Conference Deltas in Times of Climate Change

During the leading international conference ‘Deltas in Times of Climate Change’, Rotterdam was the inspiring centre for delta cities around the globe. Scientists, administrators, policy-makers and the corporate sector gathered from all over the world to share knowledge and to prepare for climate change together.

All the readings are recorded. You can either listen to them here or download them.

The readings are organized by theme and by day. You can download the whole programme in pdf. Or by day: wednesday, thursday, friday.

Opening session 29 september

Deltas in Depth

Day one, 29 sept 2010

Theme 1 Regional climate, sea level rise, storm surges, river run-off and coastal flooding:

• Sea level rise, surge and coastal processes, part 1
  

Theme 2 Fresh water availability under sea level rise and climate change:

• General picture
  

Theme 3 Climate change and estuarine ecosystems:

• Impact of climate change on estuaries round the world, part 1
  

Theme 4 Climate change and climate proofing urban areas:

• Adaptation strategies in urban areas
  

Theme 5 Competing claims and land use in deltas under climate change:

• Impacts and adaptation strategies
  

Theme 6 Governance and economics of climate adaptation:

• The governance of climate adaptation: international comparison
  

Theme 7 Decision support instruments for climate adaptation policy:

• DSS - improving their communicative power/enhancing decision making

Theme 8 Climate change and health in delta areas

Theme 9 Managing risks of extreme climate events

• Quantifying climate risks
  

Day two, 30 september 2010

Theme 1 Regional climate, sea level rise, storm surges, river run-off and coastal flooding:

• Sea level rise, surge and coastal processes, part 2
• Precipitation, discharge and flooding, part 1
• Adaptation, risk, vulnerability

Theme 2 Fresh water availability under sea level rise and climate change:

• Fresh water supply and salinisation in developing countries
  

Theme 3 Climate change and estuarine ecosystems:

• Impact of climate change on estuaries round the world, part 2
  

Theme 4 Climate change and climate proofing urban areas:

• Flood risks and water management in urban environment
  

Theme 5 Competing claims and land use in deltas under climate change:

• Generating and evaluating potential solutions 

Theme 6 Governance and economics of climate adaptation:

• Regional strategies of climate adaptation: concepts and Dutch examples
  

Theme 7 Decision support instruments for climate adaptation policy:

• Methods - CBA/MCA
• Methods - scenarios
  

Theme 9 Managing risks of extreme climate events:

• Managing climate extremes in practice
  

Theme 10 Research Programmes Climate changes Spatial Planning and Knowledge for Climate

• Introduction to the Dutch research programmes
  

Day three, 1 october

Theme 1 Regional climate, sea level rise, storm surges, river run-off and coastal flooding:

• Precipation, discharge and flooding, part 2
  

Theme 2 Fresh water availability under sea level rise and climate change:

• Salinisation in South-West Netherlands
  

Theme 4 Climate change and climate proofing urban areas:

• Climate change assessment and adaptation methods
• Urban adaptation in Rotterdam and other Dutch cities
  

Theme 5 Competing claims and land use in deltas under climate change:

• Implementation and design
  

Theme 6 Governance and economics of climate adaptation:

• The economics of climate adaptation
  

Theme 7 Decision support instruments for climate adaptation policy: 

• Novel approaches
  

Deltas in Practice

Day one, 29 sept 2010

Theme 1 Finance and economy:

• Emerging new modalities for financing/methodologies for costs and effects of adaptation options at global, national and local level
  

Theme 2 Urban planning and infrastructures:

• Urban Levees: integration of water safety and spatial planning and sustainable coastal protection

Theme 3 Governance:

• Dealing with uncertainties in planning. From concepts to tools and the needs for capacity building / adaptation strategies in delta cities
  

Theme 4 Flood risk management:

• Sinking deltas
  

Theme 5 Resources and Ecology:

• Green adaptation / Mekong at crossroads
  

Theme 6 Cooperation

Day two, 30 september 2010

Theme 1 Finance and economy:

• Economic concepts for socio-economic vitality and biodiversity
  

Theme 2 Urban planning and infrastructures:

• Adapting to urban heat island effects
• Innovations in water infrastructure and urban design, part 1
• Innovations in water infrastructure and urban design, part 2
• Planning for ports and waterways (not recorded)
  
• Developing Delta Cities, strategies for climate change in developing countries (Award)
  

Theme 3 Governance:

• Transitions and the role of change management
  
• Climate adaptation: conclusions, recommendations and applications (not recorded)
  

Theme 4 Flood risk management:

• Smart flood control in deltas
• Strenghtening resilience of delta communities
  
• The need for flexibility in engineering systems and processes to deal with climate change: perspectives from the private sector

Theme 5 Resources and Ecology:

• Guidance on water related adaptation 
• Deltas in Europe opportunities for research and policy collaboration
  

Day three, 1 october

Theme 5 Resources and Ecology:

• Fresh water storage in brackish groundwater: how can we make it work?
  

Theme 4 Flood risk management (no recordings)

Theme 6 Cooperation (no recordings)

Delta Sessions 30 september

• DS1: Regional Elbe/Hamburg
• DS2: Po Delta and the Venice Lagoon
• DS3: Nile Delta: need for innovation in water demand management
• DS4: Thames Estuary
• DS5: California
• DS6: Vietnam/Mekong
• DS7: Rhine Delta
• DS8: Bangladesh
• DS9: The lowland deltas of Indonesia
  

Round Tables 1 october

• Role of cities
• Financing adaptation, presentations
  

Closing session 1 october

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