The Delta Alliance
The Delta Alliance is an initiative to promote international cooperation of experts, water managers, other practitioners and their governments. It aims to raise awareness, share information and develop tools for sustainable development of low-lying areas in times of a changing world and a changing climate. On the website, you will find an introduction of this initiative, which focuses on eight thematical areas. Together with Deltastatement organisation, a knowledge and experts platform on Deltas has been developed on trends and responses in the management of delta regions (cities) coasts and estuaries.
Dutch Delta Committee
The Dutch Delta Committee was asked to advise the Dutch government about the protection of the Netherlands against climate change. In September they published their reccomendations which were quided by the following elements: 1)Moral choices (do we remain collectively responsible for water safety; how do we define safety levels in relation to people, economy, environment). 2)Aspirations (the Netherlands retains its attractive living environment, sustainability as a guiding principle, availability of quality of surface and drinking water). 3)Implementation processes (safety as a central objective, integrated and multifunctional solutions, flexibility).
http://www.deltacommissie.com/en/advies
New Dutch research programme: Knowledge for Climate
Knowledge for Climate was approved by the Dutch government with a budget of 50 million Euros in July 2007, its official kick-off was in the summer of 2008. Knowledge for Climate is an ambitious research program aiming at developing applied knowledge through cooperation between the Dutch (local) government, business community and scientific research institutes. The program aims at incorporating information about the impacts of climate change and adaptation options into short and long term decision making.
http://www.knowledgeforclimate.org/nl/25222734-Home.html
National Adaptation Strategies
The Dutch ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning has organised an international workshop 'Building of National Climate Change Adaptation Strategies'. Different practices and approaches were exchanged.
Communicating Climate Change
The PCCC (platform for communicating climate change) has released a brochure on the significance of the IPCC report for the Dutch situation.
Further information (English translation not available yet).
Dutch Programme Adaptation, Spatial Planning and Climate
The Dutch board of Ministers approved the National Programme Adaptation, Spatial Planning and Climate –“Nationaal Programma Adaptatie, Ruimte en Klimaat – ARK” on March 10 2006. The goal of the programme is to climate proof spatial planning in the Netherlands including setting a National Adaptation Agenda and Strategy. With the programme the Dutch government broadens its climate policy from mitigation to adaptation. Key questions in the programme are:
- What is the type and extent of tangible and expected impacts of climate change in different sectors of society?
- What are the major spatial planning questions resulting from climate change?
- How can these spatial planning questions be adressed?
- What are the technical, governance, economic and social bottlenecks that stand in the way of resolving spatial planning changes and how can they be solved?
The ARK programme is a government programme by and for a broad range of stakeholders (national government, provinces, municipalities, water boards, businesses and industry, science and non-governmental organisations). The programme is set up by a team of representatives from five ministries in close cooperation with three spatial planning research programmes in the Netherlands including the Dutch partner in CIRCLE, the National Research Programme Climate changes Spatial Planning (KvR).
Floating Greenhouses
Floating Greenhouses – an illustration of an innovative experiment in adaptation measures.