Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
Climate policy is in the spotlight. Not in the least because in Glasgow they are discussing what the promises of the 196 parties to the Paris Agreement have achieved after three years. Our Ground, Road and Hydraulic Engineering sector also has to deal with the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement on a daily basis and is therefore doing everything it can to make a contribution on the road to a climate neutral world in 2050.
GWW Magazine has found Ed Nijpels willing to speak to us about issues affecting our sector. In 2014, Mr. Nijpels was appointed chairman of the Energy Agreement Steering Committee. In addition, he became a Crown member of the Social and Economic Council. In 2018, as chairman of the Klimaatberaad, he led the negotiations on the Climate Agreement; he is currently chairman of the Klimaatakkoord Voortgangsoverleg and oversees the implementation of the Climate Agreement.
"Despite all the efforts and investments of all parties in the Climate Agreement, the Netherlands is not yet meeting the agreed goal," Mr. Nijpels opened the talk. "We want to achieve a reduction of 49% CO2 emissions by 2030. We are now in the right direction, but not yet on track, in short there is still a lot of homework to be done. On top of that, Brussels is also coming up with a package of measures. The new cabinet will have its hands full. And if we really want to become Olympic champions as Rutte says, there is still more work to be done. We are now in tenth place with a target of 49%. There is still more than enough work to do to reduce CO2 emissions, not only in business, but also among citizens and social groups. Even a bronze medal is still far out of sight. But the cabinet must provide direction."
Asked about the points where there are still gains to be made in the civil engineering sector, Mr. Nijpels replied: "For the civil engineering sector, too, it will be necessary to move away from the use of fossil fuels. Our entire mobility must become more sustainable, so also in infra. We have to get rid of oil, coal and gas. I realize that this is a huge challenge especially for GWW. We see that small to medium-sized equipment can already be electrified without any problems. The biggest challenge lies in electrifying the very largest equipment. However, this will also be a good thing; it is mainly a matter of investing, continuing research and coming up with smart solutions. The use of hydrogen is also a promising option, and in this area much is being designed, tested and put into practice. The fossil era is really coming to an end.
According to Mr. Nijpels, firm climate policy is a source of economic growth. He explains: "For the infrastructure sector, there is work everywhere. Look, for example, at all the cables and pipelines needed for the energy transition. Take the construction of solar parks and wind farms as an example. Tunnels and roads that are made energy efficient and provide for less CO2 emissions. A firm climate policy is a wonderful source of economic growth, innovation and employment."
There is much complaining "in the country" about the climate crisis and the resulting measures. Is that affecting progress? "You can talk negatively about it or even deny that we have a problem, at the bottom line we will still have to do it together. The economic interest concerns us all and more importantly, what do we want to leave behind for our children and grandchildren? You can even see now that parts of the business community are getting ahead of themselves, and citizens are also sometimes moving faster than the government expects. There are already more than one and a half million homes with solar panels, a solar panel is added every four seconds. If you had predicted that five years ago, you would have been declared crazy. The implementation of the plans creates new problems every day, but that's part of a transition."
"Climate policy is the biggest rebuild for the Netherlands since World War II," Ed Nijpels stated. "Every day we face new challenges for which solutions must be devised. We tackle this together with a better future in mind. That takes time, that takes money. But the investments that we are now making together on the front end will bring us long-term profits. That requires investments from the business community itself and 'sacrifices' from the citizens. The government is watching and also notes that some sectors are struggling to become greener. It is obvious that our government will then step in, financially. Subsidy as temporary support is fine, but it should not become structural."
With electrification already partially successful in GWW, it is to be expected that eventually the entire sector will move green. "Mass electrification is inevitable. More and more use will be made of hydrogen as an alternative. Hydrogen is really the 'love baby' of the energy transition, but logistically it brings other challenges. Electrification and switching to hydrogen go hand in hand. We are going to use (green) hydrogen for three functions, storage, transport and as a fuel."
Mr. Nijpels observes something beautiful as a result of making companies more sustainable: "It turns out that companies that are active with the climate and energy transition -and thus have the public interest strongly in mind- often also put people at the center of their business. As a result, they prosper and are more profitable than companies that have not yet reached that level. The positive effect is that if you become sustainable, you automatically become more attractive. People want to work for you, companies want to work with you, and you create a situation where contracts are more likely to be awarded. Conversely, the same applies: companies that do not work sustainably over time eventually have no place on the playing field. A natural shuffling takes place. In that respect, we have a train on the tracks that is unstoppable and we should be proud of that."
