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Countries have pledged to different national and international environmental agreements, most prominently the climate change mitigation targets of the Paris Agreement. Accounting for carbon stocks and flows (fluxes) is essential for countries that have recently adopted the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - ecosystem accounting framework (UNSEEA) as a global statistical standard. In this paper, we analyze how spatial carbon fluxes can be used in support of the UNSEEA carbon accounts in five case countries with available in-situ data. Using global multi-date biomass map products and other remotely sensed data, we mapped the 2010–2018 carbon fluxes in Brazil, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Sweden and the USA using National Forest Inventory (NFI) and local biomass maps from airborne LiDAR as reference data. We identified areas that are unsupported by the reference data within environmental feature space (6–47% of vegetated country area); cross-validated an ensemble machine learning (RMSE=9–39 Mg C ha - 1 and R 2 =0.16–0.71) used to map carbon fluxes with prediction intervals; and assessed spatially correlated residuals (<5 km) before aggregating carbon fluxes from 1-ha pixels to UNSEEA forest classes. The resulting carbon accounting tables revealed the net carbon sequestration in natural broadleaved forests. Both in plantations and in other woody vegetation ecosystems, emissions exceeded sequestration. Overall, our estimates align with FAO-Forest Resource Assessment and national studies with the largest deviations in Brazil and USA. These two countries used highly clustered reference data, where clustering caused uncertainty given the need to extrapolate to under-sampled areas. We finally provide recommendations to mitigate the effect of under-sampling and to better account for the uncertainties once carbon stocks and flows need to be aggregated in relatively smaller countries. These actions are timely given the global initiatives that aim to upscale UNSEEA carbon accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rewetting drained peatlands for paludiculture purposes is a way to reduce peat oxidation (and thus CO 2 emissions) while at the same time it could generate an income for landowners, who need to convert their traditional farming into wetland farming. The side effect of rewetting drained peatlands is that it potentially induces high methane (CH 4) emissions. Topsoil removal could reduce this emission due to the removal of easily degradable carbon and nutrients. Another way to limit CH 4 emissions is the choice in paludiculture species. In this study we conducted a field experiment in the coastal area of the Netherlands, in which a former non-intensively used drained peat grassland is rewetted to complete inundation (water table ∼ + 18 cm) after a topsoil removal of ∼ 20 cm. Two emergent macrophytes with high potential of internal gas transport (Typha latifolia and Typha angustifolia), and a free floating macrophyte (Azolla filiculoides), were introduced and intensive measurement campaigns were conducted to capture CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes as well as soil and surface water chemistry. Greenhouse gas fluxes were compared with a high-productive peat meadow as a reference site. Topsoil removal reduced the amount of phosphorus and iron in the soil to a large extent. The total amount of soil carbon per volume stayed more or less the same. The salinity of the soil was in general high, defining the system as brackish. Despite the topsoil removal and salinity, we found very high CH 4 emissions for T. latifolia (84.8 g CH 4 m -2 yr -1) compared with the much lower emissions from T. angustifolia (36.9 g CH 4 m -2 yr -1) and Azolla (22.3 g CH 4 m -2 yr -1). The high emissions can be partly explained by the large input of dissolved organic carbon into the system, but it could also be caused by plant stress factors like salinity level and herbivory. For the total CO 2 flux (including C-export), the rewetting was effective, with a minor uptake of CO 2 for Azolla (- 0.13 kg CO 2 m -2 yr -1) and a larger uptake for the Typha species (- 1.14 and - 1.26 kg CO 2 m -2 yr -1 for T. angustifolia and T. latifolia, respectively) compared with the emission of 2.06 kg CO 2 m -2 yr -1 for the reference site. T. angustifolia and Azolla, followed by T. latifolia, seem to have the highest potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions after rewetting to flooded conditions (- 1.4, 2.9, and 10.5 t CO2eq. ha -1 yr -1 , respectively) compared with reference drained peatlands (20.6 t CO2eq. ha -1 yr -1). When considering the total greenhouse gas balance, other factors, such as biomass use and storage of topsoil after removal, should be considered. Especially the latter factor could cause substantial carbon losses if not kept in anoxic conditions. When calculating the radiative forcing over time for the different paludicrops, which includes the GHG fluxes and the carbon release from the removed topsoil, T. latifolia will start to be beneficial in reducing global warming after 93 years compared with the reference site. For both Azolla and T. angustifolia this will be after 43 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Understanding of complex sedimentary records formed by transgressive systems is critical for hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation, and carbon capture and storage. This paper discusses the facies proportions and preservation of the Last Interglacial and Holocene transgressive systems tracts in the Netherlands and their applicability as a North Sea Basin analogue for the Early Jurassic Åre Formation in the Norwegian offshore. New and existing data from both (sub-)modern transgressive Rhine records were thoroughly reviewed from a sequence stratigraphic perspective, before volumetrics were calculated and longitudinal trends quantified at reservoir scale. Large differences between the Last Interglacial and Holocene transgressive systems were found: the volume of fluvial deposits is almost six times larger and the volume of organics nearly twenty times larger in the Holocene record than in the Last Interglacial record. In contrast, the volume of estuarine deposits in the Holocene record is only half of that of the Last Interglacial record. Remarkably, both records show similar averaged sediment-trapping rates of 8–9 km3/ka. Initial valley configuration and relative sea-level rise-rates during both transgressions were key controls on the volume and spatial arrangement of the transgressive deposits. Relative sea-level fall and river avulsion determined what amount of sediment was left preserved after completion of one interglacial-glacial cycle. Comparison of the Late Quaternary Rhine records with the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic Åre Formation in the Heidrun Field off mid-Norway, showed the potential of the (sub-)modern Rhine records as analogues for ancient stratigraphic records. Especially the transgressive Rhine sequence from the Last Interglacial provided remarkable similarities in facies proportions, preservability, autogenic processes and controlling forcings, ranging from metre-scale vertical-successions to kilometre-scale field-wide events for parts of the Åre Formation. The side-by-side availability of the truncated Last Interglacial and (still) fully preserved Holocene transgressive system proved to be an excellent natural laboratory to study the stratigraphic architecture and assess depositional trends and preservability over longer time scales (>100 ka). It nevertheless demonstrates that no 'one-size-fits-all' analogue exists, but that various other analogues are needed to solve the complex puzzle which the Åre Formation resembles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A full account for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas balance is presented for the Dutch forest and nature areas for 1990-2002 at a Tier 2.5 level. The paper outlines how complex guidelines can be turned into a practical system, appropriate for a small country, making use of the best knowledge and data available. The net total sink of all processes of the forest and other nature terrains balance is very stable through time around an average of 1.74 million tonnes of CO2 per year. The sink is to a large extent determined by the growth of forest remaining forest, and the harvest taking place in there. Newly added processes in this new National System are significant as well, but they compensate each other. The sources from deforestation and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (around 900 ktonne CO2) are for two thirds compensated by the sinks from afforestation, dead wood, soil C changes due to land use changes, and trees outside the forest. The land use changes between 1990 and 2000 showed that The Netherlands has an annual deforestation of 2504 ha (0.7% of the forest area) and an afforestation of 3124 ha. Deforestation led in total over the 13 years of 1990-2002 to an emission of 11.2 million tonne CO2 compensated by only 1.9 million tonne CO2 due to afforestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative agriculture is a farming approach that uses soil health as the entry point to contribute to multiple objectives, such as improved nutrient cycling and climate regulation. To reach these objectives farmers can apply different practices. The objectives and practices, however, are not equally relevant or applicable for every farming system and local context. The main objective of this paper, therefore, was to find out how tailor-made solutions towards regenerative agriculture can be identified and evaluated as such that they result in meaning-full advice for farmers. In this study a well-established modelling framework to redesign farming systems was applied to three typical but diverse Dutch farming systems. The modelling framework combined the models Soil Navigator and FarmDESIGN to simultaneously assess five soil functions at field-level and general sustainability indicators (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions) at farm-level. We applied the modelling framework to an arable farm on clay soil, a dairy farm on peat soil, and a mixed farm on sand soil. We subsequently explored a multitude of tailor-made solutions composed of combinations of practices for these farming systems, each showing solutions that contributed in varying degrees towards the objectives of regenerative agriculture. In total, we created 4000 alternative solutions per case-study farm. For all farming systems, environmental performance was improved in the solutions dominated by the use of regenerative practices. For example, for the arable, the dairy, and the mixed case-study farm, greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 50% (from 4 to 2 Mg CO 2 eq. ha−1), 6% (from 30 to 28 Mg CO 2 eq. ha−1), and 23% (from 21 to 16 Mg CO 2 eq. ha−1), respectively, while maintaining soil functionality at high capacity for four out of the five soil functions. This overall improvement in environmental performance due to the application of regenerative practices, also resulted in reduced farm profitability for all case-study farms by on average 50%. We discuss that a mechanism to incentivize farmers for their tailor-made contribution to regenerative agriculture is for stakeholders to shift focus from solely primary productivity to also other ecosystem services. This study contributes to the wider implementation of regenerative agriculture, by showing which regenerative objectives and farming practices can contribute to the transition towards regenerative agriculture in contrasting contexts. The modelling framework that is used, can underpin regenerative management for farmers and other stakeholders to help, for example, the valorization of multiple regenerative objectives in business models. [Display omitted] • This study explored a novel modelling framework to redesign farms towards regenerative agriculture. • This framework can be used to analyze a multitude of tailor-made solutions for diverse farming systems. • From this framework farmers can select the solutions that fit their local context and intrinsic motivations best. • For our case-study farms, environmental performance improved when regenerative management practices increased. • This improvement in environmental performance, however, came at the expense of farm profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects around the world were cancelled, delayed or are on hold due to different types of barriers, such as: economic, legal, social and technical. Previous works treat these barriers as independent factors, ignoring potential interactions and possibly providing wrong information. This paper presents the findings of a survey in which experts evaluate the main barriers hampering the deployment of the ROAD project, in the Netherlands. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methods, we have concluded that: (i) CCS barriers are highly interconnected; (ii) “CO 2 price” and “financial incentives” are the most important barriers and should be priorities for investments; (iii) “CO 2 price” highly influences other barriers; (iv) “financial incentives” is very much influenced by them; (v) policy recommendations should take into consideration how these barriers influence each other. Our study recommends caution to policy-makers using the results from previous works, once that they may not reproduce correctly the ranking of the barriers, which may lead to incorrect analysis and conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reports on a public opinion survey designed to examine how the local public thought about a proposed CCS demonstration project in Barendrecht, the Netherlands. The survey was administered to a large sample of the Barendrecht population (N =811) shortly before it was decided to cancel the project. The results indicate that most residents were rather negative about the CCS project and found it an important issue. Furthermore, most residents thought it was unsafe to transport and store CO2 in the region and thought it was very likely that the project would cause a fall in local property value. These beliefs only partially explained the mostly negative public attitudes. Socio-political factors also contributed significantly to negative attitudes among the local public: Most residents perceived the decision-making process as unfair and mistrusted those who would decide about whether or not to proceed with the project. They further felt that project developer Shell and the national government — parties that were trusted less than the Barendrecht town council and the local activist group “CO2isNee” — had too much influence in the decision-making process and that the people of Barendrecht had too little influence. Implications and challenges for future CCS projects are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Shell CO2 Storage B.V. (SCS) is planning to inject up to 10 million tonnes of CO2 in two depleted gas fields: Barendrecht (BRT) and Barendrecht-Ziedewij (BRTZ). This paper describes the process of selecting an optimised commercial value chain design for capture, transportation, injection and marketing of the CO2, requiring a helicopter view of the full system from source to sink over the 30 year injection life cycle of the project. The commercial concepts considered, selection criteria used and the selected concept will be discussed. Second, the economic modelling criteria for the main value drivers of the project will be discussed and the main differences with traditional petroleum economics will be indicated. Although the project is not pursued for financial profit, the use of the evaluation methodology described below has resulted in an optimal value proposition and value chain for Government, project, sub-contractors and society. The analysis showed that the project differed significantly from other CCS projects due to the relative weight of the transportation value component. The risk and uncertainty approach for the economic modelling of the key value drivers of the projects has resulted in a robust economic model to assist decision making for any changes to the project in a rapidly changing political environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The offshore gas fields in The Netherlands provide a storage capacity of about 1 Gt, which will become available over the next few decades. Existing production facilities may be re-used for injection. Uncertainties in storage capacity, injection rates and time of availability require an analysis of the feasibility of storing CO2 at the rates currently projected for the period 2015–2050. This paper investigates the availability of storage capacity and the feasibility of injecting CO2 at the rate that current capture scenarios foresee. The cost of storage in depleted gas fields is estimated, assuming either re-use of existing installations or the construction of new platforms and wells. Unit cost of storage, non-discounted, in the range of 10 € /t CO2 is feasible for larger fields; costs for small fields are estimated to range up to 40 € /t CO2. Constructing new, dedicated facilities is not always the more expensive option, due to sometimes long hibernation times and higher operational cost of existing facilities. Two capture scenarios are used for the Rotterdam and Amsterdam areas, with captured volumes increasing to 25 Mt/yr or 40 Mt/yr. In both cases, injection rate limitations become apparent when 70–75% of the storage capacity is used, which is around 2055 and 2045, respectively. To ensure continuity of storage, alternatives for storage in offshore gas fields need to be in place by then. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The onshore Barendrecht CO2 storage project in the densely populated West of the Netherlands is designed to prevent CO2 to migrate out of the deep underground through geological formations and outside of wells. Achieving maximum safe containment is facilitated by selecting depleted gas fields as CO2 storages having stored natural gas over millions of years. This also allows choosing a final storage pressure that is lower than the ambient natural pressure in the surrounding rock formations. The inverse pressure gradient prohibits potential outflow from the storage reservoir. Additional proven safety barriers are the existence of sealing caprocks and large saline aquifers that overlie the storage reservoir. These saline aquifers alone have the capacity to sequester multitudes of the CO2 volumes that are planned to be stored in the depleted gas reservoirs. It is widely accepted that wells hold the main potential of forming a migration path. In the case of Barendrecht this would mainly mean potential migration of reservoir fluids of overlying formations into the CO2 storage reservoir as pressure equalization–returning to a natural equilibrium as existed prior to start of gas production without any overpressures–is not expected to occur before hundreds to thousands of years. Nevertheless assessing the evolution of current and future well integrity with CO2 injection is crucial for ensuring containment of the injected CO2 during injection and in the long term. The Barendrecht fields have respectively two and three drilled and completed wells penetrating the CO2 storage reservoir. This paper describes the most relevant subsurface related highlights from various studies that were carried out in connection with the Barendrecht CO2 storage project. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Over the past few years several geochemical evaluations of CO2 storage in Dutch potential reservoirs are carried out, including predictions of the short- and long-term impact of CO2 on the reservoir using geochemical modelling. The initial mineralogy of the reservoir is frequently obtained from core analysis and is then used to compute the formation water composition. In this paper geochemical modelling with TOUGHREACT is used to predict and compare the short- and long-term geochemical impact of CO2 injection into three reservoirs. The mineralogical composition of these reservoirs is an assemblage based on commonly observed minerals from the Buntsandstein and Rotliegend formations. These formations contain potential onshore and offshore CO2 storage locations in the Netherlands. The results predict drying out and salt precipitation in the near-well area, due to water evaporation by the injected dry CO2. Several mineral transformations are predicted, dominated by the transformation of albite into dawsonite, thereby fixing CO2. Due to the relatively low density of dawsonite, the porosity significantly decreases, which can lead to a pore pressure increase. Disabling of dawsonite precipitation in the simulations, thereby taking into account the ongoing debate on dawsonite stability, only shows a small increase of the porosity. Future (experimental) work should be focused on dawsonite occurrence for accurate predictions of the long-term reservoir integrity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: E.ON and Electrabel are jointly developing the ROAD (Rotterdam, Opslag en Afvang Demonstratie) CCS project, to demonstrate capture, transport and storage of CO2 at a scale of 250 MW equivalent. The ROAD project has now been under development for one year and several challenges have come up and have been overcome by the project team. Funding for the project has now been secured from different sources including the European Commission and the Dutch Government. This funding enables the project development, and each source set their own requirements for the project, which lead to project challenges. This paper outlines the most important of these challenges. It briefly describes Front End Development theory on project development as used in oil and gas industry and illustrates that the constraints will force the project team to deal differently than preferred in theory. Possibly this might lead to a price to pay for the project, but theory cannot be applied without risk of losing funding. Hopefully this article can contribute as well to the development of other CCS projects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Shell CO2 Storage B.V. (SCS) is planning for the injection of some 10 million tonnes of CO2 in two depleted gas fields Barendrecht (BRT) and Barendrecht–Ziedewij (BRTZ), onshore, Western part of the Netherlands. This paper describes the process of selection of a tailor-made conceptual design for transportation and compression of the CO2, requiring a helicopter view of the full system from source to sink over the 30 year injection life cycle of the project. The concepts considered, selection criteria used and the selected concept will be subsequently discussed. The evaluation has eventually resulted in the selected concept of booster compression to 40 bar near the source, pipeline transport and an additional injection compressor at the injection well sites. Since the project will be situated in a densely populated area and is considered by many as a “new” activity, and because the success of the project is primarily defined by its safe execution, the project team has taken a “safety first” approach from the beginning of the project. For the conceptual design this has meant, among others, a drive to avoid uncertainties and/or to make (very) conservative assumptions in case uncertainties could not be avoided. The conservative approach has evolved in project-specific measures within the selected concept. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Dutch Ministry of Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) engaged Jacobs Consultancy to develop a definition and measuring tool aimed at quantifying the CO2 Capture Readiness of a combustion plant. The tool developed tests the level and completeness of pre-project execution information. The testing of pre-project information is a standard practice in the refining and petrochemical industry and Jacobs Consultancy has adapted and tailored these practices to develop the Capture Readiness tool. The tool was developed in 2008 and was pilot tested on two already permitted coal fired power plant projects in 2009. The Capture Readiness tool is similar in concept to the well known Project Definition Rating Index originally introduced by the Construction Industry Institute for Major Capital Projects. The tool quantifies the readiness of a project to accommodate future CO2 capture and parallels the phased approached to Major Capital Projects used by the Project Definition Rating Index. A short introduction to the application of the PDRI methodology to test the completeness of the project development information–often also referred to as Front End Loading or FEL, is included in this paper to establish the parallel approach we have used in the development of the Capture Readiness tool. The Jacobs Consultancy Capture Readiness tool is then discussed in more detail. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Netherlands is heavily dependent on the success of carbon capture and storage (CCS) for its decarbonisation policy. This paper discusses several ways how CCS in the Dutch power sector can be stimulated after the round of demonstration activities up to 2015. It describes recent policy developments in the UK, US and Germany, and concludes that a policy package could be the most useful way forward if it includes a financial incentive to cover additional costs of CCS. The costs of financial support could amount to 1–3% of the Dutch electricity bill, even with CO2 prices in the € 20–50 range until 2030. A policy package could also include a regulatory instrument like an emissions performance standard (EPS) or other regulation for new coal-fired power plants to provide additional certainty. The EU Treaty explicitly leaves room for more stringent regulation from Member States required to protect the environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper aims to provide insight into the current drivers and barriers and the possible government responses needed to overcome these hurdles towards large scale CCS deployment in the Netherlands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Large-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage needs a dedicated infrastructure. Planning and designing of this infrastructure require incorporation of both temporal and spatial aspects. In this study, a toolbox has been developed that integrates ArcGIS, a geographical information system with spatial and routing functions, and MARKAL, an energy bottom-up model based on linear optimization. Application of this toolbox led to blueprints of a CO2 infrastructure in the Netherlands. The results show that in a scenario with 20% and 50% CO2 emissions reduction targets compared to their 1990 level in respectively 2020 and 2050, an infrastructure of around 600 km of CO2 trunklines may need to be built before 2020. Investment costs for the pipeline construction and the storage site development amount to around 720 m€ and 340 m€, respectively. The results also show the implication of policy choices such as allowing or prohibiting CO2 storage onshore on CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) and infrastructure development. This paper illustrates how the ArcGIS/MARKAL-based toolbox can provide insights into a CCS infrastructure development, and support policy makers by giving concrete blueprints over time with respect to scale, pipeline trajectories, and deployment of individual storage sites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is now a large literature dealing with the policy question of public participation in technical choice and technology assessment (TA). Files such as the mad cow crisis, genetically modified food, and the emerging nanotechnologies have been edified into a public problem, and have given place to a number of experiments and reviews about participatory arrangements. Much less attention has been devoted so far to the application of the TA framework to more local and limited projects–not yet and maybe never reaching the public problem status–and the management of their societal dimensions. Among them, new energy technology represents a very interesting field for investigation: many of the new energy enjoy a global positive public image whereas the local implementation of their implantation often raises societal questions and oppositions. This paper describes an original experiment conducted in the field of new energy technologies during which a participatory technology assessment inspired approach was applied to a number of individual and local projects. A framework methodology called ESTEEM was developed to facilitate such participatory process to take place, and it was tested and evaluated in 5 projects located in 5 different countries over Europe. A detailed discussion of the ESTEEM method and its application to one case study, a Carbon Sequestration project in The Netherlands, is provided. We show that a major question in the application in such participatory framework is to establish a reflective practice of project management based on situated and constructive interactions between project promoters and project stakeholders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper explores the potential role of CCS under different policy options in the Dutch electricity sector. A bottom-up simulation model is used to evaluate different policy scenarios. The results show that CCS plays only a moderate role for gradually rising CO2 prices. By using the scale advantages in CO2 transport already for the first CCS plants comparable to the level of large scale transport, the competitiveness of CCS is improved considerably. Furthermore, our results indicate that different policy options stimulate different types of CCS technologies. Finally, stimulating CCS and renewable energy sources simultaneously is more cost effective in the long run than stimulating solely CCS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes the reach done in the Dutch CAPTECH programme. The research aims to reduce the CO2 capture cost with 50%. In order to achieve this, a wide portfolio of future technologies is being investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Peat layers are well represented in the Holocene coastal deposits of the southern North Sea and provide evidence as to the extent and nature of the fens and bogs that occupied the region in the mid and late Holocene. While natural processes contributed to their demise, without human interference extensive areas of peatland would remain. We review the characteristics of the vegetation of these peatlands along with the processes that influenced their development. Spatial and temporal trends are explored through the use of palaeogeographic maps from three areas: the East Anglian Fenland, the Romney Marsh area and the Netherlands. The palaeoecological evidence indicates that eutrophic vegetation promoted by rising relative sea level (RSL) dominated in the mid Holocene, with a trend towards the development of oligotrophic and ombrotrophic vegetation in the late Holocene as the rate of RSL rise declined. Nevertheless, areas of eutrophic vegetation appear capable of long‐term stability with areas of fen woodland and herbaceous fen persisting at some locations for several thousand years in the mid and late Holocene. Areas of active peat growth in the region are now largely confined to small remnants within agricultural settings. To retain their characteristic biodiversity these remnants have been managed using traditional practices, although their small size and fragmented distribution limits their biodiversity value. Biodiversity concerns and the ecosystem services peatlands provide, notably carbon sequestration and flood attenuation, underlie recent restoration projects. These efforts are likely to receive additional impetus as a consequence of rising water levels, given projected rates of RSL rise. Future large‐scale restoration can be informed by a greater understanding of the processes that formed and sustained coastal peatlands in the past. We identify advances in palaeoenvironmental research that could enhance restoration efforts and help maximise the ecosystem services delivered through such projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The potential long-term dynamics of large-scale industrial CCS are investigated. • CCS legitimising, crowding out and integration mechanisms may fortify carbon lock-in. • CCS may help just transition via employment, economic and environmental mechanisms. • Well-regulated CCS can provide a breathing space to progress low-carbon industry. Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) can reduce CO 2 emissions, but there is disagreement on its role. The disagreement is reflected in stark differences in stakeholders' narratives on CCS. In the Netherlands, one extreme narrative focusses on CCS as part of a just transition and another on CCS as contributing to carbon lock-in. These narratives reflect different expectations of dynamic feedbacks around CCS deployment in the specific Dutch industrial context. This paper describes an alternative narrative that can advance the debate on what role CCS may play. Qualitative system dynamics based on interviews with experts is applied to identify the systemic feedback mechanisms that drive the dynamics of CCS in the Dutch industrial system transition, according to the two narratives. We find that CCS may reinforce carbon lock-in through the feedback mechanisms of legitimising, crowding out, and integration, and that CCS may play a part in a just climate transition through employment, economic, and environmental mechanisms. We combine these mechanisms into our alternative framing of CCS that could align the interests of different stakeholders: regulating CCS carefully to maximise its social and climate benefits and minimise the build-up of vested interests and carbon lock-in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly constructed wetlands are created to provide a range of ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration. Our understanding of the initial factors leading to successful peat formation in such environments is, however, limited. In a new 100-ha wetland that was created north of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), we conducted an experiment to determine the best combination of abiotic and biotic starting conditions for initial peat-forming processes. Sediment conditions were the main driver of vegetation development, biomass production and elemental composition during the 3-year study period. Overall, helophytes (Typha spp.) dominated basins with nutrient-rich conditions, whereas nutrient-poor basins were covered by submerged vegetation, which produced about seven times less aboveground biomass than helophytes. The C/N ratios for all plant species and biomass components were generally lower under nutrient-rich conditions and were lower for submerged species than helophytes. Because total basin biomass showed five times higher shoot and ten times higher root and rhizome production for clay and organic than sand sediments, even with some differences in decomposition rates are the conditions in the nutrient-rich basins expected to produce higher levels of initial peat formation. The results suggest that addition of a nutrient-rich sediment layer creates the best conditions for initial peat formation by stimulating rapid development of helophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to understand an understudied phenomenon: governmental players joining forces with non-governmental players in contentious actions against policies they want to prevent or redress. This behaviour, which we call ‘governmental activism’, problematizes important assumptions in the social movement literature on state–SMO dichotomies and on seeing ‘the state’ as a homogeneous and unified actor that solely provides the context for SMO activities. Governmental activism also problematizes assumptions on cooperation and ‘new’ modes of coordination in the governance literature. To understand governmental activism, we build on the strategic interaction perspective from social movement studies and on third-phase institutionalism from political science. In our analysis, we show the particulars of governmental activism. Our arguments are illustrated by empirical material on a case of municipal amalgamation in the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bioenergy as well as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage are key options to embark on cost-efficient trajectories that realize climate targets. Most studies have not yet assessed the influence on these trajectories of emerging bioeconomy sectors such as biochemicals and renewable jet fuels ( RJFs). To support a systems transition, there is also need to demonstrate the impact on the energy system of technology development, biomass and fossil fuel prices. We aim to close this gap by assessing least-cost pathways to 2030 for a number of scenarios applied to the energy system of the Netherlands, using a cost-minimization model. The type and magnitude of biomass deployment are highly influenced by technology development, fossil fuel prices and ambitions to mitigate climate change. Across all scenarios, biomass consumption ranges between 180 and 760 PJ and national emissions between 82 and 178 Mt CO2. High technology development leads to additional 100-270 PJ of biomass consumption and 8-20 Mt CO2 emission reduction compared to low technology development counterparts. In high technology development scenarios, additional emission reduction is primarily achieved by bioenergy and carbon capture and storage. Traditional sectors, namely industrial biomass heat and biofuels, supply 61-87% of bioenergy, while wind turbines are the main supplier of renewable electricity. Low technology pathways show lower biochemical output by 50-75%, do not supply RJFs and do not utilize additional biomass compared to high technology development. In most scenarios the emission reduction targets for the Netherlands are not met, as additional reduction of 10-45 Mt CO2 is needed. Stronger climate policy is required, especially in view of fluctuating fossil fuel prices, which are shown to be a key determinant of bioeconomy development. Nonetheless, high technology development is a no-regrets option to realize deep emission reduction as it also ensures stable growth for the bioeconomy even under unfavourable conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study aims to increase understanding of the public view on CO2 capture and storage (CCS) and energy innovations in the Netherlands. The study is based on the premise that to understand the public''s concerns and to predict their future opinion, it is necessary to know how people arrive at their evaluations about CCS. The study described in this paper aimed to enhance insight into currently held beliefs and awareness among the general public about CCS and CO2 as well as to investigate the role of the media as a vehicle for knowledge transfer. To meet the first aim, we interviewed 15 lay people to identify commonly held beliefs. Next, we investigated the prevalence of these beliefs by administering a questionnaire among 401 respondents. To meet the second aim, we analyzed the 430 articles mentioning CCS in all major Dutch newspapers from mid-2009 to mid-2010 and investigated respondents’ media use and exposure to recent media events about CCS. The survey revealed several beliefs that were shared by a large group of respondents, some of which were factually incorrect. The media analysis did not yield evidence that national newspapers reinforce or create particular misperceptions such as found in the survey. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Near the coast of Rotterdam CO2 storage in the depleted P18-4 gas field is planned to start in 2015 as one of the six selected European demonstration projects under the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR). This project is referred to as the ROAD project. ROAD (a Dutch acronym for Rotterdam Capture and Storage Demonstration project) is a joint project by E.ON Benelux and Electrabel Nederland/GDF SUEZ Group and is financially supported by the European Commission and the Dutch state. A post-combustion carbon capture unit will be retrofitted to EONs’ Maasvlakte Power Plant 3 (MPP3), a new 1100MWe coal-fired power plant in the port of Rotterdam. The capture unit has a capacity of 250MWe equivalent and aims to capture 1.1million tonnes of CO2 per year. A 20km long insulated pipeline will be constructed to the existing offshore platform operated by TAQA and an existing well will be worked over and re-used for injection. Natural gas production in the P18-4 field is projected to end just before the start of the CO2 injection. In this first phase a total storage of around 5Mt CO2 is envisaged with an injection timeframe of 5 years. This paper gives a description of the field and of the studies carried out to investigate the suitability of the field for CO2 storage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Automatic detection of low-magnitude earthquakes has become an increasingly important research topic in recent years due to a sharp increase in induced seismicity around the globe. The detection of low-magnitude seismic events is essential for microseismic monitoring of hydraulic fracturing, carbon capture and storage, and geothermal operations for hazard detection and mitigation. Moreover, the detection of micro-earthquakes is crucial to understanding the underlying mechanisms of larger earthquakes. Various algorithms, including deep learning methods, have been proposed over the years to detect such low-magnitude events. However, there is still a need for improving the robustness of these methods in discriminating between local sources of noise and weak seismic events. In this study, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect seismic events from shallow borehole stations in Groningen, the Netherlands. We train a CNN model to detect low-magnitude earthquakes, harnessing the multi-level sensor configuration of the G-network in Groningen. Each G-network station consists of four geophones at depths of 50, 100, 150, and 200 m. Unlike prior deep learning approaches that use 3-component seismic records only at a single sensor level, we use records from the entire borehole as one training example. This allows us to train the CNN model using moveout patterns of the energy traveling across the borehole sensors to discriminate between events originating in the subsurface and local noise arriving from the surface. We compare the prediction accuracy of our trained CNN model to that of the STA/LTA and template matching algorithms on a two-month continuous record. We demonstrate that the CNN model shows significantly better performance than STA/LTA and template matching in detecting new events missing from the catalog and minimizing false detections. Moreover, we find that using the moveout feature allows us to effectively train our CNN model using only a fraction of the data that would be needed otherwise, saving plenty of manual labor in preparing training labels. The proposed approach can be easily applied to other microseismic monitoring networks with multi-level sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]