SPA Infosheet

Overpopulation - "The Netherlands Fallacy"

January 2000

The small country of the Netherlands has an intensity of land use per unit area that is high even when compared with other OECD nations. Both the human population and GDP output are 13 times higher than average, the road vehicle stock is 12 times and the number of pigs and cattle 37 times greater. The Dutch have a high standard of living and in monetary terms the Netherlands is a net exporter of agricultural produce. Facts such as these lead some commentators to declare that the nation "proves" that the planet is underpopulated because if all countries adopted similarly intensive land use then many more humans could be supported. This view, though plausible, is so mistaken it has been called "The Netherlands Fallacy".

Agriculture in the Netherlands is financially successful but not ecologically independent - Dutch soil, water and sunlight provide little of the nutrient and energy that fuel livestock growth intensive livestock production utilises much imported feed. For example every Dutch hectare used for dairying requires two foreign hectares to grow feed, and that feed may not have been produced sustainably. Netherlands' production of flowers and bulbs utilises high inputs of chemicals such as soil disinfectants, and agricultural land use is so intensive that riparian zones to protect waterways are only one metre wide and even there cultivation is permitted. Government subsidies help make agriculture financially viable and farmers convert inexpensive produce into products that command a higher price, but the energy and environmental costs are high.

The intensity of land use makes treatment of waste products difficult. For example the Netherlands must dispose annually of 17.5 million tonnes of surplus manure (above the volume which can be applied to the land) and 65 million tonnes of dredging materials (24 million tonnes of which are contaminated). Reliance on a huge transport industry also impacts on the environment. Acidifying and polluting substances threaten both natural ecosystems and human wellbeing. Despite heroic efforts by the Dutch government and community to achieve sustainability, international standards are not met and the accumulation of substances is such that reduced emissions will take many years to produce results. It is recognised that air and water pollution will force structural changes in the Dutch economy, particularly the agriculture sector.

The Netherlands does not support itself ecologically. It imports the product of foreign soils, and the waste from its intense land use pollutes air and water beyond its frontiers. The same can be said of other highly developed regions of the globe, such as major cities, and the financial success of these can lead us to overlook their ecological dependence on other areas. Our view of them all can fall victim to "The Netherlands Fallacy".

For details see: OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Netherlands, OECD, Paris, 1995, 231 pp.