In Dutch 

Universities act as role models within society as drivers of the transition to a green future. Currently, Dutch universities are developing various initiatives, but largely independently of one another. This means support and efficiency are lost, the wheel is reinvented all too often, and ambitions are not nearly as high as they could be and indeed should be. 

This fragmented approach unfortunately generates only fragile public support for implementing changes that are badly needed – and that includes within Dutch academia. 

Brings together knowledge  

With the Green Young Academy we bring together knowledge and expertise from The Young Academy and all the local Young Academies in the Netherlands, and boost the impact of climate initiatives within the Dutch academia. The Green Young Academy has direct links to local university leaders.  

Faster towards a carbon-neutral academia 

The Green Young Academy is initially focusing on three projects. “Faster towards a carbon-neutral academia” is one of them. Since Dutch universities' climate targets and plans are often hard to find, troublesome to compare, and impossible to verify, The Green Young Academy compares the climate plans of the various Dutch universities. The Green Young Academy subjects them to critical scrutiny, and proposes a more ambitious way forward. The report is expected to be published at the end of 2024. 

In addition, the projects “Towards an 'Academic Green New Deal'” and “Climate education for all?” also started. 

More information  

Read more about the Green Young Academy, the three projects, and which members of De Jonge Akademie and Young Academies in the Netherlands are affiliated here.  

If you have any questions, please contact dja@knaw.nl.