Soil Science cluster

NRC Opinion by WCSG

Researchers of Wageningen Centre of Sustainability Governance regularly publish opinion articles in the Dutch newspaper, NRC. On this page we share these published pieces in English. Enjoy the read!

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The Wageningen Centre of Sustainability Governance (WCSG) is an interdisciplinary group of governance scholars committed to contributing knowledge on the design, functioning, and implications of sustainability governance arrangements in the Wageningen domain of food, nature, and environment.

Researchers from the WCSG strive to communicate their work to the public and beyond the walls of scientific journals. Through the NRC (national newspaper), our researchers serve as guest writers across a broad range of environmental, policy, and climate related topics based on their expertise. On occassion, our researchers also feature in interviews as well. Here, we find the opportunity to connect our work to you and the world.

  • March 17, 2023
    The success of the High Seas Treaty depends on finding a democratic balance between conservation and use
    Because of their unique access to the underwater world, scientists are the gatekeepers for decisions about the deep sea. For democratic decision-making about the high seas we need to engage other diverse groups, argues Amanda Schadeberg.
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  • November 18, 2022
    Fleeing to Norway to escape rising sea levels
    The following article is originally published as an NRC Opinion piece (in Dutch) on November 9, 2022. The article is written by Dr. Ingrid Boas, Associate Professor at the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University, who specialises in the subjects of climate change and human mobility.
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  • October 7, 2022
    Will smart technology really solve our sustainability problems?
    Around the world smart technologies are used to create solutions for sustainability issues. According to ENP researchers, Sake Kruk, Sanneke Kloppenburg and Aarti Gupta, this is not without risk. Read their recently published NRC Opinion article, 'Will smart technology really solve our sustainability problems'.
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  • September 12, 2022
    Forest and landscape restoration requires long-term commitment
    The global enthusiasm for restoring degraded ecosystems seems promising. But Daniel Wiegant, PhD researcher at WUR, argues that the short-term thinking of politicians and policy-makers is at odds with the timelines needed for landscape restoration to unfold.
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  • August 29, 2022
    Shell sees its future in negative emissions
    How do Shell and the IPCC envision reaching global climate targets while still using fossil fuels? The answer to this question lies in the term ‘negative emissions’. Who has a right to these so-called ‘negative emissions', asks Ina Möller in this recent NRC Opinion article.
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  • May 13, 2022
    Pensions and the planet
    Power, profit, pensions and the planet – we must exercise our right to vote to ensure that powerful pension funds make more sustainable investments, says Verina Ingram.
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  • March 17, 2022
    Homebound, despite rising water levels
    Climate change can trigger a large influx of refugees, as expected. But according to Ingrid Boas and colleagues, many people prefer to stay or return home despite the threat of rising sea levels. This NRC article argues for a more nuanced approach to understanding the relationship between environmental and climate change along with the consequences for migration.
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  • February 22, 2022
    Tourism cannot go back to the old normal
    The international travel industry is a significant contributor to global climate and environmental problems and plays a key role in the spread of the coronavirus. In their NRC Opinion piece, Machiel Lamers and Jillian Student argue that, before all travel restrictions are lifted, it would be wise for the tourism sector to take a good look at itself.
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  • February 22, 2022
    Sometimes, good things happen to forests
    In the news, forests are often discussed solely in light of negative developments such as forest fires or illegal logging. Bas Arts thinks it means that positive developments often remain underexposed. In this NRC Opinion article below, Bas entertains a more hopeful narrative for forests.
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  • January 5, 2022
    Let wildfires burn more often
    Wisse van Engelen, a junior researcher at the Environmental Policy group, argues that wildfires cannot be suppressed entirely. Given their important ecological role, Wisse makes a case for allowing wildfires to have free rein under certain circumstances. The following article was published in the NRC Climate Opinion blog on December 13 (2021).
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  • November 8, 2021
    A landscape without people can be detrimental to biodiversity
    NRC interviews Bas Verschuuren from the Forest Nature and Policy group at Wageningen University & Research. The following interview was published in the NRC on 14 October 2021. Bas argues that protecting nature on an increasingly populated Earth involves giving a greater role to indenous people.
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  • June 25, 2021
    The EU must make agriculture more resilient
    Yannick Buitenhuis, researcher from the Public Administration and Policy group (PAP), recently published a climate opinion piece in the NRC Climateblog (June 15, 2021): The EU must make agriculture more resilient. European government leaders cannot agree on making agriculture more sustainable. According to Yannick serious consequences follow. Read the NRC article here.
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  • May 31, 2021
    EU Pulse fishing ban does not limit future innovation
    The NRC opinion article,The EU Pulse fishing ban does not limit future innovation, is now published on the NRC Klimaatblog (Climate blog) since May 26th, 2020. The article details that despite the Court’s decision to reject the request of the Dutch government to overturn the EU ban on pulse fishing, the legal framework provides research derogation to enable innovation, including the pulse. Read this article to learn more.
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  • April 8, 2021
    Participation is not intended to overcome resistance - NRC climate opinon by Helena Solman
    ENP researcher Helena Solman recently published a climate opinion piece, Participation is not intended to overcome resistance, in the NRC Climateblog (May 31, 2021). In this article Helena delves into her research expertise on wind energy and public participation. She addresses the question of how citizens can meaningfully influence the agenda around wind energy and argues that there is a need to organize participation differently in the sector.
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  • April 1, 2021
    Ingrid Boas features in NRC article on climate migration
    Dr. Ingrid Boas features in NRC article on climate migration Dr. Ingrid Boas, Associate Professor at ENP and an expert in climate mobility and migration is interviewed for a recent NRC article by Marcel aan den Brugh, 'The climate is changing. Do people float adrift or adapt without will?'
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  • October 27, 2021
    Boycotting seafood will not save the seas
    The Netflix documentary Seaspiracy ranks in the top 10 most watched films on the streaming platform. Its message is clear, to save the seas we have the stop eating fish. In reality the answer isn’t so simple. Professor Simon Bush, chairholder of the Environmental Policy group, and colleagues respond critically in this opinion piece published on the NRC Climateblog on April 16th, 2021.
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  • October 6, 2020
    NRC interviews Annah Zhu: ‘China plants trees the way it builds buildings: quick, efficient and large’
    This NRC Opinon Editioral piece by Paul Luttikhuis (September 2020) is an interview with dr. Annah Zhu regarding her research on China's growing role in global environmental governance. What does environmentalism look like outside of an understanding rooted in the Western world?
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  • July 20, 2020
    Big data can easily be misinterpreted- NRC Opinion Piece by Ingrid Boas
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  • July 14, 2020
    NRC artikel: ‘Het Wereld Natuur Fonds praat als een investeringsfonds’ Nowella Anyango-van Zwieten
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  • July 15, 2019
    Sustainable palm oil? Is there such a thing? - NRC Guest Blog by Prof Peter Oosterveer
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  • April 5, 2019
    The climate as a dinner guest - NRC Guest Blog by Dr Sigrid Wertheim-Heck
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  • November 14, 2018
    All sorts of plastic - NRC Guest Blog by Dr Judith van Leeuwen
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