Fragile nature, like the flowering heather in Uddel (The Netherlands), part of the national park of the Veluwe, is threatened by an overdose of reactive nitrogen due to agriculture and road traffic /HH

The rock-hard advice on Wednesday of the Remkes Commission on how to protect vulnerable nature reserves from the damaging fall-out of nitrogen is troubling the Dutch. There is no other way than lower the maximum speed on roads nearby and drastically shrink the livestock.

The Commission got the assignment by the government to study possible measures after the Dutch State’s Council decided in May that the norms the government was applying were contrary to the European legislation for protecting sensitive nature. On Wednesday, the first part of the report was published, followed by more detailed measures beginning next year.



18.000 projects suspended

The verdict caused projects like road construction, building houses or new stables near these areas were halted on the fly, as they had to prove first how they were going to compensate for the nitrogen emissions they were causing. Since then, some 18.000 projects are suspended, waiting for a permit.

One way to tackle the global nitrogen problem is restraining road traffic. For the motorist, the advice that the maximum speed limit on a large number of highways ‘has to be lowered drastically’ is a thorn in the flesh. While road traffic is only responsible for 9% of nitrogen fall-out compared to 70% for agriculture and the rest coming from construction sites, adversaries say the effect will be minimal.



From 130 to 100 km/h

The Commission, led by old VVD minister, Johan Remkes (68), doesn’t declare itself openly in favor of a specific speed limit. But the most effective way to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) from traffic is to lower speed from 130 to 100 km/h, studies showed. And this only a few months after the VDD-headed government decided to raise the speed limit from 120 to 130 on specific highway stretches.

The studies (from 2016) by the Dutch technological research institute, TNO, showed that the difference in NOx emissions could be 40% less when lowering speed from 130 to 100 km/h, especially with older diesel engines. When driving at 100 km/h, vehicles tend to accelerate far less to overtake, for instance. And there are fewer traffic jams, which make emissions soar also.

Only 15% of diesel engines

In The Netherlands, diesel vehicles represent only 15% of the fleet, while in other European countries they still make 40% of the total. But even this small number of diesel vehicles has an immediate impact on NOx emission in the air when speed is lowered.

Unfortunately for the environmentalists acting against the motorists, the effect on the nature of the reduction of NOx emissions in the air will be far lower. Nitrogen oxides are known to be one source for fine particles, that are causing health problems and premature deaths.

But in nature, it is the nitrogen deposit that spreads on the surface or seeps into the soil that counts. And then the figures show road traffic is only responsible for 6%, while agriculture accounts for 45%, and 30% come from other sources or abroad.

Nitrogen as such isn’t harmful. On the contrary, it pushes plants to grow when it gets reactive. It’s a natural component of the air we’re breathing, and it accounts for more than 70% of it. But it can become problematic when it becomes too reactive, by a lightning strike in nature or human-made by burning fossil fuels, for instance.

Manure and fertilizers

Another source is the ammonium in animal manure or fertilizers used in agriculture. Ammonium is a combination of nitrogen and hydrogen, but the nitrogen vaporizes in the air or seeps slowly through in the underground.

When these farming grounds are bordering sensitive nature reserves, the nitrogen makes plants like bramble bushes or stinging nettles thrive and elbow out more fragile plants that need a rather arid soil, and with it a whole valuable ecosystem that should be protected. There are 166 of these protected nitrogen-sensitive nature reserves in the Netherlands, the so-called Natura-2000 areas.

Buying out farmers

So the Remkes Commission recommends taking some drastic measures in reducing livestock and agriculture too, like buying out farmers that are bordering these Natura-2000 areas. How much these farmers should be compensated is not defined, but the Dutch government had already put aside 180 million euros to make a start with it.

Remkes: maximumsnelheid omlaag en vervuilende veebedrijven uitkopen

Stikstofadvies laat alleen nog harde keuzes toe

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