By Zofia Tubin '23
On November 13th, the Dutch government announced that it is lowering the top speed limit in an attempt to deal with the pollution crisis.
This measure followed a decision made by the Dutch Supreme Court in May that put a hold on permits for many construction projects whose nitrogen oxide emissions broke EU laws. “No one likes this,” commented Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, “but there’s really something bigger at stake.”
The new plan, which will be introduced in 2020, came after major infrastructure projects across the country were placed on hold during the Supreme Court’s ruling. Government officials have spent the last month trying to find a solution to cut the pollutants while maintaining the jobs of many Dutch citizens, and they have now come to this decision. The verdict on the specific limits will now allow for delayed projects to resume.
Although some have criticized this new ruling, environmental organizations like Milieudefensi believe the law is “good news for nature”. The passing of this law gives the
Netherlands one of the lowest speed limits in the EU as part of a larger movement of environmentally-friendly legislation, which proves crucial in the current climate crisis.
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