A climate action plan for Utrecht, sector by sector
New Economy prepares quantified climate action plans for provinces and regions. This Climate Action Recap for the province of Utrecht calculates per climate sector which climate solutions reduce and sequester the most CO₂-eq, following the Drawdown methodology. Part of the service Climate Action Recap.
Comparing to be able to choose
The analysis puts the emissions of all five Utrecht climate sectors on one yardstick and calculates per climate solution what commitment delivers by 2030. The most striking outcome: the sector with the smallest emissions, industry, carries the largest opportunity. Building with timber is the largest single solution for Utrecht at 1,120 kton CO₂-eq of reduction per year.
A regional climate action plan with measurable targets
A Climate Action Recap links emission reduction to carbon removal and translates climate ambition into concrete, quantified solutions per sector. New Economy develops these plans for provinces, municipalities and regions, based on the Drawdown methodology, the GHG Protocol and science based targets. The analysis for the province of Utrecht is an example.
About this Climate Action Recap
- Prepared for
- Province of Utrecht.
- In partnership with
- Climate Cleanup and the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA).
- The question
- Which climate solutions from the Drawdown spectrum offer the province of Utrecht the greatest reduction and sequestration potential?
- Method
- The Drawdown methodology, combined with a Pareto analysis of Utrecht greenhouse gas emissions (reference year 2018).
- Most striking result
- The greatest potential sits in the sector with the smallest emissions: industry emits 0.57 Mton but can reduce and sequester 1.73 Mton, mainly through timber construction.
One yardstick for all sectors
The Climate Action Recap for the province of Utrecht follows the Drawdown methodology: a structured way to rank proven climate solutions by their contribution to reducing greenhouse gases and sequestering carbon. A Pareto analysis first identified the largest emission sources, and then the solutions that deliver the most effect there: 80% of greenhouse gases can be reduced and sequestered with 20% of the full range of climate solutions.
Utrecht is the second Dutch province with such an assessment, after Gelderland. Four Drawdown experts selected the most promising solutions, after which knowledge holders within the province tested the final list. For sixteen solutions, the reduction and sequestration figures were calculated per climate sector in a plausible and an ambitious scenario towards 2030.
Reduction versus sequestration. Reduction prevents greenhouse gases from arising or being released. Sequestration takes CO₂ out of the air and stores it long-term in soil, biomass or long-lived materials. Some solutions do both.
Five sectors compared
Mobility dominates Utrecht emissions, followed by the built environment. The potential is distributed differently, however: industry and agriculture can reduce and sequester more than they emit.
| Climate sector | Emissions 2018 | Largest source | Potential 2030 (ambitious) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobility | 3.16 Mton | Road traffic exhaust (2.86 Mton) | 1,190 kton |
| Built environment | 1.9 Mton | Consumer energy use (1.12 Mton) | 770 kton |
| Agriculture and land use | 1.13 Mton | Cattle (methane) | 1,320 kton |
| Electricity | 0.89 Mton | Production and distribution of electricity and gas | 1,030 kton |
| Industry | 0.57 Mton | Building materials industry (0.13 Mton) | 1,730 kton |
Emissions per climate sector according to the Emissions Registry, LULUCF and provincial data, reference year 2018; total 7.65 Mton CO₂-eq. Potential = reduction plus sequestration per year by 2030 in the ambitious scenario, following the Drawdown calculation per solution.
Where the leverage lies
Together, the five climate sectors can reduce 5.62 Mton CO₂-eq annually by 2030 and sequester 0.43 Mton. That adds up to 6.04 Mton, against current emissions of 7.65 Mton.
The largest levers: building with timber (1,120 kton of reduction plus 270 kton of sequestration), electric vehicles (870 kton), peatlands (620 kton) and the plant-rich diet (397 kton). The outcome shows the reversal that characterises the analysis: the largest emissions do not automatically call for the largest solutions. Industry, the smallest sector in emissions, carries the largest potential through biobased building materials.
Deep-dive per sector
For each climate sector the analysis calculated which solutions deliver most. The citable figures, insights and recommendations hang as separate cards under this project.
Industry
Smallest emissions (0.57 Mton), largest potential. Building with timber is the largest solution of the entire analysis at 1,120 kton of reduction plus 270 kton of sequestration; cement alternatives add 290 kton. A timber home saves an average of 59 tonnes of CO₂-eq.
Agriculture and land use
The sector can compensate more than 100% of its own emissions (1.13 Mton). Protecting and restoring peatlands is the largest agricultural solution at 620 kton; plant-rich diet (397 kton), food waste (120 kton) and silvopasture (130 kton) follow.
Mobility
The largest sector in emissions (3.16 Mton, mainly road traffic). Electric vehicles deliver 870 kton of reduction on a continued sales trend; electric bicycles 320 kton when 37% of bicycles are electric by 2030.
Electricity
Four generation solutions together exceed the sector’s current emissions (0.89 Mton): solar parks (330 kton), green gas (300 kton), rooftop solar (240 kton) and onshore wind (160 kton), calculated on the RES bids of the three energy regions.
Built environment
Five renovation solutions around home energy use: heat pumps (378 kton), insulation (250 kton), smart thermostats (67 kton), wastewater heat recovery (39 kton) and the recirculating shower (38 kton).
Method and sources
The analysis started with a baseline of Utrecht emissions based on the national Emissions Registry, supplemented with LULUCF data and records of the province of Utrecht (reference year 2018). All greenhouse gases were converted to CO₂ equivalents following the fifth IPCC report, with a one-hundred-year time horizon. After a Pareto analysis and expert judgement, sixteen Drawdown solutions were calculated on their total addressable market in Utrecht, each in a plausible and an ambitious scenario towards 2030. Sources per solution include the RES bids of the three Utrecht energy regions, the VESTA energy model (PBL, 2021), CBS data, NIBE figures, the ONCRA biobased building tool and the province’s soil subsidence implementation programme. This Climate Action Recap for Utrecht was carried out in partnership with Climate Cleanup and the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA).
Indicative, meant to rank. Assumptions, system boundaries and source references are fully documented in the PDF. The figures rank opportunities and are not project-specific guarantees; the ambitious scenario shows the upper limit of what is possible.
Explore the climate scenarios yourself
The underlying scenario tool lets you adjust the climate solutions per sector and see directly what that does to the total reduction towards 2030.
Insights from the analysis
The citable insights from all sectors: hard figures, observations and recommendations. Free to use under CC BY 4.0, with attribution.
Frequently asked questions
A Climate Action Recap is a regional climate action plan with measurable targets. New Economy calculates per sector which climate solutions reduce and sequester the most CO₂-eq, and links emission reduction to carbon removal. The analysis for the province of Utrecht is an example.
New Economy develops quantified climate action plans for provinces, municipalities and regions, based on the Drawdown methodology, the GHG Protocol and science based targets. The Utrecht analysis was carried out in partnership with Climate Cleanup and the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA).
The sixteen calculated climate solutions offer a combined potential of 6.04 Mton CO₂-eq per year by 2030: 5.62 Mton of reduction plus 0.43 Mton of sequestration. That is a 79% decrease compared to the 7.65 Mton emitted in 2018.
Industry: the smallest emissions (0.57 Mton) but the largest potential (1.73 Mton per year). Building with timber is the largest single solution of the analysis at 1,120 kton of reduction plus 270 kton of sequestration; a timber home saves an average of 59 tonnes of CO₂-eq.
Reduction prevents greenhouse gases from arising or being released, for example through renewable energy or insulation. Sequestration takes CO₂ out of the air and stores it long-term in soil, biomass or long-lived materials, as with peatland restoration or timber construction. Some solutions do both.
Further reading
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