The Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 has the goal of limiting the global warming to 1.5°C. However, the measures taken by countries to date are far from sufficient to meet these global targets and global emissions continue to increase. All countries are required to strengthen their self-imposed targets. The Dutch government recently confirmed it wants to follow the ambition of 1.5°C domestically and is revising its climate targets.

The purpose of this analysis is to assess the proposed target pathway of the Netherlands’ government in the context of the required global efforts and the country’s historical responsibility and capability, which are both key principles of the international efforts against climate change and the Paris Agreement.