The right measures
Kiki Kersten is project leader and researcher on circular economy at CBS. She says: Exceeding the planetary boundaries is expected to have a significant impact on our way of life, our environment, and our health. Various ministries have stated that government policy should aim to stay within or come back to the planetary boundaries. Scientists have also raised this issue. However, planetary boundaries encompass so much, are so interconnected, and are so complex that no one can precisely explain what this ambition actually means. Let alone that we know what the right measures are to realize this ambition. Horlings: Politicians and policymakers want to know how they can act and need concrete tools to stay within the planetary boundaries. How do economic choices influence the planetary boundaries? And what can you do about it?
Options for action
Kersten met with Natascha Spanbroek, coordinator of the circular economy research program at RIVM, at the end of 2023. They shared the same ambition. Spanbroek: We both had the experience that the concept of planetary boundaries is often mentioned in Dutch and European policy, but it is then unclear how to deal with the concept. When you write that the goal is to stay within planetary boundaries, what does that mean concretely? Both Kiki and I wanted to make that clear. We wanted to provide actionable options. Kersten: It is important that policymakers and politicians understand the planetary boundaries and can give substance to the ambition to stay within them. There is a need for concrete and measurable options to base their choices on. This framework helps them make that translation.
Interconnection
Horlings: Moreover, both CBS and RIVM primarily look at separate issues. We know a lot about, for example, nitrogen, biodiversity, or water use. But everything is interconnected. The emission of greenhouse gases changes the climate. That, in turn, affects how farmers farm, which in turn has consequences for biodiversity, etc. It is also important to integrate the figures on all these different issues. Otherwise, only different pieces of an all-encompassing problem are looked at, and only policy proposals are made for those different pieces. Kersten: It is important that different ministries look at the challenge together and seek solutions that are interconnected.The right picture
After their meeting, Kersten submitted an internal research proposal to CBS. Spanbroek did the same at RIVM. Both applications were approved, after which they combined the financial resources and a six-member CBS and RIVM team began an exploration and research. Spanbroek: Just as it is essential for ministries and policymakers to work together, it is also desirable for knowledge institutions to do so. The approach to planetary boundaries raises many questions and requires in-depth knowledge. You need different perspectives to arrive at the right picture.
Measuring impact
The result of the efforts of the CBS and RIVM team is the publication Towards a framework for measuring the impact of the Dutch economy on planetary boundaries. The authors, including Horlings, Kersten, and Spanbroek, describe a model and a step-by-step plan. CBS has primarily focused on the first, RIVM on the second. The model - called DAPSIR - visualizes the causes and effects of environmental pressure, and the interconnections. This analysis can be used as a framework to identify and organize possible policy measures. The authors have linked it as an example and illustration to two planetary boundaries: nitrogen/phosphorus and polluting chemical substances, also known as novel entities.The policy response
Horlings: Two Canadian statistical experts originally developed the model to study the interconnections between the economy and ecology. We thought it would also be useful for the planetary boundaries. D stands for drivers: the basic needs of humans, such as food. A means activities. In this case, activities to meet the need for food, with differences such as potatoes or meat. Think also of food imports from other countries. P is pressure: the pressure of activities on the environment. For example, agriculture in ones own country, with the use of (artificial) fertilizers and pesticides. This pressure affects the state - the S - of the environment and climate, among other things. The state impacts - the I - on, for example, human health. And the R stands for response: the measures that can be taken concerning D through I if the boundaries are possibly at stake. These measures can be policy-related, often aimed at I and P, but also a cultural change among households and businesses, aimed at D, to counteract the negative effects further down the chain.Getting acquainted with the model
Policy staff from various ministries have already become acquainted with the model. This happened during workshops. They experienced what insights a DAPSIR analysis can provide. Kersten: At one of the tables, participants discussed food security. How do our economic activities and environmental pressure affect our food security? The theme of pet food came up, along with the effects and pressure this has on food security for humans. Why do we often feed pets meat? This not only leads to high greenhouse gas emissions but also occupies agricultural land and resources that could be available for human food supply. This reasoning does not automatically lead to a proposal to limit meat for pets, but it helps to understand the implications of the current situation and what the causes and consequences of our actions are.Making knowledge applicable
With a step-by-step plan, policy staff are helped to apply the DAPSIR method. The plan consists of seven phases: from clarify the issue to monitor and evaluate. Spanbroek: The step-by-step plan fits one of RIVMs tasks: we are the bridge between science and policy and want to make knowledge applicable. The joint efforts of the past period have whetted the appetite for more, according to Kersten. This has been a dry run: a first exploration on the way to a system to measure, understand, and especially make applicable the Dutch pressure on planetary boundaries. It has provided tools and application possibilities, but not yet indicators to make this complex problem completely manageable. Spanbroek: Given the necessity of coherence and collaboration, it would be great if a number of ministries would give a number of knowledge institutions, including CBS and RIVM, the task of broadening the approach step by step and making it even more applicable. Applicability is the key to monitoring and staying away from planetary boundaries.Relevant links
- Publication - Planetary boundaries