Events

EuDA-CEDA joint Workshop at European Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen‘Sustainable Dredging Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation’Solutions from the European Dredging Community

In today’s policy discussions, Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) is about controlling the consequences of the rising temperature of the Earth due to excessive anthropogenic emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere. CCA strategies aim at mitigating the climate change consequences on vulnerable areas and building up their resilience.

The main threats from climate change include sea level rise, increased temperature of the seawater surface, changes in (seasonal) precipitation and hence river flow, increased frequency of extreme events (floods, draughts, storms, surges), … there are some certainties in which direction the challenges go but there are also uncertainties on how to deal with those. Uncertainty can be reduced by building new knowledge and by developing new ‘adaptable’ approaches, such as adaptive management and monitoring.

With 80% of the largest population centres located along the coasts, the potential for climate change related (natural) disasters is significant on both human populations and marine, estuarine and fluvial ecosystems. The need for action to protect vulnerable areas and increase their resilience is real and urgent: first the planning, then its execution.

Dredging knowledge, technology and know-how are indispensable instruments that and offer varied solutions for the adaptation to climate change in vulnerable coastal and inland areas. For instance, dredging know-how contributed greatly to the design and construction of the ‘10,000 year storm’ defences for the port of Rotterdam. Other examples include the beach parks Køge Bay and Amager in Denmark which combine flood protection with ‘engineered nature’ in the form of lagoons, and high quality artificial beaches. Sustainable approaches and philosophies such as “Working with Nature” and ‘Building with Nature’, which aim at harnessing the forces of nature, both in physical and biological terms, are increasingly integrated into project design and execution offering innovative, sustainable solutions.

The joint EuDA-CEDA workshop presented and discussed the views of academics, policy makers and practitioners on sustainable concepts and examples for planning and executing of CCA projects in coastal, estuarine and fluvial systems to transform the threats from climate change into opportunities for humans and nature.

For the Workshop detailed programme: click here.

For the speakers’ presentations see below:

Welcome and Introduction to the Workshop & Programme Overview

• Workshop Chairman
  Mr Polite Laboyrie, CEDA Chairman

Setting the scene:

Academic point of view: CCA Challenges, possible Impacts and Implications for the Dredgers

• Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kropp, PIK
  presenting “Setting the frame: sustainable dredging and climate change“.

European Commission’s point of view: European Strategy, Policies and Actions

• Mrs Birgit De Boissezon, HoU Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (DG RTD)
  presenting “Adaptation, preparing for a changing climate“.

Project owners

National Government point of view: National Strategy, Policies and Actions

• Mr Pieter de Boer, Rijkswaterstaat (RWS)
  presenting “CCA, Dutch national strategy, policies and actions“.

Ports point of view: Corporate Strategy and Actions

• Mr Vincent Malfère, Port of Le Havre
  presenting “CCA, the case of Port of Le Havre“.

Contractors

Dredgers’ point of view: Existing Solutions and Example Cases

• Mr Bernard Malherbe, JDN, and Mr Paris Sansoglou, EuDA
  presenting “The Dredging Contractors’ Point of View on Sustainable Dredging Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation“.