Dutch people want to live more sustainably, but gov’t policy often gets in the way

In advice to the Cabinet, the Wetenschappelijke Klimaatraad (WKR) argues that the government should focus more on influencing behavior in sustainability policy and stop overregulating citizens. Policies should make sustainable actions easy and appealing, make harmful behaviors unattractive, and eliminate barriers that prevent people from changing their behavior.

The WKR notes that most Dutch citizens are willing to live more sustainably, yet government policies do not sufficiently enable this. Commercial actors continue to exert significant influence on policy. The report explains: “Behavioral policies do not limit choice; they expand it. By removing obstacles, people can take the actions they want or value, whether for the environment, their own health, or the well-being of others.”

The council recommends several measures, such as improving public transport, ensuring affordable access to sustainable food, and greening urban areas. To reduce harmful behaviors, the council suggests limiting parking spaces. It also calls for an end to fossil fuel subsidies and for banning ads and promotions that encourage consumption of meat, dairy, petrol-powered cars, and flights.

To ensure that behavioral policies can be implemented more systematically, societal organizations and citizens should, for example, be better involved in policymaking, while the influence of entrenched interests should be reduced, the WKR emphasizes.

Initiatives like the National Citizens’ Climate Assembly (Nationaal Burgerberaad Klimaat) already demonstrate this approach. The WKR thinks policies should be fair, for example, by charging higher rates to heavy users, and the report stresses that government agencies need more expertise and capacity to apply behavioral insights effectively.

Milieudefensie highlights that the report demonstrates public support for targeting major polluters. “This ensures that polluters pay while protecting low-income groups. As climate minister, Jetten aimed to make climate policy fairer, but the previous Cabinet failed. Now, as prime minister, Jetten has a golden opportunity to keep that promise: make the largest polluters foot the bill!” the organization said.