Deltas 2014 conference promises three exciting days in Rotterdam's World Trade Centre, the Netherlands
The organisers have presented the programme for the conference Deltas in Times of Climate Change II in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on 24-26 September.
The programme promises three exciting days on flood protection and climate adaptation in Rotterdam's World Trade Centre, with many plenaries and more than 100 parallel sessions.
Top rated speakers
The plenary sessions include well known speakers, such as Yolanda Kakabadse (President WWF), Stéphane Hallegatte (World Bank) and international renowned scientists, Thomas Stocker and Chris Rapley.
Sessions are interesting for scientists, practitioners and politicians working on climate change adaptation. During the conference there will be plenty of time to meet with interesting people from around the world and extend your network.
The parallel sessions will take place in three different formates: scientific presentations, workshops and case studies.
Within a year after superstorm Sandy (october 2012) most damage along the Jersey coastline had been repaired - like this breach in Mantoloking - but money for structural preventive measures still fails.
Scientific state-of-the-art
In scientific sessions, scientists from all over the world present their findings. Sessions will take place in the afternoon of Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 September, and on Friday morning 26 September.
The programme is structured around the themes:
● climate projections and extremes
● flood risk management
● fresh water management
● coastal systems and wetlands
● urban adaptation to climate change
● rural development and food security
● port development and infrastructure
● disaster reduction and emergencies
● governance of adaptation
● economics and finance of adaptation
● decision support tools and risk assessment
(see provisional programme: Deltas in depth - scientific)
Individual protection during a flood - like here during the Somerset Levels floods in Moorland (February 2014) - is for some happy few only. On the other hand, collective flood prevention measures are expensive and very complex.
Exchange of best practices
The Deltas in Practice workshops are hosted and organised by a variety of international stakeholders. In solution oriented sessions people from NGOs, private sector and government at (inter)national level as well as regional and local level will share lessons learnt, and exchange their approaches and best practices. All with the same goal: to take the next step in adaptation. Session formats include presentations, but also trainings, group discussions, serious games and design charettes.
The themes are:
● risk assessment
● adaptation strategies
● urban design and infrastructure
● green adaptation, building with nature
● food security and the rural landscape
● awareness, capacity building and community resilience
● governance and finance
● post disaster preparedness and recovery
(see provisional programme: Deltas in Practice - workshops)
City development and flood prevention can go hand-in-hand, like here the NCICD-project for Jakarta shaped like a Garuda bird, the patron bird of Indonesia.
Deltas around the world
During the Conference one of the four main conference session streams is reserved for the Delta Sessions: nine sessions focusing on the current status and future development of innovative approaches and projects in Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Myanmar, USA, Colombia, Egypt and the Netherlands.
These Delta Sessions will address a number of the Building Blocks for the Delta Approach: a dozen specific approaches for delta areas.
Each of the Delta Sessions will address a few of these building blocks.
Specific Delta approaches:
● Mozambique - focusing on the port city of Beira
● USA - focusing on the 'Rebuild by design' approach
● Indonesia - focusing on the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD)
● The Netherlands - focusing on the new national policy frameworks of the Delta programme
● Bangladesh - focusing on the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100
● Vietnam - focusing on the overall theme of 'shared framework for development'
● Colombia - focusing on the implementation of the Room for the River concept in the Cauca area
● Egypt - focusing on Integrated Coastal Zone Management
● Myanmar with a focus on developing the implementation of an integrated water resources management strategy
Additionally two sessions will be organised related to the scientific research programme Urbanising Deltas of the World (UDW) by the national research council in the Netherlands NWO.
This proramme aims to increase knowledge about river deltas worldwide and to contribute to water safety, food security, and to sustainable economic development in these areas.
(see provisional programme: Delta Session - worldwide)
Early bird registration is possible till 15 July.
More information
Deltas in Times of Climate Change II
Conference Secretariat
c/o MCI
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
+31 20 679 3411
www.climatedeltaconference2014.org