News

A new open-access chapter in Geology of the Netherlands: Second Edition provides an up-to-date overview of natural and human-induced land subsidence across the Netherlands. Written by TNO and other institutions, it reviews key processes, monitoring techniques, and modelling tools, and highlights the growing role of governance in addressing subsidence impacts. The authors also discuss new drivers linked to the energy transition and call for coordinated policies and improved data to manage one of the Netherlands’ most persistent geohazards.

A new EIOPA report warns that biodiversity loss could become a major financial risk for Europe’s insurers. It finds that while climate risk is now commonly addressed, biodiversity remains poorly integrated into risk management. The watchdog urges insurers to improve data, metrics, and scenario analysis to capture nature-related exposures. It also calls for closer alignment with EU sustainability policies and more nature-positive investment strategies to safeguard long-term financial stability.

A new CPB report estimates that Dutch households face expected annual flood losses of around €290 million, with risks concentrated in low-lying provinces such as South Holland and Zeeland. The analysis reveals strong regional and income disparities: lower-income households are more vulnerable to damage, while wealthier ones bear higher absolute losses. CPB warns that uninsured losses could deepen inequality and calls for clearer risk information, stronger insurance mechanisms, and improved adaptation policies to enhance financial resilience.

The Delta Programme Safety (DPV) method commonly used in the Netherlands estimates flood risk per levee as if each segment acts independently, ignoring emergency responses and how one breach affects system-wide pressure—leading to overestimated risks that may raise insurance costs and lower property values. A new approach, the BREACH-METHOD, improves realism by using expert judgment and existing flood data to build a large set of possible flood events, grouped into nine probability levels. It assigns annual probabilities to each scenario while accounting for system interactions, emergency actions, and multiple breaches. When applied to the Dutch Delta, BREACH reduces estimated national flood probability from one-in-three years to about one-in-fifty, with sharper reductions—up to 40 times lower risk—in regions like the Rhine and Lake IJssel, offering more reliable data for financial decision-makers.

Researchers analysed Dutch home insurance claims alongside very detailed wind and rain measurements to build a new way of predicting storm damage. Their model shows that ignoring rainfall can miss 5 % to 57 % of the damage when storms drop heavy rain, and that more expensive homes tend to lose a smaller share of their value. By supplying the full set of model details and confidence ranges, the study offers insurers and planners a clearer tool for estimating losses from increasingly wet winter storms.

In July 2025, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) released an updated version of its Guide to Managing Climate and Environmental Risks, replacing the 2023 edition with enhanced sector-specific best practices spanning strategy, governance, risk management, and disclosure. The revision reflects new legislative and regulatory changes, and broadens its scope to include environmental risk strategies and institutional climate commitments. The guide aligns with recommendations from the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) and remains targeted at insurers, pension funds, investment firms, and payment-related institutions, while explicitly excluding banks, which follow separate guidance from the European Central Bank.

A new study explores how residential climate risk labels—similar to energy labels—could help Dutch homeowners and institutions manage risks from flooding, heat, and drought. Following the 2021 Limburg floods, researchers find that while such labels could raise awareness and guide adaptation, they face major technical and equity challenges. The authors stress that clear standards and fair implementation are crucial for labels to support, rather than hinder, climate resilience.

The EU Omnibus Regulation, announced on February 26, 2025, aims to simplify sustainability rules and reduce administrative burdens for businesses by streamlining directives like the CSRD, EU Taxonomy, and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. This consolidation allows companies to focus more on actual sustainability efforts. The regulation also aims to improve the EU’s investment climate by enhancing business competitiveness and unlocking financial capacity.

In 2024, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) released its report 'Climate Risks in the Netherlands: The Current State of Affairs', which identifies key climate risks already impacting the country. Developed with input from experts across various research institutes, the report marks the beginning of a broader climate risk analysis project aimed at guiding policies toward a climate-resilient and water-secure Netherlands by 2050. PBL will continue monitoring climate risks, with a second report due in early 2026, focusing on future climate scenarios and further guidance for policymakers.