, there is also a desire to start extracting shale gas.
Drilling and extracting shale gas can contaminate groundwater and drinking water through leaks from wells and the leakage of methane or other substances. Fracking involves pumping water, sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure, causing the rock to fracture and release oil and gas. A study by Duke University in the US found highly elevated levels of radioactivity in the water and sludge of a river downstream from a shale gas drilling rig. They found radium, a radioactive metal, measured at levels 200 times higher than normal.
Tar sands
Shell has sold the Orion tar sands project in the Canadian province of Alberta for almost seven billion euros. Shell acquired the Orion project six years ago through the takeover of the Canadian oil company Blackrock Ventures.
The tar sands industry is responsible for huge amounts of CO2 emissions. The production of a barrel of tar sands oil produces up to 4.5 times more CO2 than a barrel of regular oil. Toxic substances from the wastewater ponds leak into the groundwater. To get the oil out of the ground, a thick layer of sand is dug up and cleaned with chemicals.
Contaminated fuel
International fuel companies are exporting toxic fuel to Africa on a large scale. Much of it is produced by companies in the port area of the Netherlands and Belgium, according to the report Dirty Diesel by the Swiss non-governmental organization Public Eye. The daily export of 65.2 million liters of cheap, polluting fuels to countries such as Ghana and Senegal has been a known problem for years.
The diesel used in many African cities sometimes contains more than 300 times as much sulphur as is permitted in Europe. Research by journalists’ collective Spit has shown that an export ban in one country allows exports from another country to continue. Petrol and diesel with too much sulphur, benzene and manganese lead to air pollution and lung and respiratory diseases in the inhabitants of densely populated cities such as Accra and Lagos. Low-grade petrol can also damage engine parts, particulate filters and catalytic converters.
When they break down, cars spew out even more toxic exhaust fumes. Last month, Nigeria itself introduced a 50 ppm (parts per million) sulphur limit on imported fuels. But in practice, little has changed because the standards are not being enforced, says Ademola Adigun, a consultant for the Nigerian oil authority. ‘Most people can’t afford low-sulphur fuel at the pump. That’s why imports of petrol with 500 to 1,000 ppm sulphur are still allowed. The companies responsible for this include Sea Tank 700B, the British refinery Prax and ExxonMobil.
Environmental pollution in space
Satellite company DISH had the honor of being the first to receive a fine from the FCC for leaving debris in space. The company was ordered to pay $150,000 for failing to clean up a satellite. The satellite was launched in 2002 and orbited the Earth at a distance of about 36,000 kilometers.
DISH was supposed to ensure that a satellite would be moved to another location near Earth at the end of its life, but that did not happen. As a result, satellite EchoStar-7 continues to pose a threat to other satellites. Thousands of satellites and many more pieces and debris are flying around Earth at high speed. If they collide, they will break up into space debris and the chance of more collisions and the creation of even more debris is increased.
Almost thirty years after its launch, a satellite of the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) also came to an end. The instrument was developed by TNO in Delft. GOME determined, among other things, the ozone concentrations in various layers of the atmosphere.
The instrument also registered the chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. This allowed scientists to see whether the hole in the ozone layer was getting bigger. The climate instrument is built into the European Earth observation satellite ERS-2. The mission of this satellite ended in 2011, but it is now crashing uncontrollably.
As a result, it is not clear when exactly the satellite will re-enter the atmosphere and where exactly it will decay. Tropomi, the successor to OMI, was launched in 2017 and builds on the success of OMI. Tropomi has a higher accuracy and can measure more gases, including the greenhouse gas methane. Work is already underway on the next mission, TANGO.
This mission is intended to support independent verification of emissions for the Paris Climate Agreement. This mission will offer many new possibilities, such as measuring CO2, measuring in spatial detail of only hundreds of meters, and measuring emissions at installation level at only hundreds – things that are not possible with TROPOMI and OMI.
Marine pollution
The majority of the 600 oil and gas platforms in the North Sea must be removed within fifteen years. This process, known as ‘decommissioning’, could cost 50 to 60 billion euros and must be paid and arranged mainly by the operators. A cost item that is only too happy to be postponed. The Dutch part involves 5 billion euros, of which 2 billion euros for the removal of oil and gas infrastructure on land.
These ‘stranded assets’ are not only for the account of the oil and gas companies, but also the Dutch state, which has a share of 40 percent in almost every oil and gas platform, has to pay. According to Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN), which manages the shares on behalf of the state, a large part of the costs is for the account of the state.
The oil and gas companies can also deduct the costs from their taxes and profit transfers to the state. In the end, about 70 percent of the costs end up with the state, which amounts to 3.5 billion euros for the offshore assets alone.
A cargo plane carrying thousands of pounds of fuel for the transatlantic flight had to dump about 20 tons of fuel into the Atlantic Ocean to land safely after a horse broke loose in the hold. In the air traffic control audio, the pilot of the Boeing 747 says: “We are a cargo plane with a live animal, a horse, on board. The horse managed to escape from its stall. There are no problems flying, but we have to get back to New York because we can’t secure the horse.
Environmental disaster, not far from the Kerch Strait, eight kilometers from the coast, a tanker with 4.3 thousand tons of fuel oil sank. The ship “Volgoneft 212 with 13 crew members on board was split in two by waves 8 km off the coast of Kerch.
Another tanker, the Volgoneft-239 of the Russian company Volgotanker, also got into trouble during its passage through the Kerch Strait, between the Russian mainland and Crimea. It was not the first incident with a ship of Volgotanker in the Kerch Strait. In 2007, the Volgoneft-139 broke in two, spilling 1,300 tons of oil into the seawater.
They are mostly old ships that were built in the Soviet era. Designs from the 1960s were not adapted and were built with the same equipment until the 1980s, despite the fact that it was seriously outdated. The entire coastal strip became heavily polluted.
Russian authorities declared a state of emergency because of the oil pollution in Anapa, a popular tourist resort on the Black Sea. This concerns a strip of 50 kilometers where oil has washed ashore from the two tankers that got into trouble off the coast due to storms.
A tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of fuel sank off the coast of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Strong winds and high waves hampered efforts to contain the damage. There was a high risk of Manila being hit because the ship was in Manila Bay. An oil spill occurred as a result of the accident.
Attempts to limit the damage were hampered by strong winds and high waves. The oil slick spread over 3.7 kilometers. Ancient, poorly insured oil tankers from the Russian shadow fleet sailed along the Dutch coast more than 400 times in the past six months, risking a huge environmental disaster.
The ships involved are said to be poorly or not insured and the owner of the ship is unknown. A large part of the oil is refined in Turkey, after which it is sold back as processed fuel to (among others) the Netherlands, despite all the current so-called sanctions. Despite strict EU regulations, ships and other vessels continue to pollute European seas.
Among other things, cargo ships, fishing boats and cruise ships are responsible for the pollution through waste and oil dumping. To combat pollution, the 22 maritime member states of the European Union have adopted strict rules in 2022. More than three quarters of the European seas are polluted. “Controls are inadequate, sanctions are rarely imposed and are too mild,” states the Court of Auditors.
For example, ships that have committed pollution are almost never prosecuted. Shipping companies can also avoid recycling obligations by sailing under a non-European flag before a ship is dismantled. There is also no obligation to report containers that have fallen overboard, and few lost containers are recovered.
According to the Court of Auditors, EU member states make little use of European instruments that can help to determine water pollution by ships. For example, there is a European network of ships that can be deployed to clean up oil. Drones can also be used to detect a ship.
The European Oil Spill Satellite Monitoring Service received over 7,700 reports of possible spills in European waters in 2022 and 2023. In only 7 percent of cases was it actually confirmed that it was a polluting spill. The actual amount of spilled oil, pollutants and ship litter remains largely unknown, as does the identity of the polluters.
Nuclear energy waste
Nuclear energy is increasingly seen as a solution in the fight against climate change due to its low CO2 emissions. The Netherlands has plans for four power plants. The intended locations are initially Borssele and Maasvlakte 1. Further research may also investigate additional areas as locations for the construction of the nuclear power plants. The new nuclear power plants will probably not come into operation until after 2035 and will then remain in place for several decades.
It is not certain whether the power grid can handle this. That grid is actually already full. In only one situation does the integration of 1.6 GW of new nuclear energy production capacity seem just possible in the high-voltage grid. That is the Borssele location.
However, integration without bottlenecks is only possible with very strong development of (flexible) demand for electricity (National Driver scenario). Residents of the border region of Groningen and Drenthe are concerned about the risks of storing nuclear waste in salt domes. In 2020, the existing nuclear installations had to report a total of 13 reportable events to the ANVS.
Researchers have located a thousand barrels of nuclear waste on the floor of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean off western Europe, the French National Centre for Scientific Research reports. A team of more than 20 researchers has spent four weeks aboard the ship L’Atalante searching for possibly more than 200,000 barrels of nuclear waste.
Several countries dumped these barrels between the 1950s and 1980s at depths of more than 3 kilometers. The research should map them and take samples of soil and water to see if there are any negative consequences. Before that time, nuclear waste was often dumped at sea in specially designed barrels. The location and condition of these barrels are still unknown. The Nuclear Ocean Dump Site Survey Monitoring project should change that.
Atomic physicist Patrick Chardon, the project leader, assumes that the radioactivity of the barrels in this part of the ocean will have completely disappeared in three to four hundred years. The barrels were made to withstand the great depth, but not to isolate radioactivity.
Allseas, the first major shipping company in the world to switch to nuclear energy
The large installation vessels of the Dutch offshore company Allseas will sail on nuclear energy after 2030. The company is working with the Delft University of Technology on the development of small nuclear reactors. The goal is to start production in 2030. The first application will probably be on land, followed by the ships and then the industry. Allseas wants to have reduced the company’s CO2 emissions by 30 percent in 2030 and be CO2 neutral in 2050.
Allseas is the first major shipping company in the world to announce such a switch to nuclear energy. Until now, only military vessels such as aircraft carriers and large submarines have been powered by nuclear energy. Russia has icebreakers that are powered by nuclear energy. Allseas’ flagship, the Pioneering Spirit, is longer than an American aircraft carrier at 382 metres.
For some activities, the installation vessels must remain at sea for a long time, without a large port nearby. This makes refuelling with sustainable fuel complicated. In order to reduce the CO2 emissions of the ships, Allseas therefore opts not for hydrogen, methanol or ammonia, but for nuclear energy. Until now, large seagoing vessels have mainly sailed on polluting fuel oil. The possibilities of nuclear energy are also being investigated by international companies with large container ships.
Small nuclear reactors are offered by Rolls Royce, among others, which also builds the engines for British nuclear submarines. The company is now working on the Small Modular Reactor (SMR). This small nuclear reactor can be used in large industries on land.
Allseas does not buy a ready-made product from Rolls Royce, but develops its own SMR. This is a so-called high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. According to those involved, the technology of this fourth generation reactor produces less polluting waste than old nuclear reactors. The safety and sustainability of the new technology has been tested in the high flux reactor of the TU Delft in Petten over the past ten years.
Expensive plans
The costs for nuclear power plants are billions higher than expected and the nuclear power plants can only be put into operation years later. Borssele seems the most logical location, but that is also far from certain. In a letter to parliament from Minister Sophie Hermans (Climate and Green Growth) it can be read that the year 2035 is no longer realistic to be able to open two nuclear power plants by then.
The government wants to build new nuclear power plants and keep the current one in Borssele open for years longer. According to the minister’s plans, the first two new plants should be able to be put into operation in 2035. However, an independent committee no longer sees this as feasible. It is estimated that the two plants will be operational in the “late thirties” at the earliest. And that too could still take longer. There are several reasons why it is taking longer. Technical research, adjustments to the locations and uncertainties surrounding permits are mentioned as examples. The plants are also more expensive than expected. Previously, the government allocated 14 billion euros for two nuclear power plants, but that amount is now estimated at 20 to 30 billion euros excluding interest.
The government itself will mainly bear the costs. Market parties were not prepared to build and operate a nuclear power plant entirely at their own risk. Even with far-reaching government support, they were not prepared to take this responsibility.
Minister Hermans wants to set up a holding company, within which an operating company prepares the construction and commissioning of the nuclear power plants, contracts the construction and commissions the nuclear power plants. The amounts are not far apart from those of nuclear power plants abroad. For projects in Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland, the construction cost per reactor is estimated at between 8 and 15 billion euros. In the Spring Decision-making of 2023, an amount of €65 million had already been reserved for the Small Modular Reactors programme, up to and including 2030.
During the EZK budget treatment for 2024, the expenditure amount for 2024 was increased to 10 million euros by amendment and the remaining available space was fully reserved. These are only preparatory costs for a vision on nuclear energy. Between 2026 and 2029, 1.2 billion euros less will go to the construction of nuclear power plants than the cabinet had previously planned. Money will not be available until 2028. Then 892 million euros will be spent on the new power plants, while a similar amount was already on the budget in 2026.
The amendment is deep in the appendix to the budget statement that was published on Tuesday. It mentions what is known in civil servant jargon as a “cash slide”: money that remains in the budget, but can only be spent at a later time. This “large slide backwards” is necessary to bring nuclear energy expenditure “more in line with the expected expenditure for the construction of the first two additional nuclear power plants in the Netherlands,” the appendix states.
Locations
Following advice from the state attorney in the investigation into a suitable location for two nuclear power plants in the Netherlands, the Eemshaven must be included as an option. Minister Hermans of Climate and Green Growth (VVD) stated this in a letter to the House of Representatives on 11 February 2025. Failure to investigate the Eemshaven area would lead to too great a legal risk, which could ultimately result in the project decision being annulled by the Council of State.
The province of Groningen and the municipality of Het Hogeland are against a nuclear power plant in Eemshaven, also in view of the earthquakes caused by gas extraction in the area. To select the locations, the cabinet started the project procedure “New Construction Nuclear Power Plants”. The minister is also investigating the Eemshaven location. Next year it should become clear whether there are any locations in the Eemshaven area where two nuclear reactors can be built.
The planned nuclear power plants in Borssele, which are due to become operational around 2035, could experience additional disruption from tightened sanctions against the Russian Rosatom. Europe is completely dependent on Russia for the recycling of used uranium, which is essential for the nuclear fuel chain. Although the Netherlands enriches uranium via Urenco in Almelo and does not use Russian fuel directly, disruption due to sanctions could lead to shortages, delays and higher costs (estimated construction costs: 10-20 billion euros).
Rosatom dominates the global market for enriched uranium with 35% of the total and, via its Dutch subsidiary Uranium One (222 million euros profit in 2022), channels money to Russia, which also occupies the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine. This raises ethical concerns that could weaken support for nuclear energy. Alternatives, such as uranium from Canada or Western fuel rods, are available, but expensive and time-consuming. Urenco’s capacity expansion and a British recycling plant (after 2030) offer alternative solutions, but not in the short term. The Netherlands can build up stocks, but geopolitical tensions and price increases remain risks for the energy transition and the realization of the plants.
Given these issues, the government is taking additional measures for solar and wind energy. The Netherlands wants fully sustainable energy by 2050 and has plans for 70 GW of offshore wind by 2050 and growth in solar energy. In 2023, 48% of electricity already came from renewable sources, with a peak of 57% in July. The government is therefore investing in permit acceleration for wind farms and solar projects, and is encouraging energy storage to compensate for variability. This fits in with the broader strategy to tackle energy shortages and grid congestion, especially now that nuclear energy is experiencing delays.
The government is preparing for the need to free up land in the area for the construction project and the housing of some 10,000 workers involved in the construction in Zeeland. Discussions are already underway with the province of Zeeland and the municipality of Borssele on the conditions under which the region can agree to new power plants near the existing nuclear power plant in the town of Borssele.
For example, it concerns the preservation of the Kaloot nature reserve and the Sloerand green buffer strip, including the ’t Sloe nature reserve. During construction, more land is needed for storage areas, for example, than is needed for the final power stations. The government therefore believes that it is possible that companies and nature will have to be temporarily relocated during construction.
How this will work out in practice is not yet known. Borssele is also concerned about horizon pollution. That is why research is being done into whether the new nuclear power plants can be built “deeper”. The government has also already guaranteed that there will be no cooling towers in Borssele because they are not needed. This is still being investigated for the other locations. The only nuclear power plant that is still in operation is already in Borssele. This plant supplies approximately 485 megawatts of nuclear energy each year. That is enough power for more than 1 million households.
Minister Hermans of Climate and Green Growth signed a letter of intent with the province of Zeeland and the municipality of Borsele on 11 September 2024 regarding the creation of a National-Regional Package. Because Borssele has been designated as the preferred location by the cabinet, the National Government and the region are jointly examining how the region can best respond to the opportunities of the possible construction and how the impact on the environment can be limited as much as possible. Raymond Knops was appointed today as an area connector to assist with the National-Regional Package.
In addition, the ministry will consult with the local community to see whether, in addition to Borssele/Vlissingen (Sloe area) and Maasvlakte I, there may also be suitable locations in Terneuzen and Maasvlakte II for the arrival of two new nuclear power plants. Construction will start two years later and the plants will also start operating later than previously thought.
Dismantling and waste issues
The dismantling of Dodewaard and the financial situation and legal procedure regarding the storage and disposal of radioactive waste are worrisome. The dismantling must start before 1 July 2045 (maximum 40 years after completion of the safe confinement). The costs for the dismantling are estimated at 493 million euros.
The nuclear power plants in Germany and France are also in bad shape. On March 15, 2023, Germany closed the last 3 plants and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also did not want any new nuclear power plants. Despite the fact that there are voices calling for nuclear energy to be used again to combat CO2 emissions, as far as he is concerned, nuclear energy in Germany is a “dead horse”.
French regulator ASN reports that the carbon content in the pipes and valves of the cooling systems at 32 of the 58 plants is far too high, which means that the steel can break when ice-cold water flows through the pipes. If the cooling fails as a result, the consequences are unimaginable. Electricity company EDF owns the plants and wants to build a new plant in the UK in the town of Hinkley Point.
The German Atomkraftwerk Emsland power plant in Lingen near Nordhorn, approximately 20 kilometres from the Dutch border near Overijssel, has experienced almost 142 failures since it was put into operation in 1998. Nevertheless, the nuclear power plant is expected to last until 2022.
In order to ensure that sufficient resources are available at the start of the dismantling in 2040, the State decided to take over the GKN shares from NEA. The necessary additional resources will be released generally and reserved for 2040. The costs for the dismantling are estimated at at least 493 million euros.
The shareholders of the Dodewaard nuclear power plant, Vattenfall, EPZ, Uniper and Engie, have withdrawn 1.5 billion euros in profit distributions from the parent company of the plant, meaning that the taxpayer now has to contribute 185 million euros for the dismantling.
The dividend was paid out at a time when the nuclear power plant – which had already been closed – was making a profit of just €85 million. The high payouts were made possible by the large amount of liquid assets in NEA, acquired through the sale of companies that were once owned by energy companies, such as high-voltage operator TenneT.
The plant was in use between 1969 and 1997. Despite government insistence, the owners of GKN (Gezame Kernenergiecentrale Nederland) did not make sufficient reservations. The central government therefore took over the plant for 1 euro.
The demolition is estimated to cost 347 million euros
The plant was transferred to the state-owned company COVRA in December 2024, which will then be responsible for the demolition. The state-owned company COVRA will receive all the money that GKN and NEA still have in cash (162 million euros), which means that an additional 185 million euros is needed. Despite the fact that there was no legal obligation for 2011, insufficient money was set aside by the energy companies, who themselves believe that they are not liable for the financial deficit. Consultancy and engineering company Arcadis will collaborate with the Norwegian energy consultancy DNV and nuclear energy specialist Nuclear-21.
This alliance aims to advise the government and companies on the realisation of both small and large nuclear power plants in the Netherlands and abroad. The Dodewaard nuclear power plant, managed by the Joint Nuclear Power Plant Netherlands (GKN), was the first Dutch nuclear power plant in 1969. Electricity production was stopped in 1997.
Nuclear (atomic) bombs
Nuclear weapons are on the rise worldwide. In 2023, more than 91 billion dollars were spent on them. The cause is the increasing threat from Russia. In that year, nine countries had nuclear weapons, the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea, and they spent 13 percent more on nuclear weapons, according to calculations by an international campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons and peace research institute Sipri.
The United States and Russia each have around four thousand nuclear weapons, and China is currently chasing them with over 400 nuclear weapons. In China, the number of nuclear weapons has increased enormously in the last year, and Russia and the United States are mainly concerned with modernizing and renewing the stockpile. The number of countries with nuclear weapons will probably increase in the future, Iran is also working on nuclear weapons and then rival Saudi Arabia will want them too.
Even the smaller ones – so-called ’tactical’ nuclear weapons – are very destructive. With a standard nuclear weapon you can still destroy a city like Amsterdam. There are a limited number of world leaders who are allowed to decide on the use of nuclear weapons. In the Netherlands, the 22 American atomic bombs are stored in Volkel. In leaked and accidentally published reports, the presence of the nuclear weapons is mentioned.
The Netherlands has a wide range of environmental and climate organisations, from activist groups such as XR and Greenpeace to policy-oriented organisations such as Milieudefensie and Natuur & Milieu, and knowledge centres such as JIN. Each organisation has a unique approach, but they share the goal of a more sustainable, just world.
Greenpeace:
Greenpeace is an independent, international environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, operating in more than 55 countries worldwide. With a mission to protect the planet and promote a sustainable, just future, Greenpeace focuses on pressing environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, overfishing and plastic pollution.
The organization is completely dependent on donations from individuals and does not accept money from governments or companies to guarantee its independence. With peaceful, often controversial actions and campaigns, Greenpeace tries to address environmental problems and enforce sustainable solutions. Worldwide, Greenpeace is supported by approximately three million donors and thousands of volunteers.
Core Values and Working Methods
Greenpeace operates according to four core values:
- Nonviolent: All actions are peaceful, even if they are challenging.
- Courageous: The organization dares to challenge the limits of the Earth’s carrying capacity.
- Independent: Greenpeace remains free from political or commercial influences.
- Collaborative: Collaboration with communities, scientists and millions of supporters worldwide is key.
Greenpeace’s approach combines scientific research, lobbying, public campaigning and direct action. Spectacular actions, such as blocking oil shipments or protests on ships, are characteristic and have given the organisation worldwide fame. These actions are often supported by solid research, such as that of the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter.
Current Campaigns and Actions in 2025Greenpeace is conducting various campaigns worldwide and in the Netherlands, focusing on climate, biodiversity and social justice.
Below is an overview of recent and ongoing actions:
Climate Justice and Nitrogen Reduction in the Netherlands
In 2024, Greenpeace Netherlands filed a lawsuit against the Dutch state to reduce nitrogen emissions more quickly and protect vulnerable nature. The Nature Restoration Act, an important European environmental law, was passed partly thanks to Greenpeace campaigns, with the aim of restoring 60% of European habitats by 2040. In the Netherlands, the emphasis is on saving unique nature reserves and offering a fair future for farmers.
Protecting Oceans and Against Deep Sea Mining
Greenpeace campaigns worldwide against deep sea mining, which threatens ocean ecosystems. In 2025, Greenpeace Netherlands hung a banner on the Allseas office with the text “Don’t do business with Trump” to protest their involvement in deep sea mining. In addition, a campaign is being conducted in Norway to stop deep sea mining in the Arctic, with success: the plans have been postponed for a year. Greenpeace is striving for a global ban on this harmful practice.
Greenpeace has been campaigning against major polluters such as the oil and coal industries and airlines for years. In 2024, they achieved success with Schiphol, which announced that it would cancel private jets, night flights and a new runway after public pressure and actions such as blocking private jets in 2022. The organization continues to campaign to force Schiphol and other polluters to become carbon neutral and comply with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Greenpeace fights against deforestation, especially in rainforests such as the Amazon and the Congo Basin. In 2024, the organization forced Woolworths, a major Australian supermarket chain, to sell only deforestation-free products from 2025.
In the Netherlands, Greenpeace targets Rabobank, calling on it to stop financing industrial agriculture that harms nature and farmers. An ultimatum in 2023 led to peaceful actions to emphasize this.
Greenpeace campaigns against microplastics, which are found everywhere from oceans to the human body. The organization advocates for a global plastics treaty and urges companies to reduce plastic production.
Greenpeace International fights SLAPP lawsuits (lawsuits to intimidate critics). In 2025, Greenpeace filed a countersuit against the US company Energy Transfer, which had brought a lawsuit against the organization because of protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This case marks the first application of a new EU directive against legal harassment.
Successes in 2024:
Greenpeace achieved several milestones in 2024: The European Nature Restoration Act was passed, partly thanks to public pressure.
ONE-Dyas oil and gas projects near Schiermonikoog are in jeopardy after actions in the North Sea.
In New Zealand, the government made cameras on fishing boats mandatory after years of campaigning.
Greenpeace has sometimes faced criticism, such as in 2025 when a jury in North Dakota found the organization liable for $660 million in damages and defamation over protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. A campaign in Peru, in which activists damaged the Nazca Lines, also sparked controversy. Nevertheless, Greenpeace remains true to its mission and continues to make an impact worldwide.
Greenpeace is a driving force in the fight for a sustainable planet. Through actions such as lawsuits against the state, protests against deep-sea mining and campaigns for deforestation-free products, the organization continues to push governments and companies to change. By working together with supporters, scientists and local communities, Greenpeace strives for a world in which nature and people are in balance.
Greenpeace has started a lawsuit against the American energy company Energy Transfer, which wants the environmental organization to pay a fine of more than 660 million euros. The fine was imposed in March by a judge in North Dakota, after a claim by Energy Transfer that Greenpeace would be responsible for damage caused by protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. Greenpeace calls the case intimidation and is fighting the ruling in the court in Amsterdam.
According to Greenpeace, this is a so-called SLAPP case, intended to silence critical voices. Thanks to a new European law against this type of strategic lawsuit, accused organizations can better defend themselves and even claim compensation. Lawyers point to the extreme amount of the claim as a typical characteristic of a SLAPP. That could work to Greenpeace’s advantage, especially since Energy Transfer previously lost a similar case in a federal judge in the US.
Still, it remains legally and politically sensitive: a Dutch judge must rule on a verdict from another sovereign country. Greenpeace says it is determined. “We do not intend to pay a single cent,” says director Mads Christensen. According to experts, the stakes are high: such a high fine could mean the end of Greenpeace.
XR (Extinction Rebellion)
Extinction Rebellion was founded in 2018 by a group of English scientists and within a year it grew into a global climate movement that often holds unusual and disruptive actions. Think of gluing themselves to a company or holding a ‘die-in’ where activists pose corpses to draw attention to the deadly consequences of climate change. In 2022 XR started the most high-profile Dutch action: occupying the A12.
The aim was to draw attention to ‘fossil subsidies’, which are, in short, tax benefits for users of (polluting) fossil energy such as oil, coal and gas. In total, there have been 39 blockades, but a large number of these were connected days. In September and October 2023, activists blocked the A12 for 27 days in a row.
The airports were targeted during the 2024 tourist season. Dozens of activists protested with umbrellas, beach chairs and beach towels at Schiphol Plaza on Saturday 27 July 2024. They say they are demonstrating against unnecessary air travel and the “devastating effect” of aviation on the climate.
There were also demonstrations at Maastricht Aachen Airport. The demonstrators handed out flyers, sang, danced and threw a beach ball. Some of them smeared themselves with ‘oil’, and one partially took off her clothes. There are protests by climate groups at various European airports.
Climate activists had glued themselves to a runway at Germany’s Cologne-Bonn airport. The actions of the past few days were organised by various organisations, united under the name Oil Kills. It reports that activists in London went to the British Department for Transport on Saturday to protest against the expansion of London City Airport.
In Austria, around fifty protesters gathered in a terminal of the Vienna-Schwechat airport. On August 31, the Botlek bridge was occupied by 150 protesters and traffic could no longer pass. The demonstration is against the expansion of fossil gasses in the port and in particular the expansion of the LNG terminal Gate. Other XR activists have set up a tent camp, permitted by the municipality, in the Pernisserpark in Rotterdam.
The action group ‘Stop A2 widening’ of XR has hung a banner along the A2 near Urmond as ’the last warning’. If the planned widening of the A2 between Echt and Stein goes ahead, the activists say they will protect the forest with their bodies. Two British women threw tomato soup over a painting by Vincent van Gogh in the National Gallery in London in 2022.
With their action, 23-year-old Phoebe Plummer and 22-year-old Anna Holland protested against fossil fuels. Plummer was sentenced to two years in prison in September 2024. Phoebe Holland was sentenced to twenty months. There is very little support for the way XR protests against fossil fuel subsidies.
Only 11 percent approve of the organization blocking the A12 and 84 percent are against it. There is also little support among left-wing voters: a majority of GL-PvdA, D66 and the SP are against this way of demonstrating. Only the supporters of the Party for the Animals support the action in majority. As far as the VVD is concerned, the Netherlands will introduce a separate law, following the British example, that makes blocking vital infrastructure a punishable offense.
For example, when protesters block airports, locks or other important places. Or when they glue themselves to the road.
Peaceful occupations of buildings are covered by the right to demonstrate and therefore never have to be prosecuted.
On September 4, 2024, activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) blocked the locks at IJmuiden for the 5th time to prevent the cruise ship ‘Vasco Da Gama’ from entering from the sea. This also prevented other ships from using the IJmuiden Sea Lock. The cruise ship was initially in the lock, but had to reverse to the Noordersluis after the protesters blocked the passage. However, the activists prevented passage there as well. The mayor has disbanded the demonstration.
The protesters have also received a letter stating this. The cruise ship was on its way to Amsterdam, but has now been delayed by the blockade. Another cruise ship, the Resilient Lady, was expected in IJmuiden later. According to XR, this protest is “a follow-up to previous actions against the cruise industry because of its negative impact on the climate”. It is at least the fourth time that protesters have taken action in IJmuiden in this way. On 18 and 24 August, among other places, the activists were also present at the locks in IJmuiden.
In recent weeks, several shipping companies have chosen not to let cruise ships sail to the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, but to dock in IJmuiden. This meant that they did not have to go through the IJmuiden lock, which has already been blocked four times by climate activists from Extinction Rebellion. On September 7, the Rijksmuseum had to be closed due to a demonstration by Extinction Rebellion.
The 60 activists had chained themselves to the entrance doors of the pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under the museum. The entrance is located in that tunnel. They demand that the museum breaks its ties with ING, sponsor of the Rijksmuseum. On Saturday 14 September, there will be another demonstration on the Utrechtsebaan (A12). As a precaution, Rijkswaterstaat closed the road.
The protesters hoped to be able to spend the night on the highway and set up tents. The police struck until 5 p.m., then intervened and arrested 370 protesters. In response, ING will stop lending money to some companies in the oil and gas industry and will no longer give new loans to companies that focus solely on pumping oil and gas and developing new fields.
Shell and BP are active more broadly, for example with refineries and petrol stations and are not excluded. At the moment, about 25 of these oil and gas companies still have loans from the bank. From 2026, no new LNG export terminals will be financed either. These are facilities where natural gas is liquefied and then exported by ship. ING currently finances about 20 companies in that sector, including in the US. On 21 October 2024, the police removed the climate activists of Extinction Rebellion (XR) from the Zeesluis in IJmuiden.
The activists ate and stood on one of the lock gates. Several protesters had chained themselves. They had to be released by the police. The activists were then taken away in a coach. The Rijksmuseum remained closed during the Amsterdam Museum Night due to threats by Extinction Rebellion (XR).
XR has announced a new blockade of the A12 for 1 January at 12:00 after a political debate decided not to stop fossil subsidies. On 8 March 2025, dozens of activists attempted to gain unauthorized access to the secured area of Schiphol. This is punishable by law and a serious violation of our house rules,” the airport said.
The Royal Marechaussee arrested 99 activists. They were holding a climate demonstration in the terminal behind passport control. XR were protesting against KLM’s Frequent Flyer program, which they say encourages “extreme flying behavior.” Around 12:00, the Marechaussee decided to make arrests. In the central hall, 200 liters of brown water were poured over the floor, which was supposed to depict the mudslides in Valencia, Spain.
A number of other demonstrators chained themselves to luggage carts. At the same time, a demonstration was also taking place on the Jan Dellaertplein just outside the airport, supported by Greenpeace Netherlands. Among other things, bicycles were collected there for victims of the floods in Valencia. That demonstration was registered with the municipality and permitted. XR and Kappen met Kolen smeared part of the provincial government building in Haarlem with paint on December 16, 2024.
They again demanded that the province of North Holland revoke the permits of the two Tata Steel coking gas plants in IJmuiden. Members of the Provincial Council had just interrupted their meeting for lunch and could see how the approximately ten activists dressed in yellow suits sprayed yellow and black paint on the windows. The provincial government building has been targeted before, for example with noise protests and traffic blockades. ‘Local residents are in the toxic clouds of Tata Steel almost every day, but there is no enforcement. The permits of the polluting factories cannot simply be revoked, provincial administrators invariably respond.
In October, the North Sea Canal Area Environmental Service demanded that Tata ensure that Kooksgasfabriek 2 complies with the rules, in a step that could ultimately lead to the withdrawal of the permit. The most recent action was on 21 December 2024 in the Gallery of Honour of the Rijksmuseum, which was ended by the police around 18:30. Nine activists who had remained behind after a larger protest were removed from the museum.
The protesters had glued themselves together, but the police were able to remove the glue with cola. The fortieth blockade of the A12 was Saturday 11 January at 12:00 on A12. The activists were not only on the A12, but also blocked the intersection of Koningskade and Zuid Hollandlaan.
After a few hours, the area was cleared and around 700 activists were arrested, registered and released at the ADO stadium. Twelve of them were arrested for other criminal offences, such as sedition and assault, and had to go to the police station. On 25 January 2025, XR again managed to disrupt the A-10 South by setting up several blockades, despite a ban and heavy police presence. Around 190 activists were stopped and taken away, but around 30 demonstrators still occupied the exit for some time.
The House of Representatives responded to the call to stop Extinction Rebellion (XR) and wanted to revoke its ANBI status, so that it can no longer benefit from the tax advantages that apply to charities. A majority of the House supported a motion by JA21, which called XR “an illegal, society-disrupting and vandalistic organization”. After a roll-call vote, 69 of the members of the House present supported the motion and 67 did not.
Of the government parties, NSC voted against, but with the support of members of parliament from the opposition parties SGP and Forum voor Democratie, there was still sufficient support. The Public Benefit Organizations do not have to pay inheritance or gift tax on gifts they receive and donors may deduct a gift to an ANBI from their taxes.
State Secretary Van Oostenbruggen of Finance has indicated that there is insufficient ground, but does want to tighten the rules. In the H&M in Naaldwijk, several people became unwell on 31 January 2025, after XR activists used countless ampoules with butyric acid. What was supposed to be a fun ‘stink bomb action’ took a different turn. The fire brigade and ambulance had to come to the aid of the shop visitors. Two demonstrators were arrested. The action is said to be part of the campaign against fast fashion stores that has been running in France and Belgium for some time now, called Ode Aux Rats.
This ode to rats, a pun in French (odorat means smell) is based on the idea that customers in shops are being experimented on, just like rats in a laboratory. All kinds of smells are blown through the ventilation systems, which are supposed to encourage customers to make additional purchases. On March 8, KLM was once again targeted at Schiphol because of its frequent flyer program. A total of 67 climate activists were arrested. The demonstrators moved to Departure Hall 2 and the KLM lounges behind the security check, among other places.
After refusing to leave, they were arrested. They were taken away by bus from the airport to an unknown location where they were released again. Schiphol has imposed a ban on more than thirty of the activists for years. Due to the ban, the activists can no longer fly via Schiphol. XR held another action on the A12 on April 5. On April 12, activists from Extinction Rebellion dripped butyric acid over themselves in a branch of clothing store Zara on Plein 1944 in Nijmegen.
XR had requested permission for a protest in advance, but the municipality had banned the action. The police arrested three people. A small group of people suffered from red eyes as a result. Around 2:30 p.m. the first activists were removed from the store. The mayor of Nijmegen had banned the distribution of butyric acid.
Butyric acid, also known as butanoic acid (C4H8O2), is a fatty acid with a characteristic rancid odor, often associated with spoiled butter or sweat. It occurs naturally in butter, cheese, and some bacteria in the intestines, where it plays a role in digestion and intestinal health. In small amounts, such as in food or in the body, butyric acid is not harmful, but in higher concentrations it can be irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract.
Direct contact or inhalation of concentrated butyric acid can cause discomfort, but it is not extremely toxic. Dozens of XR activists demonstrated at the NOS building at the Media Park in Hilversum on May 31, 2025. They hung banners on the facade and lit smoke flares. The demonstration was over after about two and a half hours. The action group is dissatisfied with the NOS’s reporting on the climate crisis and the war in Gaza.
The NOS editors point out that they have had discussions with XR representatives on several occasions in recent years. “Everyone has the freedom to criticize and to demonstrate,” says Giselle van Cann, editor-in-chief of NOS News. “But ultimately, journalism chooses its own words. That is what freedom of the press means.”
XR protesters who wanted to occupy the highway during the NATO summit on 25 June 2025 were this time tackled with batons. Several people were injured and several protesters broke their arms during the removal. Amnesty International and XR have repeatedly criticised the heavy-handed approach of the police, such as the use of water cannons and preventive arrests, which they say are disproportionate and violate the right to demonstrate.
In 2023, Amnesty criticized, among other things, the use of water cannons and the reporting of underage demonstrators to Veilig Thuis. There had also previously been reports of abuse (for example, broken ribs and a broken elbow in 2024). XR speaks of three broken arms. Demonstrator 1: “I walked onto the road to demonstrate. A police officer pushed me so hard that my arm broke.” Demonstrator 2: “A police officer pushed my nose shut so that I couldn’t breathe, when I tried to get away, he broke my arm.” [1/2]. XR protested, as usual, against ‘fossil destruction’, but also against fascism and racism and genocide in Gaza. The police immediately ordered the group to move back, which not everyone complied with. A man walking in front apparently casually receives sharp blows on the arms and legs. A woman who has already turned around is given a hard push in the back by a police officer, after which her arm dangles next to her body. An ambulance arrives after fifteen minutes. On Saturday 21 June, they blocked the Afsluitdijk with Scientist Rebellion. Against gas drilling under the Wadden Sea and in the North Sea. For climate justice. For life.
The general public turns against the often disruptive demonstrations and approves of the police violence. The public threw stones and eggs at the demonstrators after which the action was ended. The Lower House also wants the action to stop and calls on the government to revoke the so-called ANBI status of climate action group Extinction Rebellion (XR).
This would mean that XR, which regularly blocks highways in protest against fossil fuel subsidies, would no longer be able to benefit from the tax benefits for charities. Responsible Minister Van Weel of Justice said last week that withdrawing the tax benefit “is not possible based on the current facts”. Nevertheless, a majority supports a motion by JA21. The government’s days-long occupation and closure of highways and a large part of The Hague because of the NATO summit was grumblingly accepted by the general public.
Amnesty International and XR have repeatedly criticized the police’s tough approach, such as the use of water cannons and preventive arrests, which they say are disproportionate and violate the right to demonstrate. In 2023, Amnesty criticized, among other things, the use of water cannons and the reporting of underage demonstrators to Veilig Thuis. There had also previously been reports of abuse (for example broken ribs and a broken elbow in 2024). The government’s occupation and closure of highways and a large part of The Hague for days because of the NATO summit turned out to be permitted and cost the taxpayer 183 million.
Just Stop Oil
JSO is primarily a British climate action group, founded in February 2022, and focuses primarily on stopping new fossil fuel projects in the UK. Unlike Extinction Rebellion (XR), which has an active and well-organised presence in the Netherlands, Just Stop Oil is less prominent in the Netherlands and does not operate as an official, independent entity with a clear structure or regular actions.
However, there have been incidents and collaborations where JSO has been active in the Netherlands, often in collaboration with XR or other groups within international campaigns such as “Oil Kills”. Below is an overview of JSO’s activities and presence in the Netherlands in 2024-2025, based on available information.Activities of Just Stop Oil in the NetherlandsGirl with a Pearl Earring (2022)
One of the most famous actions in the Netherlands attributed to JSO took place on October 27, 2022 at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. Three activists affiliated with JSO tried to glue themselves to Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and threw tomato soup over the painting (which was protected by glass). One of them stuck his head to the glass, while another wore a T-shirt with the text “Just Stop Oil”.
The action led to three arrests and sentences of two months in prison, one of which was conditional. Although this action is often linked to JSO, Extinction Rebellion Netherlands noted that it was a JSO action and not an XR action, as was sometimes wrongly reported by media such as Nieuwsuur.
Collaboration with Extinction Rebellion in “Oil Kills” Campaign (2024)
JSO has not carried out large-scale actions of its own in the Netherlands, but in 2024 it collaborated with XR Netherlands in the international “Oil Kills” campaign, which focused on disrupting airports to protest fossil fuels. On 27 July 2024, XR Netherlands carried out actions at Schiphol and Maastricht Aachen Airport, where activists demonstrated with beach chairs and umbrellas against the environmental impact of aviation. Although these actions were primarily organised by XR, they were part of a broader coalition that JSO was affiliated with, together with groups such as Letzte Generation (Austria) and Act Now (Switzerland).
Unlike the UK, where JSO regularly disrupts roads, cultural institutions and sporting events, there have been no reports of large-scale JSO actions such as roadblocks or attacks on cultural icons in the Netherlands in 2024-2025. JSO remains very much focused on the UK, where the group has made over 3,000 arrests and received 100+ prison sentences. In the Netherlands, JSO’s role appears to be limited to occasional, symbolic actions or collaborations with XR.
JSO’s Girl with a Pearl Earring action in 2022 was widely criticised, even by some climate activists, for its attack on cultural heritage. This contrasts with XR’s A12 blockades, which, while unpopular (11% support), have sparked more public discussion about fossil fuel subsidies.
Just Stop Oil has been active in the Netherlands, notably through the high-profile Girl with a Pearl Earring action in 2022 and as part of the “Oil Kills” campaign in 2024, but does not have a structural presence like Extinction Rebellion. JSO’s actions are limited and usually linked to international collaboration with XR or other groups.
In addition to Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Just Stop Oil, there are other large and influential organizations in the Netherlands that are committed to the environment and climate.
Friends of the Earth NetherlandsMission and Method: Friends of the Earth Netherlands, founded in 1971, is one of the most influential environmental organizations in the Netherlands and a member of Friends of the Earth International. The organization strives for a sustainable and just world with respect for nature and a fair distribution of natural resources. Their work focuses on the climate crisis, with an emphasis on system change and mobilizing citizens for a strong climate commitment.
Key Activities and Successes:
Climate case against Shell (2021): Milieudefensie won a landmark lawsuit against Shell, with the judge ruling that Shell must reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030, a world first in holding a company liable for climate responsibility.
Climate lawsuit against ING (2024-2025): In 2024, Milieudefensie started a lawsuit against ING, because of the bank’s billions of investments in fossil fuels, and calls on citizens to become co-plaintiffs.
Climate March 2023: On November 12, 2023, Milieudefensie organized a Climate March in Amsterdam with more than 70,000 participants, one of the largest climate demonstrations in the Netherlands, to advocate for a fair and green future.
Lobbying: The organization has a strong influence on climate policy by lobbying national and local governments, focusing on ending fossil fuel subsidies and promoting sustainable energy.
Characteristics: Milieudefensie has over 110,000 members and donors, and works together with local groups, companies and international partners. They are financially dependent on donations (61% of their budget comes from private individuals) and also receive subsidies, such as €11 million from the Dutch government, which raises some controversy.
Nature & Environment
Natuur & Milieu actively lobbies the Dutch government and parliament for stricter environmental legislation, such as CO2 pricing and subsidies for electric mobility.
Collaboration with Companies: They work with companies on sustainable innovations, such as stimulating the circular economy and energy-efficient products.
Public campaigns:
Campaigns such as “Sustainable Living” and “Honest about Flying” encourage citizens to make more sustainable choices, for example by insulating homes or flying less.
Natuur & Milieu combines policy influencing with practical solutions and works closely with other organisations and companies. They are less focused on direct actions such as XR, but focus on structural change through collaboration and lobbying.
IUCN Netherlands
IUCN Netherlands, part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, focuses on protecting nature as the basis for all life. They work on biodiversity conservation, with special attention to areas with high natural value, such as rainforests and wetlands. IUCN NL connects Dutch nature organisations and supports international projects, without being dependent on regular donors.
Key Activities and Successes:Land Acquisition Fund: Through this fund, IUCN NL supports the purchase of threatened natural areas to protect them from deforestation or industrial development.
Collaboration with Partners: IUCN NL works with more than 1,400 organisations worldwide, including local NGOs in the Global South, to combine conservation and social justice.
Projects focus on conserving ecosystems such as mangrove forests and river deltas, which are crucial for climate adaptation.
IUCN NL is a knowledge-driven organisation with a focus on international cooperation and system change. They receive project funding and are independent of structural donations, which distinguishes them from other NGOs.
Both ENDS
Founded in 1986, Both ENDS works with environmental and social groups in developing countries to promote an inclusive, sustainable global economy. They focus on human rights, gender equality and environmental protection, with an emphasis on strengthening local communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Key Activities and Successes:
Support for Local Movements: Both ENDS supports more than 450 civil society organisations, such as indigenous groups fighting against palm oil plantations in Indonesia.
Climate Adaptation: Projects focus on climate-resilient solutions, such as protecting river basins and mangroves, that help vulnerable communities cope with climate change.
Both ENDS advocates fair trade and investment rules that respect nature and human rights, both in the Netherlands and internationally.
The organization emphasizes collaboration with the Global South and amplifying local voices, combining grassroots action with international advocacy.
JIN Climate and Sustainability
JIN Climate and Sustainability, founded in 1995 and based in Groningen, is a knowledge centre focusing on climate policy, emissions trading, energy efficiency and bioenergy. They advise international organisations such as the UN (UNDP, UNFCCC, UNEP) on low-carbon and climate-resilient development pathways.
JIN plays a key role in developing market-based systems for emission reduction, such as cap-and-trade and project credits.
Since 2001, JIN has been working on EU-funded projects in the field of sustainable development and technology transfer.
Advice to Developing Countries: They assist countries in the Global South with strategies for low-emission and climate-resilient development.
JIN is more research and policy oriented than activist, focusing on technical and economic solutions to climate problems. They work primarily with governments and international institutions.
Urgenda
Urgenda, founded in 2007, is a Dutch organisation that is committed to a rapid transition to a sustainable society, with a focus on climate neutrality and a circular economy. They combine legal actions, innovation projects and public campaigns to make the Netherlands more sustainable faster.
Key Activities and Successes:
Climate case against the State (2015-2019): Urgenda won a historic lawsuit against the Dutch state, in which the judge ruled that the state must reduce CO2 emissions faster to protect citizens from climate change. This forced the government to set more ambitious climate goals.
Urgenda initiates projects such as “ThuisBaas” (for energy-neutral homes) and “Sustainable Mobility” (such as electric shared cars).
Urgenda regularly publishes plans with concrete measures to make the Netherlands climate neutral by 2030.
Urgenda combines legal strength with practical innovations and enjoys broad recognition, although it is sometimes seen as activist.
WWF Netherlands
WWF Netherlands, part of the World Wide Fund for Nature, focuses on nature conservation and climate protection, with a focus on biodiversity, sustainable food production and renewable energy. They work together with companies, governments and local communities, both in the Netherlands and worldwide.
Key Activities and Successes:
Porthos Project: WWF Netherlands supports initiatives such as the Porthos project, which enables CO2 storage under the North Sea as part of the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Porthos works to conserve crucial ecosystems such as the Wadden Sea and tropical rainforests, with projects in Africa and Asia.
WWF Netherlands is involved in the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD), which provides financing for climate-resilient projects in vulnerable regions.
WWF combines global impact with local action and has a broad support base of donors and volunteers.
Activist Organizations: XR and Just Stop Oil (although JSO has limited activity in the Netherlands) focus on disruptive actions such as roadblocks and cultural protests. Greenpeace and Urgenda combine actions with legal and public campaigns.
Policy and Collaboration-oriented Organisations: Milieudefensie, Natuur & Milieu, IUCN NL and Both ENDS work more through lobbying, collaboration with companies and governments, and international projects.
Knowledge and Research-oriented Organisations: JIN Climate and Sustainability and WWF Netherlands focus on technical solutions and policy support, often in an international context.