Dutch companies not scrambling to reduce emissions after climate report

Big polluters in the Netherlands are not scrambling to lower their emissions after the IPCC published its code red climate report earlier this week, NOS reports after speaking to the companies involved. Four of the five biggest polluters said they already have an ambitious climate policy. Shell refused to give a substantive response, according to the broadcaster.

The IPCC report stated that the current climate change is unprecedented, much greater than in the thousands of years before. It is obvious that the climate is warming due to human actions. And this has already caused major changes in the atmosphere, in the oceans, in the Arctic, and in natural areas around the world. It has also become clearer that climate change is leading to more extreme weather, and the heatwaves, downpours, droughts, and cyclones will only increase in the future. 

One of the Netherlands' biggest polluters last year was Tata Steel, with the installation in IJmuiden emitting about 5.8 megatons of CO2, or about 4 percent of the Netherlands total CO2 emissions in 2020, according to figures from the Dutch Emissions Authority.

Tata Steel told NOS that it "realizes the urgency" of the climate report, but that it already tightened its climate plans and those plans don't need to be changed. "An independent agency is looking at what technologies we can use to achieve the climate goals. We expect the first results of that research in September," Tata Steel said. Though environmental organization Urgenda called this study nothing more than a stalling tactic.

Chemelot (4.7 megatons of CO2 emissions in 2020), DOW Benelux (4.1 megatons), and Vatenfall Power Velsen (3.4 megatons) all told NOS that they are working on their sustainability already.

"We are not going to become more sustainable any faster, because with our tightened climate plans in June this year we will also achieve the objectives in the climate agreement," chemical company DOW told the broadcaster. Chemelot said it is in the process of halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. "We are on our way to a climate neutral 2050 and 2030 is an important intermediate step."

Shell, whose refinery emitted 4.1 megatons of CO2 in 2020 and whose chemical arm emitted 2.6 megatons, told NOS that it was still studying the climate report and has no further comment.