Kornelis Blok and Behnam Taebi appointed as members Dutch Scientific Climate Council

On the recommendation of Minister Jetten for Climate and Energy, the Dutch government has approved the appointment of nine new members of the Scientific Climate Council (WKR). Among them are TU Delft researchers Kornelis Blok and Behnam Taebi. The council advises the government on climate policy, based on independent scientific expertise.

The WKR consists of ten members with diverse backgrounds. Behnam Taebi is Professor of Energy & Climate Ethics, Kornelis Blok is Professor of Energy Systems Analysis. The Scientific Climate Council (WKR) is an independent, scientific body that provides solicited and unsolicited advice to the government or parliament on climate policy to be pursued.

Input for Climate Plan

The first advice of the WKR, to be published before February 1, 2024, deals with dilemmas and directional choices that the Netherlands faces in the coming years in the transition to climate neutrality. This advice serves as input for the Dutch Climate Plan that describes the outlines of climate policy for the coming years. The government will present the Climate Plan in the fall of 2024.

Full member list

The composition of the full council is as follows:

• Jan Willem Erisman (chair) (Leiden University);
• Heleen de Coninck (deputy chair) (TU/e, Radboud University);
• Sanne Akerboom (Utrecht University);
• Kornelis Blok (Delft University of Technology);
• Marjolijn Haasnoot (Utrecht University);
• Machiel Mulder (University of Groningen);
• Wouter Peters (Wageningen University and Research, University of Groningen);
• Wieke Pot (Wageningen University and Research);
• Linda Steg (University of Groningen);
• Behnam Taebi (Delft University of Technology.