Speech on the occasion of the International Conference Climate Changes Spatial Planning

Toespraak | 12-09-2007

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured to open this conference on behalf of the Dutch government. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Balkenende cannot be with us today, but I assure you he is fully committed to this issue.

Climate change has become an unavoidable matter and a top priority on the political agenda. It's time for action to reduce emissions and adapt to the effects. This is a challenge for all sectors in civil society and creates opportunities for sustainable development. In this respect, cooperation and dialogue between providers of knowledge and policy makers has become inevitable.

The world's climate is changing. Temperatures are rising. Last year we had a dry, hot summer, whereas this year it was very wet. Sea levels are rising and rivers have to cope with more water.

Biodiversity will also change. The disappearance of species of flora and fauna, and the introduction of new species into ecosystems must be considered. The natural balance will change. Serious health problems will occur due to warmer weather. The effects of climate change will be noticeable across all areas of policy.

On the other hand climate change provides us with new challenges and opportunities. The typical Dutch summers could change to a more Mediterranean climate: a challenge for tourism and recreation. Mitigating-measures will give industry, agriculture and transport new ways to develop in a sustainable way.

The Intergovernmental panel for climate change presented its findings this year in its Fourth Assessment Report. The panel clearly indicated how the climate will change and what effects this will have.

However, it also stressed that there are a range of concrete options available that can counteract climate change. Examples of the options are energy saving, the use of renewable energy and the avoidance of deforestation.

What we should do is dedicate all our energy and creativity to two areas: prevent the situation from getting worse and adapt ourselves to the coming changes. Now it's time for civil society to take on the challenge.

On a national scale as well as worldwide efforts are already being made to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which is essential to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control. The Netherlands has announced its commitment to reduce emissions by thirty percent in two thousand and twenty.

For this purpose, the Government has set up a project called 'cleaner and more efficient'. It is a tall order, but it can be achieved with the help of our colleagues in the EU and by making use of instruments like emissions-trading. This challenge calls for innovation and creativity, and the key factors are saving energy and the sustainable use of energy.

Concerted international efforts are essential, and this autumn we will meet in Bali with our UN partners to discuss the problem. Hopefully, that will be the start for international negotiations on a new agreement with industrialised countries on how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Preferably complemented with countries that are in full development like China and India.

However, even the most far-reaching measures to curb emissions will not be enough to turn the tide. We must also adapt ourselves to the changes of the climate. It is not a question of if it will happen, but when, and above all how. Climate change is not a phenomenon that will happen gradually. It will involve sudden extremes, which could even materialise next year.

The challenge for the Netherlands in the twenty first century is to become resistant to the effects of a changing climate. It is a massive task, and one that we cannot turn away from. The government feels this urgency, and is ready for action. The future of the Netherlands must be secured by taking action now. A new climate calls for new policy.

This approach is described in the Adaptation Programme for Development and Climate, which lays the basis for future policy and future investment, and calls for knowledge and expertise to tackle the issue. Innovation, challenges and practical solutions are the key terms, and form the framework for new policy. My colleague Cramer will tell you more about this tomorrow.

The task we face is formidable, not only due to its scope and complexity, but also because the problem has not yet fully manifested itself. If we want to tackle climate change, we should not just wait for the first disaster to happen. Prevention is always better than cure. This is something we already experienced fifty years ago when a part of the West of the Netherlands was flooded. We have to be pro-active in our approach. Fortunately, this is already the case, and the Dutch water sector is leading the way.

At the moment there are many areas in which we can still do only very little. We are increasingly becoming aware that climate change can also have some unpleasant surprises in store and the consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly vague.

A good example of vagueness is bluetongue. The animal disease bluetongue appears to be spread by small midges, which used to be prevalent only in warmer countries. The rise in cases of bluetongue was blamed on the rise in temperature but it later emerged that climate change has nothing to do with it. However, similar situations are conceivable. Or consider the disturbing reports which suggest that rising sea temperatures could even cause the gulf stream to stop, which would plunge Europe into a new ice age.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure I don't have to explain that knowledge plays a key role here, especially in the Programme for Development and Climate. The goal of this programme is to develop socially relevant expertise in this field. As to the question of whether this goal has been achieved, you can judge for yourselves in the coming days. The results of numerous projects have found their way into the public and private domain.

The job of making the Netherlands 'climate-proof' is complex and multi-faceted. It involves a wide variety of players, from central government to local councils, from the business community to the public, and from water boards to scientific institutes and social organisations.

The development of knowledge in this area must therefore take place in cooperation and dialogue with society at large - from the initial stages of formulating the questions to be addressed, to the final stages of actual implementation. We all hold a part of the solution in our hands.

Additional investments in knowledge are necessary. What we need is applicable, recognisable and practical knowledge for all sectors of civil society. Knowledge that is relevant to making the Netherlands adaptive to the effects of climate change.

Recently, the Government decided to set aside fifty million euros from natural gas proceeds to implement this programme. And the programme's objectives fit in well with the government's motto: 'Working together, living together'.

The programme itself is unique, both in how it came about and how it's carried out. A variety of institutes worked together to present a proposal to the government. The involvement of these institutes alongside the government ensures that policy can benefit from the latest developments in this field, and research can benefit from policy insights. This combined strength puts the Netherlands in a competitive position in today's world.

Other parties that have taken on the challenge are Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and the Port of Rotterdam. Plans are fleshed out in consultation with these parties, both of whom also contribute to funding the programme.

Dialogue with stakeholders is of great importance for the policy work at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Its also of great importance for the identification of relevant questions and implementation. Hotspots like peat lands, the Wadden Sea, Groningen and the dry sandy grounds have my special interest.

What does climate change mean for the realisation of the National Ecological Network? How are we going to meet European requirements when protected animal species are leaving the Netherlands? And what are the consequences of new species entering the country? How will agricultural production be affected? What are the challenges for this sector? Which new products and cultures could be introduced and how should the sector anticipate? These are just a few of the many important questions we would like to see addressed.

For agriculture, climate change brings both threats and opportunities. Innovation plays a key role in safeguarding its future, and the sector can contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Examples include anaerobic co-digestion at livestock holdings; greenhouses generating energy instead of consuming it and other sustainable forms of using energy.

However, the attention for climate change here in the Netherlands must not divert our attention from the needs of the developing world. The consequences are gravest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the mega-deltas of Asia. The populations there have only limited opportunities to adapt to the coming changes. Food and water, the most basic needs of the people, will be put under even more pressure.

The Government believes that the Western world has an obligation to help the people in these parts of the world as much as possible in adapting to climate change.

The Netherlands is developing knowledge and expertise that can also be used in developing nations. This also applies to the Government's motto: working together, living together. The development of adaptation strategies in the Dutch context can easily be converted into our efforts in international cooperation. The transfer of knowledge and capacity building is crucial here. The new programme will also address ways of doing this.

Ladies and gentleman, we know a lot and more knowledge has to be developed. However time is running out so our efforts should be focussed. The knowledge we need has to be relevant for civil society, practical and acceptable. I challenge the scientific society to provide us politicians with that kind of information.

I wish you a very inspiring time.