Climate experts: an alarming IPCC report for the Netherlands

These latest numbers are not yet “hard,” he said. “These are alarming conclusions, but soft, because there is still a lot of uncertainty about it. But the Netherlands also asked to include these kinds of conclusions in the summary, because they are so relevant for policy . Not only for the Netherlands, but also for other countries, which have a coastline that cannot withstand much in terms of sea level rise. “

Action: more space for water

According to the Union of Water Boards, the Netherlands may well prepare for a one meter rise in sea level, but if it rises, more action will need to be taken. “We can handle a meter, but we don’t have to focus just on sea level rise,” Klavers explains. “The weather is also changing a lot, there will be a lot more periods of drought or just rainfall, so the whole picture in the Netherlands will be different.”

“This report tells us that climate change is happening really very quickly,” Klavers points out. “We are thinking of strengthening dikes, dunes, giving more space to the water for when the rain falls from the sky, but also storing water for periods of drought, to make sure that the water is there. . if you need it and go if you want it to go. “

In addition to measures to make the country climate-proof, Klavers believes that the cause, the emission of greenhouse gases, must also be examined.

“For now, we are going to be successful in the Netherlands. But as water agencies, we believe that we must also put all the cards on the prevention of climate change. We are also doing the necessary ourselves. . I think we have an obligation to make sure it doesn’t go further off the rails. “