Assessment of policy instruments applied in the buildings sector in the Netherlands to improve energy savings and reduce GHG emissions

The concept of a green economy has gained a lot of attention in recent years as the world has been searching for solutions to numerous global challenges. The Green Economy aims at an “improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities” (UNEP 2010). A green economy values environmental assets by placing regulations and policies that act as market incentives, adjusting the environmental losses and ensuring a sustainable development.