Climate changes Spatial Planning Introduction to the Dutch national research programme

Dealing with climate change and climate variability is one of the largest challenges for the coming years, both on a national and global scale. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presents increasing evidence of impacts of climate change and suggests that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities. In the Netherlands, impacts of climate change are to be expected on land and water use, including infrastructure, ecosystems and agriculture. IPCC warns that water and land use may also add strains that increase vulnerability to climate change, so we are dealing with a complex system full of positive and negative feedbacks. A broad recognition of climate change and its impacts on natural resources and society is a conditio-sine-qua-non to develop an adequate and timely set of spatial policies for mitigation and adaptation