Energy Transitions in the Netherlands:Sustainability Challenges in a Historical and Comparative Perspective

Anthropogenically caused climate change is one of the greatest threats to global stability and sustainable development. A transition to a low-carbon energy system will contribute to combatting the dangers of climate change and help to create climate stability. In this dissertation I study the development of the Dutch energy system from a historical and comparative perspective on sustainability challenges. In four long-term analyses of still relevant sustainability challenges I aim to provide insights into the historical roots and the development of these challenges. Insights into the emergence and development of sustainability challenges, and into the way in which previous generations have dealt with these challenges, may help to better understand the current transition. The four sustainability challenges analysed for their roots and long-term developments are: import dependence and vulnerability; energy efficiency improvements; sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions; and subsidence due to subterranean extraction. I argue that sustainability challenges related to energy consumption have a long history and that insights from historical transitions and sustainability challenges can contribute to our understanding of the current energy transition