... but sustainable choices should no longer be postponed
Ten years after the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Netherlands is showing clear progress in the areas of sustainability and social development. At the same time, new figures and analyses make it clear that major challenges remain – particularly in the areas of climate, biodiversity, and the position of young people. This is evident from the tenth National SDG Report, to which Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam made a significant contribution via SDSN Netherlands.
The report shows that cooperation between government, businesses, knowledge institutions, and civil society organizations is yielding concrete results. For instance, the share of sustainable energy has doubled in ten years to nearly twenty percent of total energy consumption. In twenty vulnerable urban neighborhoods, the poverty rate fell from 18 to 8 percent. Financial flow to tax havens also decreased sharply: from 37 billion euros to 6.5 billion euros per year. In addition, 94 of the 100 largest Dutch companies now publish a sustainability report, placing the Netherlands among the European leaders.
Targeted collaboration
These results demonstrate that targeted collaboration can indeed have a societal impact. Last year, thousands of homes in vulnerable neighborhoods were improved, and additional investments were made in livability, education, and energy conservation. Furthermore, citizens, businesses, and governments jointly developed proposals through the National Citizens' Climate Assembly to reduce food waste and CO₂ emissions. In the healthcare sector, more than six hundred parties committed to the Green Deal Sustainable Healthcare 3.0.
Nevertheless, the report also makes it clear that the Netherlands is lagging behind in key areas. The pressure on nature and biodiversity remains high: nearly 70 percent of terrestrial nature reserves are facing nitrogen exceedances. In terms of water quality, the Netherlands ranks among the lowest-scoring countries within the European Union. Additionally, the Dutch economy remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels and biomass, while international production chains cause significant emissions and pollution beyond national borders.
Young people, in particular, are experiencing the consequences of these structural problems, the researchers state. Financial uncertainty, a tight housing market, and increasing pressure on mental health are accumulating. According to the report, the National Youth Strategy, developed with input from over 12,000 young people, provides an important basis for future policy. The question now is to what extent politicians will actually translate those plans into concrete measures.
Dutch knowledge sector
Through SDSN Netherlands, Neele van den Bongardt, Managing Director of the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute and Oscar Widerberg, Associate Professor at the Institute for Environmental Studies, played a central role in drafting the chapter on the Dutch knowledge sector. As host of SDSN Netherlands, VU Amsterdam, together with NWO, coordinated the process involving representatives from primary, secondary, and higher education. Input from the sector was collected and incorporated into the final report through meetings and multiple feedback rounds.
The knowledge sector's conclusion is clear: the motivation to become more sustainable is high, but many initiatives are still fragmented and dependent on individual effort. According to the report, structural long-term support is necessary to actually realize sustainable change at a systemic level.
“The SDG agenda is under pressure, but within the knowledge sector, work on sustainable change continues with great energy and resilience,” the authors write. In doing so, they emphasize that education, research, and innovation must remain explicitly linked to the SDGs, especially now that societal and geopolitical tensions are increasing.
With five years remaining until 2030, the message of the report is clear, according to SDSN Netherlands: the foundation for change is in place, but postponement is no longer an option. According to the researchers, choices not made now regarding nature, climate, and social security will ultimately lead to higher societal costs for future generations.