Delta Climate Center
Weather and climate are changing. This is noticeable worldwide, also in delta areas such as Zeeland. Think about sea level rise, salinization, drought, and changes in biodiversity. Major sustainability challenges - in the areas of energy, nitrogen and nature - also have major impact on our living environment. The DCC develops knowledge and innovations to keep delta areas safe and flourishing.
In 2085 the sea level will rise by 25 to
80 cm
on our coast
Last three decades warmest in
1400
year
In 2050 only a 2.0 to
0.2 %
chance of an Elfstedentocht, as opposed to a 15% chance now
Partners
About the Delta Climate Center
The Delta Climate Center focuses on regional transitions towards sustainable, climate-resilient and prosperous deltas, in Zeeland and worldwide. We do this through research, development of educational programmes and collaboration with the business community, societal organizations, governments and citizens. By uniting research and practice, we work on concrete solutions for various climate and sustainability challenges.
We work on solutions that tackle the consequences of climate change, as well as on new opportunities that arise from climate change. By doing so, we strengthen the economy of Zeeland, create new employment and attract (young) highly educated professionals.
Broad collaboration and co-creation
We strongly believe in doing transdisciplinary research at different levels of abstraction, since it generates more relevant research questions and more meaningful answers. In the Delta Climate Center, we foster close collaboration between secondary vocational education and training (MBO), higher professional education (HBO) and research-oriented education (WO). This allows us to conduct research “from theory to practice.
Given the broad challenges that we focus on, many disciplines are involved; this concerns the natural sciences, technical engineering, but also social, economic and legal disciplines.
In co-creation with companies, societal organizations, governments and residents, we look for solutions to concrete challenges in the Zeeland delta. Such collaboration with a wide range of external parties is essential to have real impact.
Zeeland delta as a living lab
Due to the specific characteristics of the Zeeland delta, its scale and the close involvement of local stakeholders, Zeeland offers the ideal conditions to conduct research on questions related to sustainable food, water safety and water availability, and circularity.
The combination of a physical testing ground, modern technology and a large network of highly-skilled experts is used to test in real-life experiments whether interventions work. This allows us to develop innovative solutions and support better decision-making.
An holistic view on transitions
In order to keep delta areas safe and flourishing in the future, we must understand the interplay between climate change, sea level rise, biodiversity change and sustainability challenges in the field of energy, nitrogen and nature. At the Delta Climate Center, we focus in particular on the interrelations between various transitions. This integrated perspective is complementary to ungoing activities, and allows us to unite researchers towards the same goal.
Our projects and activities focus on themes that are important for the Zeeland delta: sustainable food, water safety and water availability, and circularity.
