In the context of forthcoming stricter air quality standards announced by the WHO and the European Commission, the Dutch government is looking for ways to further improve air quality. In this context, CE Delft, commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, has conducted a comprehensive inventory of measures that can contribute to the reduction of air-polluting emissions in the Netherlands. This involved examining measures in the sectors of mobility, the built environment, industry/energy supply, and agriculture.
Further exploration was undertaken for 50 promising measures, including quantitative estimates of expected reductions in air pollutant emissions (NOx, PM2,5, NH3), costs to government and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, the measures were assessed in a qualitative manner on indicators such as exposure reduction, feasibility and public support. Existing knowledge was used as far as possible in the process.
The study shows that the most effective measures to reduce NOx emissions should be sought in the mobility sector and industry (together accounting for 60% of NOx emissions in the Netherlands). This could include, for example, strict standards on NOx emissions for inland navigation. For particulate matter, measures aimed at reducing wood burning are found to be particularly effective in contributing to emission reduction. Wood burning currently makes a significant contribution to particulate matter emissions, so measures such as a total ban on wood burning or the accelerated phase-out of old wood stoves can make a significant contribution to reducing particulate matter emissions. Since agriculture is responsible for the vast majority of ammonia emissions in the Netherlands, measures in this sector are also the most effective in reducing these emissions (for example, through an emissions tax for livestock farming or regulating the composition of animal feed).