Henri Bontenbal

Biography

“Climate policy must be understandable to all”

My two spells as a deputy MP in 2021 taught me the importance of thinking long and hard about your priorities. Being a jack of all trades will only get you so far, and you would need eight days a week to succeed. Within my key theme, climate and energy, my colleagues and I coordinate our responsibilities carefully. Together, we will see to it that the agreements made in the coalition agreement are honoured.

Ambitious and understandable

As I see it, climate policy should be both ambitious and understandable to all. The resulting financial incentives should also be accessible to all, including people with lower incomes. Climate policy has to be widely supported to stand any chance of succeeding. Being born and bred in Rotterdam-Zuid myself, I probably have a better idea of how policy can work out for people with lower incomes than others.

Volunteer

I grew up in Rotterdam and have lived in Zuid all my life. I come from a family of eight children, and my parents sacrificed a lot to give their children a good education and more, such as music lessons. At the same time, they were also avid volunteers and impressed upon us the importance of contributing to your community. We were a real family of debaters and would scrutinise absolutely everything, so the House of Representatives almost feels like a second home to me.