The Netherlands

1
The Netherlands
Location Western Europe, Bordering
Germany, Belgium, and North Sea
Population 17
million
Researched and compiled by Lyndsay Wehrum, GEO
109, Winter 2008
Picture from Google Images
2
Best Known for Clogs, Windmills, Tulips, and
Legalized Marijuana
Global Warming predicted to cause massive
flooding and pied flycatcher (bird) population
decrease in Netherlands
Pictures from Google Images/ Lonely Planet
3
1953 flood resulted in a massive effort where
dikes, sea walls, and pump houses were built
55 percent of the land area is below seal level
(Talbot, 2007)
Land sinking at a rate of .2 centimeters per
year (Talbot, 2007) in some regions.
Picture from Talbot, David. July/August 2007.
Saving Holland. Technology Review, p. 50-56.
4

• North Sea most flooding risk

Efforts are not enough for predicted flooding
from Global Warming
Rhine River increasing as melting from Alps
Dutch Scientists say sea levels in the region
will rise between 25 and 85 centimeters this
century (Talbot, 2007)
5
Solutions Floating Towns

• -Demo located in
• Gelderland, Netherlands
• -16 floating, 30 on land
• situated on cement blocks
• -Sealed hollow basements for
• buoyancy
• -Electric and Sewage
• can withstand flood waters
• -Vertical concrete piles between
• each home, as water level raises,
• the houses rise with the piles

Picture from Talbot, David. July/August 2007.
Saving Holland. Technology Review, p. 50-56.
6
Solution Living with Water

• -Allow natural flooding in designated (low
  populated) areas
• -Relieve downstream
• Allow organic deposits from flooding to remain
  for farming

• (Future projection)

By 2050, 222,000 acres of land will be
surrendered to the floods. (National
Geographic, 2001)
Picture from Talbot, David. July/August 2007.
Saving Holland. Technology Review, p. 50-56.
7
Problem Pied Flycatcher Bird Population Decrease

• -Population decrease of almost 90 in some
  areas
• 4C Increase in Spring temp. over the past 20
  years
• -Caterpillars that feed chicks are arriving
  earlier
• No food for birds
• Other birds could face similar problems

Picture from Wikipedia.com
8
Improve transport systems for local and long
distance travel
Improving bike paths
Subsidies for energy-conservation programs
CO2 Tax on top of fuel taxes
9
People need to be aware of the effects and be
willing to make sacrifices and change
lifestyles
10
Sources -Hertsgaard, Mark. March 2007. On the
Front Lines Of Climate Change. TIME. -Mertz,
Bert and Vellinga, Pier. March/April 1990. The
Netherlands. EPA Journal, Vol. 16 Issue
2, pg 38-39. -Milius, S. May 2006. No Early
Birds. Science News. Vol. 169 Issue 18, pg
276-277. -Talbot, David. July/August 2007.
Saving Holland. Technology Review, p. 50-56.
-2001. Netherlands Battens Its Ramparts Against
Warming Climate. National Geographic News.