71
CHAPTER 7
Turning off the Gas Tap: Sustainable
Energy Policies, Practices and Prospects
in the Netherlands
Julia Backhaus
Abstract This chapter describes efforts to transition to more sustainable ways of living in the Netherlands. Backhaus captures the status quo of
Dutch sustainable energy policies and projects in clarity and brevity, suggesting that prospects to live up to the commitment made in the Paris
Agreement are dim. The Perspective project, a major, yet not well-known
Dutch research programme in the 1990s discussed as best-practice example, suggests that substantial change is possible. Like most past and current
sustainability efforts, the Perspective project focused on individual behaviour change. It qualifies as best-practice example by demonstrating that living well, healthy and sustainably can go hand-in-hand. Marking the Dutch
cycling culture as an example, Backhaus proposes that, rather than targeting individuals, future sustainable energy policies and programmes should
best address infrastructures, social norms and collectives.
Keywords Dutch energy transition · Natural gas · Sustainable energy ·
Embodied energy · Energy research
© The Author(s) 2019
F. Fahy et al. (eds.), Energy Demand Challenges in Europe,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20339-9_7
J. Backhaus (*)
ICIS, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
e-mail: j.backhaus@maastrichtuniversity.nl
CHAPTER 7
Turning off the Gas Tap: Sustainable
Energy Policies, Practices and Prospects
in the Netherlands
Julia Backhaus
Abstract This chapter describes efforts to transition to more sustainable ways of living in the Netherlands. Backhaus captures the status quo of
Dutch sustainable energy policies and projects in clarity and brevity, suggesting that prospects to live up to the commitment made in the Paris
Agreement are dim. The Perspective project, a major, yet not well-known
Dutch research programme in the 1990s discussed as best-practice example, suggests that substantial change is possible. Like most past and current
sustainability efforts, the Perspective project focused on individual behaviour change. It qualifies as best-practice example by demonstrating that living well, healthy and sustainably can go hand-in-hand. Marking the Dutch
cycling culture as an example, Backhaus proposes that, rather than targeting individuals, future sustainable energy policies and programmes should
best address infrastructures, social norms and collectives.
Keywords Dutch energy transition · Natural gas · Sustainable energy ·
Embodied energy · Energy research
© The Author(s) 2019
F. Fahy et al. (eds.), Energy Demand Challenges in Europe,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20339-9_7
J. Backhaus (*)
ICIS, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
e-mail: j.backhaus@maastrichtuniversity.nl