More than 500 million people worldwide live in deltas. Their livability is under pressure from sea level rise and ecosystem degradation, among other things. How do we create sustainable, climate-resistant and prosperous deltas? This question is the focus of the Delta Climate Cent
Partners
Welcome to the Delta Climate Center
The Delta Climate Center's research programme focuses on regional transitions towards sustainable, climate-resilient and prosperous deltas. This involves looking at the role of water and coast, the importance of food, energy and bio-resources and a circular approach to water, energy and bio-resources. This approach results in four guiding themes.
Education
Research
Knowledge institutes such as Scalda, HZ University of Applied Sciences, University College Roosevelt, NIOZ, Utrecht University, and Wageningen University & Research, which have established the Delta Climate Center, will closely cooperate in comprehensive, practice-oriented, and scientific research.
Watershed landscapes
The Climate Adaptation Strategy Zeeland shows a necessarily high level of ambition, with the goal of being climate-proof and water-robust by 2050, covering infrastructure, robust nature that can cope with climate extremes, and sustainable agriculture. DCC is investigating how water and the coast can help us counter climate change and adapt to its consequences. This includes research into new approaches to climate-resilient coastal defence, especially using nature-based solutions.
Development of regional transitions
How can regional transitions towards a sustainable, climate-resilient and prosperous delta be shaped and managed? This cross-cutting theme involves research and interventions aimed at understanding and organising information, institutions and cultural aspects of the transitions, with a particular focus on the perspectives of data and technology, governance and law, art and culture.
Food-water-energy-materials nexus
We conduct research on how we can use our food, energy and biobased resources, combat climate change and adapt to its consequences. This includes, for example, research on the transition from terrestrial animal to marine and plant protein, the transition to a circular and bio-based economy based on renewable materials, sustainable energy and the transition to guaranteed healthy and safe food. Research on energy, and the transition to an emission-neutral system, takes place at the interfaces of development of new energy systems, food and natural processes. New developments and research on impacts and implementation include marine energy such as the development of energy generation through tidal power and waves, as well as solar energy at sea, linked to food production and hydrogen. These often involve distribution issues: for instance, a lot of water is needed to generate energy (as feedstock for hydrogen and cooling power plants), energy is needed to clean and convert water into hydrogen, with water becoming increasingly scarce - also for the food chain.
Circularity and chain management
This theme focuses on both food and non-food applications. It involves the use of all substance streams (upgrading) of bio-resources from the delta. It focuses on the entire chain from the primary sector to the processing industry, catering and retail and the consumer goods industry. Circularity is a key principle here: when using water, energy and nutrients. Through mitigating measures and attention to biodiversity, for example, cultivation will be designed differently (more diverse, local, small-scale, using precision agriculture and nature-inclusive agriculture).
Working together
The Delta Climate Center works with companies, organisations and governments on research, education and business development. Cooperation is also sought with startups in the fields of water, food and energy.
News
23 april 2024
Meet Up in ZB with Teun Terpstra and Herman Kasper Gilissen
Meet Up at ZB | Library of Zeeland on climate change and implications for Zeeland.
23 maart 2024
Herman Kasper Gilissen new professor at DCC
Cross-border water management in the Zeeland delta, climate adaptation, flood risks and water shortages are themes in his research.
23 maart 2024
Jan van Tatenhove appointed at DCC
Knowledge is of great importance for achieving a safe, sustainable, and resilient Zeeland delta."