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Warm Sweater Day Friday, February 10, 2023

Published: 08th February 2023 Last updated: 10th February 2023

For many years now, Tilburg University has been actively pursuing a policy of capping the heating in campus buildings at 19°C. As a university, we also endorse all activities and initiatives that make a positive climate contribution, including Warm Sweater Day. We asked environmental economist Reyer Gerlagh for his take on this initiative.

‘Warm Sweater Day builds awareness’

“I call on everyone to join Warm Sweater Day – until we are self-reliant and use renewable energy. But that will probably take another decade at least.” Reyer Gerlagh believes Warm Sweater Day is an excellent initiative because it builds awareness. He points out that while all of us aim to use less fossil fuels, in the Netherlands gas continues to be the main source for heating. “As long as we depend on gas, we should use it more economically and more consciously. This year is critical,” Reyer argues. He explains how the war in Ukraine and Russia throttling gas supplies have caused prices to skyrocket. “This shows that gas prices are highly sensitive to supply and demand.” It also implies that every euro we save by using less gas will lower its price. “This not only benefits the climate, but also fellow citizens who are hard up.”