Groningen and North Drenthe take action to limit the effects of climate change
Government organizations, water boards, and water companies in the province of Groningen and North Drenthe, 20 in total, have agreed to the Regional Climate Adaptation Strategy. This is a joint approach to make the region climate- and water-resistant by 2050 and thus prepare it for the consequences of climate change. With different starting points for the organizations involved, a joint, area-specific effort is being made to work with climate change.
Henk Kosters, alderman of Noordenveld and vice-chairman of the Climate Adaptation Steering Group: "To make our region climate-proof, we need to work together to accelerate the process. The strength of this strategy lies in its area-specific approach, in which water and soil are the guiding principles for spatial planning. We are also focusing as much as possible on the connection with other social challenges, such as healthcare, construction, and housing."
Focus on collaboration
The Regional Climate Adaptation Strategy identifies tasks relating to the design of areas, but above all to cooperation. Melissa van Hoorn, deputy for the province of Groningen: "By joining forces, we are ensuring that our region is well prepared for increasingly extreme weather in the future. We have therefore converted the tasks into principles for the organizations involved."
These principles focus on retaining and temporarily storing rainwater and combating heat. Opportunities to combine functions are also important, for example, a solar field with water storage or biodiversity through more greenery in urban areas. Other topics include researching the significance of drought for urban areas, making agreements about climate-proof new construction, exchanging knowledge about the design of business parks and industrial areas, and raising awareness of climate change among residents, such as conscious and economical use of water.
Risks
The organizations involved have identified the risks and vulnerabilities. Various tests have shown that the Groningen/North Drenthe region is sensitive to the effects of heat, drought, heavy rainfall, and flooding. For example, we see sensitivity to heat and drought in urban areas and on higher sandy soils. Among other things, this can have consequences for human health. In low-lying areas, we see particular consequences in terms of living and working conditions during heavy rainfall, with the associated risk of flooding. The risks and vulnerabilities have been analyzed and discussed, and this strategy has been determined on that basis.
Taking steps
The Regional Climate Adaptation Strategy is the regional implementation of the national Delta Program for Spatial Adaptation (2018), which aims to make the Netherlands climate- and water-resistant. Discussions are then held with various organizations to flesh out the details and come up with projects that will lead to a regional implementation agenda. In the working region, €13.1 million from the national Climate Adaptation Incentive Scheme fund is available for measures.