Last weekend, Loek Radix published an extensive opinion piece. In it, the director of Chemelot advocates for preserving and sustainability of the basic industry while warning against ignoring the broader impact of eliminating this industry on the economy, employment, government finances, and the environment. He emphasizes that the industry not only provides direct employment but also a wide range of indirect benefits. Media outlets like De Telegraaf have already covered it. Read a short excerpt below.
“The frustrating aspect of greenhouse gases is that it doesn’t make any difference to the climate where they are emitted, whether here in the Netherlands or on the other side of the world. So, we should be equally concerned about climate policies here as well as elsewhere in the world. Driving away basic industries (and agriculture) not only makes us all poorer here in the Netherlands but also leads to a warmer world nonetheless.”