Climate goals are slipping out of sight, current climate policy is too focused on the short term, and society is increasingly calling for perspective and certainty. A climate vision - a vision for the future of a climate-neutral and climate-resilient Netherlands - addresses this, argues the WKR in its advisory report 'Fast forward with vision'. Citizens, businesses, and governments want to know where they stand in terms of their enterprises, plans, and investments. A Climate Vision offers certainty and perspective.
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Impact for decades
Developing a climate-neutral and climate-resilient society requires a long-term perspective. This calls for climate policy choices that will have an impact for decades or even centuries to come. Think of investments in and adjustments to energy and water infrastructure, the ways in which we build houses, what we eat, and how we travel. A Climate Vision can provide that long-term perspective.
This vision
- must look at least 25 years ahead, with a view to 100 years;
- enables us to see opportunities and bottlenecks between climate and other policy goals that are overlooked with a short-term view;
- provides clarity and perspective to citizens, businesses, and other governments, and makes the benefits of a climate-neutral, climate-resilient society tangible.
The WKR also advocates for a future committee in the House of Representatives to ensure that the debate in parliament also addresses the long term. This future committee can use the Climate Vision and monitor its consistency with future visions in other complex policy areas such as security, housing, and the energy transition.
Stories and imagination
In order to arrive at a broadly supported vision of a desired future, it is important that society is involved in the vision development process. The use of stories and imagination can help in this regard. In order to see the connections with various social challenges - such as housing, nitrogen, or grid congestion - multiple ministries must be involved.
Embedding in the climate policy cycle
The WKR recommends embedding the Climate Vision in the existing climate policy cycle. This will allow the vision to play a role in the design, implementation, and evaluation of climate policy. As far as the WKR is concerned, the Climate Vision should be drawn up prior to the Climate Plan, which is adopted every five years and looks ahead 10 years.
The recommendations in the advisory report in brief:
- make the Minister for Climate responsible for drawing up a Climate Vision;
- establish a future committee to determine the Climate Vision in conjunction with other future visions on social challenges;
- make senior civil servants responsible for interdepartmental coordination of the Climate Vision;
- involve citizens in drawing up the Climate Vision;
- ensure that the Climate Vision is reflected in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policy.