Dutch government presents measures to cut carbon emissions

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The Dutch government is presenting a comprehensive raft of measures aimed at slashing the Netherlands’ emission of carbon blamed for warming the Earth’s atmosphere by 50% by 2030.

In a statement Friday, the four-party Dutch ruling coalition called the climate package “achievable and affordable for everybody.”

Environmental groups have welcomed some measures, but criticized the package as insufficient to tackle global warming.

Greenpeace welcomed parts of the package, but said in a statement that it papers over climate issues “with short-term solutions like storing carbon in the seabed and the use of biomass, while the climate crisis requires measures that will provide real solutions for generations to come.”

The government says the measures include a carbon tax for industry that “stimulates companies to take steps toward sustainability.”