Climate Change: Dutch reactions

Was the United Nations recent Climate Change Conference a success? If the Conference President’s ambiguous conclusion—"key measures have been made in several areas,"—is a valuable gauge, the answer remains, depressingly, “No.” Certainly Washington D.C., which refuses to abide by emissions caps claiming it will stunt economic growth, had very little to say.

Due to America’s lackadaisical approach—both before and during the conference—many countries have begun taking a proactive stance. Take the waterlogged Netherlands, where climatologists predict precipitation could increase as much as 25 percent, and where a dense population is already pushing into flood-prone areas. Here, some urban planners and architects are trying to develop floating houses to combat climate change, but such houses would currently cost €300,000 a piece—so is this just a pie in the sky, designer solution only for the rich? Are politicians--even Dutch ones--being too optimistic in the face of this global issue?

Even Rob van Dorland, a climate scientist at the Dutch National Meteorological Agency, has cautioned we have about 10 years before catastrophe hits. Considering how the Netherlands, which has battled the seas for centuries, will probably go under as sea levels rise, a Dutch perspective at this juncture is invaluable. Why isn’t this in the news?