Environment/sustainability

Dutch road transport registered its first reduction in carbon dioxide emissions since the coronavirus pandemic in 2025, with total output dropping from just over 27 billion kilograms to 26.6 billion, according to provisional CBS figures. This modest decline was largely driven by passenger cars—which account for over half of all road emissions—covering more mileage on electric power, alongside minor reductions across buses, motorcycles, and mopeds as fleet efficiency improved.

The government's far-reaching nitrogen plans are "desperately needed" despite requiring a compulsory reduction in livestock numbers to meet 2035 emission targets, according to sustainable farming group Caring Farmers following a PBL assessment. Calling for an end to "kicking the can down the road," the organisation urged ministers to support the agricultural transition through a broader food policy that promotes fair pricing and sustainable plant-based farming, ensuring the financial burden is shared across consumers and the supply chain rather than shouldered by farmers alone.

Students from TU Eindhoven have built Stella Juva, the world's first solar-powered ambulance designed to bring healthcare to off-grid communities. The vehicle generates enough solar energy to cover 715 kilometres per day while running diagnostic tools like ultrasound machines and vaccine coolers. Solar Team Eindhoven will travel to Kenya in August to test the mobile clinic under real-world conditions alongside Amref Health Africa.

Eindhoven is upgrading green, future‑proof infrastructure around BIC North. Major road and cycling infrastructure upgrades near Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) North, part of Eindhoven’s long‑term sustainable mobility plan will close the Erica for a weekend and reroute cyclists for several years.

A solar-powered ambulance built by student innovators in Eindhoven has successfully completed field trials in remote western Kenya, according to the team's university. Developed alongside health charity Amref, the vehicle—dubbed *Stella Juva*—functions as a self-sustaining mobile clinic equipped with an X-ray scanner, ultrasound machine, defibrillator, and vaccine refrigeration. Powered entirely by rooftop solar panels, the zero-emissions vehicle generates more energy than its equipment consumes, offering an impressive driving range of up to 715 kilometres while operating completely off-grid.

Heavy thunderstorms are set to sweep across virtually all of the Netherlands on Friday afternoon, prompting the KNMI to issue a nationwide code yellow warning. Moving from the south-west to the north-east before clearing in the evening, these severe showers risk uprooting trees and bringing strong gusts, hail, and localised downpours—following an initial yellow alert already in place overnight.

Heavy rain expected over the coming days could cause flooding in parts of the country as dry soil struggles to absorb the water. Although the showers will help ease the ongoing drought, authorities warn that full recovery will take months.

The KNMI has issued a code yellow warning for five eastern and southern provinces as heavy downpours, hail, and thunderstorms threaten to dump up to 30 millimetres of rain in localised areas. The weather service cautioned that severe conditions could disrupt travel and outdoor activities throughout Friday, with torrential rain expected to persist longest in the south-east before clearing in the evening.