Nitrogen claim demands clarification from RIVM

Lawyers speaking on behalf of the 'Nitrogen claim' organization request the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) to make the AERIUS model fully public. This model offers experts the opportunity to check whether the calculations on nitrogen deposition are correct.

RIVM launched the so-called AERIUS model last month. The nitrogen deposition in the Netherlands can be calculated on the basis of this model. Despite the fact that much of this model's data is publicly available, that is not the case for the part that actually deals with the calculation: the OPS.

Calculation core not public
"The data entered into AERIUS are forwarded to a 'secret environment', where the actual calculation of the nitrogen deposition takes place. The results are then made publicly available. The OPS contains the so-called 'calculation core' and is therefore the most important part of the model," several experts report. They now want RIVM to make this 'secret part' public.

According to Nitrogen claim it cannot be investigated in this way whether the model is suitable for calculating nitrogen deposition in the Netherlands. This is because it is not possible to check whether the principles of the OPS deposition model are being followed. Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) previously expressed herself on this issue and wants RIVM to be transparent.

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