Dutch Research Body Advises Rerouting the Rhine
Dutch research body advises rerouting the Rhine
BRUSSELS, April 5 (Xinhua) — The course of the river Rhine within the Dutch territory should be changed to reduce the risks of the downstream areas being flooded by the river carrying increasing glacial-melt-water from the Alps, a Dutch environmental policy advisory body said on Friday.
In terms of global warming, the Netherlands has more to fear from its rivers than from the sea, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP) said in a statement on its website.
The agency made the comments in response to a bleak report released on Friday by a United Nations (UN) climate conference in Brussels. The report concludes that the sea level may increase between 35 cm and 85 cm in the 21st century, and even rise by one and a half meter in a worst case scenario.
The Dutch agency said that the Netherlands, which has a quarter of its land below the sea level, does not have to worry a lot about flooding at the coast, because the current coastal system can deal with a sea level increase of 1-1.5 meter in the coming century.
But the rise in the level of the North Sea will make it increasingly difficult for the Rhine and other rivers to dispose of their water, which is bound to grow due to a greater amount of glacial-melt-water coming down from the Alps.
As the Rhine passes through some of the most densely-populated and economically important regions of the Netherlands, including Rotterdam, flooding could cause great problems, the agency said.
The agency advises altering the course of the Rhine so that it flows into the delta region in the southwestern province of Zeeland with a lower level of urbanization.
Another option is to divert the river northwards into the river IJssel, which runs into Lake IJssel in the north of the country, it said.
According to the report presented on Friday by the Inter- governmental Panel on Climate Change, global temperatures are likely to rise by an average of two degrees Celsius this century, causing more heat waves in Europe and North America, greater water shortages and a rise in ocean levels.
The report said that poorer nations will be the hardest hit — some African Nations might have to spend between five and 10 percent of their gross domestic products to adapt to climate change. The report also said that climate change could cause the extinction of around 30 percent of known species.
The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency supports national and international policy makers by analyzing the impacts of societal trends and policies on the environment. It provides independent assessments on sustainable development, climate change and related topics.
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