Yes, sea levels are rising, but don’t panic, think calmly

And forget the worrying cartoon about how the Netherlands might one day be swallowed up by the sea. The Netherlands could technically deal with a sea level rise of up to three metres, which is a reassuring thought, because according to the latest models, the sea level rise off the Dutch coast until 2100 will probably reach a maximum of 1.2 metres, or perhaps 2.5 metres. If the ground ice in Antarctica would melt. The Netherlands has time to prepare for the future – no matter how uncertain it may be.

This is the gist of recent reports on sea level rise and the consequences for the Netherlands. “We must do everything we can to continue to protect ourselves from floods in the long term and learn to live with less fresh water,” researchers write for the “Temporary Balance” knowledge program on sea level rise that will be presented on Thursday at 12 p.m. :00 GMT. Delta Annual Conference.

The words sound like a warning. But the researchers then identified a long series of ideas and measures the Netherlands could take to deal with sea level rise. In fact, the tone remains the same as it was fifteen years ago, when an important Delta committee headed by former minister Cees Verman first presented proposals to make the Netherlands “climate resilient”: “There is no reason to panic, we have to worry.” “About the future,” says Fairman.

This calm determination also characterizes the Sea Level Rise Knowledge Program report. The body was created four years ago by Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen and Delta Commissioner Peter Glass, partly in response to reports of accelerating sea level rise.

Sand supplements

Everything expresses confidence in the Netherlands’ ability to cope with a sea level rise of several meters with the current system of sand recharge, dike reinforcements and storm barriers. The Netherlands will only be able to choose long-term “solution directions” such as a new coastline when sea levels rise by a few more meters – at the earliest after the end of the century, and the uncertainty about this is high. a few kilometers from the existing coast, “in order to create a seaward storehouse for excess river water”, or to stop constantly building dams and adapt the use of space to increased flooding, inundation and salinization. This is called “moving along.”

“It is about keeping the lower Netherlands livable and inhabitable by adapting land use, construction methods and infrastructure and keeping the upper Netherlands economically vibrant,” the report says.

The reassuring tone does not mean that nothing should be done in the coming decades. Work is already being done every day to reinforce the most important flood defenses, huge amounts of sand are being sprayed on the coast, and storm barriers are also often closed. These measures must be expanded, as well as to retain the necessary fresh water. “Before sea levels rise by two metres, river water is increasingly insufficient to sustain all freshwater systems.”

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