Delta Programme Commissioner organises second expert group meeting of weather presenters
On 18 April, the Delta Programme Commissioner held a second expert group meeting with twelve weather men and weather women on climate change and its potential impact on our country. The meeting took place at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute KNMI in De Bilt, where the delegates were welcomed by KNIMI Director-General Gerard van der Steenhoven.
Delta Programme Commissioner Wim Kuijken organised the meeting for the purpose of sharing (scientific) knowledge with the weather and climate experts, in an age in which measurements show that weather extremes are increasing. As an example, he referred to the cloudburst in Copenhagen in 2011: the Netherlands also needs to prepare for this type of situation, and has already experienced similar situations in recent years. A presentation by KNMI staff regarding the attribution of extreme weather to climate change, and the impact of melting polar ice on the weather in North-West Europe was followed by a round table discussion between the Delta Programme Commissioner and the weather presenters. One of the topics discussed involved ways to communicate objectively on climate change to the public at large. Subsequently, the Delta Programme Commissioner informed the experts of the impending Delta Plan on pluvial flooding and heat stress, which will be published on Prinsjesdag [the opening of Parliament in September]. In conclusion, the Delta Programme Commissioner proposed that another expert group meeting be scheduled in six months’ time. He cordially invited the participants to attend the eighth National Delta Congress on 2 November in the WTC Expo in Leeuwarden. The day was rounded off with the weather report by Piet Paulusma on the Scheveningen sea front.