If the government does not protect the citizen, but its decisions are influenced by a few rebellious farmers, some flying fanatics, some screaming builders, and exporting parasites, then it’s time for action.
After all, we have appointed civil servants and parliament to serve the citizen’s interests. Not business, in the broad sense of the word. That is, business can be served, but only if that is in the interest of civilians . However, that is no longer the case.
The parliament and government , continuing to stimulate growth, especially by and for export and international trade, then that will require more jobs ie people, who we then fall short of again, who have been sucked away from the basic services that we have fought for and worked for for 100 years. Like public health services, education, police, etc. ( which is the case in NL) That is not in the interest of the citizen. At least not this citizen. Moreover, with enormous harmful side effects. Such as too high nitrogen deposits, fine-dust levels, CO2 emissions, plastic particles in our food, and other nasty things. The contours of the disastrous effects are slowly becoming visible. And then the legal court must get involved. Such as the council of state regarding nitrogen. And such as the NGO Urgenda climatecase about CO2 standards and goals. That are not being pursued. And the judge condemned the government, which neglected that judgment. And the judge sentenced the government on appeal as well, and the government did not react. And now the Supreme Court seems to going to confirm those judgments. And then? It is a brute force remedy, but it is really time to ask the judge to put some penalty payment on the government for every year that it fails. Money seems to be the only thing in which government and politics are interested, so you have to use money as a means of pressure.
Let us explore how high such a penalty payment should be, on the basis of measures that the citizen must take, because the government is in default, mainly by stimulating growth and having the opposite effect. Especially with regard to the climate crises.
I will not address the fact that the climate is determined by worldwide emissions, it is all about the government yes or no succeeds in keeping the share of the Netherlands within the agreements. It may then still be that, that 1.5 degree is not achieved, due to failure of other countries, however the least I can expect as a citizen is that our government provides its share in our protection.
And let’s just stick to CO2. If those emissions go down, most other destructive processes will also develop in the right direction.
It is obvious that ’the weather’ will have the major impact. As there are: increasingly heavy showers. Which requires to retrofit the entire rainwater drainage of the house, to cope with large quantities, to prevent flooding and leaking. Approximately 2500 euros. The sewer system must also be adjusted, around 1000 euros per home.
Then there are the heat waves that get more and more hot, which quickly leads to unworkable days for the self-employed, as we will all be at some point, estimated at 10 per year at 800 Euro’s per day, makes 8000 Euro’s lost income. Per year!
The risk of death for those heat waves is also increasing. Which can shorten life by a few years. But assume that on national average this leads to a three-month reduction, or 0.25 fewer years of life. The medical sector calculates around 80,000 per year of life, or 20,000 Euro’s los sof life value.
The sol will dry out, as is happening already, which leads to cracks in the house. The repair costs, estimated low, yet 10,000 Euro’s per house.
The garden is dead as well by then, which will need to be replanted with heat and drought resistant plants, that makes you another 2500 Euro’s poorer.
The electricity demand is still rising, and the government is not avoiding this, huge investments have to be made in the grid system, causing energy prices to rise. Lets remit those for the moment, but it also causes grid problems, with more power outages, look at Belgium, and that in turn leads to costs again. Let’s put that on 1 spoiled freezer stock per year, say 200 Euro’s.
All kinds of risks are getting bigger: floods, lightning strikes, fire, causing insurances to go up. Keep it at 250 Euro’s per year.
There is also increased risk of infectious diseases due to new emerging exotic insects, which leads to a greater mortality probability or at least medical costs: the deductible excess will go up, estimated at as much as 250 Euro’s. Per year. Apart from, on average, ashorter life expectancy. We’ll leave that for the moment.
And those are still direct costs. Indirectly, the citizen is also responsible for a number of things: failing policy, for example, leads to raising dikes higher as planned, which we all have to pay. That is purely adaptation, has nothing to do with preventing climate change. It is already estimated at 65 Euro’s per person per year, but if prevention policies is not forthcoming it will soon triple, if in need to be further increased: 200 Euro’s per year.
If dehydration of soil continues, drinking water supplies will be jeopardized, then we will have to switch to bottled water, yet soon 1 Euro per day, 365 Euro per year.
Harvests are more often lost, causing food prices to rise, say 50 Euro’s per month, 600 per year.
And then there are the refugees. They will come in in large numbers, for which the bill must again be borne jointly. Of course we will, but there is a price tag to it. If there are 1 million refugees, at 1000 Euro’s per month, divided by 17 million inhabitants : that is around 60 Euro’s /month, 720 Euro’s per year for each of us.
As an naive citizen, I will, of course, forget some unexpected posts, so adding 15 pct unforeseen seems reasonable to me. Although that could be a multiple, given the government’s track record for large projects.
Adding things up, we are facing costs in the order of one-off 36,000 euros pp, plus another 12585 a year. To start with, that is already 50,000 Euro’s per person, for the first year,
Times 17.5 million Dutch people, that comes down to: 875 billion, plus unforeseen, 131 billion, a total claim of more than 1000 billion Euro’s.
Which increases annually by 12585 Euro’s per inhabitant, so after 10 years that is approximately 160,000 Euro’s, or 2700 billion Euro’s.
I would suggest that this will be claimed pro rata, in line with the Carbon emissions goals set by that government and its adopted policies: 25% due in 2020, 50% due in 2030, and 100% due in 2050.
You see, that’s how the financial economy works. It is time that not only the government and business, but also we ourselves, apply that in the same manner.
* not included:
– extra lessons for children, because there is no teaching staff
– care costs abroad, because there is no staff here
– costs for the expansion of the electricity grid, through unrestrained use of electricity (data centers, etc.)
– time loss in traffic jams
– shorter life expectancy of entering exotic insects
etc?
