Terugblik · 22 april 2022

Watch video: Climate adaptation - an overview (Nederlands ondertiteld)

Watch the video here.

Klimaatadaptatie

Webinar content

In this first webinar from the series Climate Adaptation: solutions from different corners of the world, two top of the bill keynote speakers took a digital world trip along climate impact and adaptive solutions.

Watch the video (Nederlands ondertiteld, 1 uur)

Recap

Joep Verhagen is program lead on Water and Urban at the Global Centre of Adaptation (GCA) and has over 25 years of international experience on climate change. From minute 6 onwards in the video he treats the way in which the GCA is working on making a worldwide difference in responding to the changing climate. This is being done on three combined levels: setting the agenda on a worldwide political level, developing and sharing knowledge and working on programs making sure to affect changes on the ground. In his presentation he focuses on the knowledge part: the state and trends report on adaptation in Africa 2021. Also, he gives an example of a programma and actions on the ground in African cities.

Hans de Moel works at the Institute of Environmental Studies at the VU. He has expertise on many water and climate risks like droughts and storms. From minute 25 on he elaborates on flood risk management in the context of climate change. First he sets the stage, defining three important components of risk: exposure, hazard and vulnerability. Then he gives some examples from places all over the world, zooming in on the Netherlands and the USA.

Q&A questions answered

In Africa there are large local (climate) differences, how is the African Adaptation Accelaration developed and implemented on local/country scale?

Joep: We work with local partners and adopt solutions that are tailored to local circumstances.

As a law student, I'm curious about the human rights and law in terms of drink water and the surface water. Doesn't need the adaption of water to be in line with the law in Africa?

Joep: Some counties have recognized access to drinking water and sanitation as a human right. However, not in all cases this translates into actual access. Rights to surface and ground water differ between counties. In some counties - mostly following British law - ground water sources are owned by the land owner.

Looking at the impressive numbers I wonder if the Western world will take it’s responsabiliteit on preventing this coming disaster. How do think about this?

Joep: So far the developed countries have not been very good at taking this responsibility. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is not going fast enough. The developed counties committed to US$100 billion support to poorer counties per annum in Paris. This has not
happened either.