News item | 14-11-2022 | 13:15
At COP27 in Egypt today is the opening of the Dutch initiative ‘Champions Group for Deltas and Coastal Zones’. The Champions are countries that face major challenges when it comes to flooding, drought, freshwater shortages or sea level rise. They therefore have to invest a relatively large amount of money in climate adaptation. The aim is for the participating countries to share their knowledge in order to adapt even better and faster to the changing climate.
The Champions Group is part of the International Panel on Deltas and Coastal Areas (IPDC), which will be launched at the UN Water Conference in March 2023. The IPDC is a collaboration between knowledge institutions, financial institutions and countries. The Champions Group revolves around that last group.
To give the Champions Group and the IPDC a flying start, the Netherlands is now investing 2 million euros and is responsible for the secretariat until the water conference. Today the IPDC website goes online.
Minister Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management): “We Dutch have always been good at keeping water out. For hundreds of years we have been internationally known for our water knowledge and expertise. However, the changing climate is causing more extreme weather and sea level rise. It is important to prevent further climate change, at the same time the world must now adapt to the new climate. We have developed good plans and knowledge for this in the Netherlands. I believe that water safety is a priority that should apply all over the world. Through the Champions Group, the countries with the most expertise on climate adaptation can share their knowledge with the rest.”
Dry feet and enough food
The International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) has called on countries to draw up a national plan on how they will protect their country against the changing climate. The Netherlands already has a good idea of what needs to be done now to anticipate future problems. For example, rivers in the Netherlands have been given more room for controlled flooding and dikes have been strengthened and raised. The Netherlands also wants to deal well with the increasingly frequent drought, so ways to store more freshwater are being looked at. Such as a flexible level in the IJsselmeer.
More countries are fully engaged in climate adaptation, and they have joined the Champions Group. These are Bangladesh, India, Colombia, Egypt and Vietnam. In addition, financing institutions have joined, such as the Green Climate Fund, the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Together they are committed to helping a region or country with their national climate adaptation.
The organizations and countries that are now members of the Champions Group are now working on concrete climate adaptation advice for Bangladesh, Colombia and Egypt. These will be presented at the UN water conference in March 2023.
The Netherlands as a frontrunner
At COP26 last year, it was agreed that countries will double their budget for climate adaptation in 2025 compared to 2019. The Netherlands has already increased the budget to 900 million euros since 2019, half of which is specifically dedicated to climate adaptation. With that money, other countries can also better prepare for long periods of drought or for extreme rainfall.