What are the effects of climate change in Drenthe? And what is the impact on, for example, nature, recreational areas, agriculture and infrastructure? The province has created a digital map set with possible consequences, vulnerabilities and effects.
The map set is called the Drents Adaptation Image and can be used as an instrument to make the environment climate-proof.
The climate is changing. Periods of heavy precipitation, severe drought and extreme heat will increase in the coming years. And the sea level is rising. In order to be able to better estimate for Drenthe what we will be dealing with in the short and medium term, the interactive map set has been created.
Deputy Hans Kuipers of climate adaptation: “What makes this instrument unique is that, in addition to mapping the climate effects, the impact on various sectors is also outlined. What does a heavy downpour mean for the accessibility and infrastructure of Drenthe, for example? Or where can large wildfires start because it gets drier and does this possibly have an impact on recreational areas in the area?”
Municipalities and water boards have mapped out the effects of climate change locally. The province has linked this to its data and bundled the various insights.
Kuipers: “With the Drents Adaptation Image in hand, everyone in Drenthe has access to knowledge and information to better understand what is coming our way and what we can already take into account when making choices. about the usefulness and necessity of expensive and far-reaching measures.”
“For example, with the knowledge about the effects of a so-called ‘water bomb’, which led to enormous damage in Limburg in July 2021, we know where flooding situations may arise in Drenthe. Now we can more easily determine whether measures are needed to mitigate the nuisance. and to ensure safety.”
Climate change is not something new for Drenthe. The barcode shows the average annual temperature at the KNMI measuring station in Eelde in North Drenthe for the period 1906-2021. Blue stripes are cold years and red stripes are warm years. It is striking that in the last 20 years in particular almost all years have been warmer or much warmer than average.