About 1200 cyclists cycle the ClimateClassic today. This is a cycling trip in relay form from Breda to Groningen to draw attention to the consequences and the prevention of climate change.
The route of approximately 400 kilometers goes along the coastline that arises in the Netherlands when the sea level rises too much and that coastline may never become a reality as far as the Cycling 4 Climate is concerned. Without human measures such as dike construction and pumping, this would be the coastline in the Netherlands. The tour also passes through Drenthe, because without human intervention a part of Southwest Drenthe, especially the area around Meppel, was under water.
The first cyclists left Breda this morning at 5.30 am. Dijkgraaf Dirk-Siert Schoonman of the Drents-Overijsselse Delta Water Board is one of the cyclists who will get on in Overijssel this afternoon and cycle through the Southwest corner of Drenthe. “A total of eight water boards are cycling along. We are cycling with a team of ten people,” says Schoonman. “In Zwolle we take over and then we cycle to the North, where we pass the baton back to Wetterskip Fryslân.”
“As a water board, we believe that we should do our part to draw attention to climate change, because we experience these changes every day, in the form of weather extremes. Dry, but also extremely wet times in the form of downpours,” he continues. the Dijkgraaf. “We saw the consequences of those downpours last year in Limburg. In the years before, we saw extreme drought in the summer.”
According to Schoonman, WOD Delta is preparing for sea level rise in the long term. “So we make sure we have the dikes in order and we think together with municipalities and provinces about how we can prevent flooding and then retain the water for longer, so that we also have less drought damage.”
Residents can of course also do something themselves. Schoonman: “It starts with awareness. Everyone can contribute, from the city to the countryside. Every square meter counts. People can take measures themselves, for example by making their garden greener. Not only, but stones in it, but more green. That provides cooling in the summer and ensures that the water can drain better. In urban areas it is sometimes five degrees warmer in summer than in other areas. Then you get heat stress.”