Noord-Brabant wants to be completely climate-proof in 2050 and already wants to work towards that goal so that it can be an example for other provinces. Twynstra defined the ambitions, drafted an implementation plan and got an organisation up and running.
There is clear point on the horizon, but what does that mean in concrete terms and what does the journey between now and 2050 look like? Which of the interim goals are feasible? How can they be achieved and who is then involved in that? Which other projects are inspiring examples? Noord-Brabant wants to set to work today and gather the parties that want that too: other government bodies, the business community and citizens.
We helped the province in a role as quartermaster with setting up an implementation organisation and creating an agenda for a three-year period, 2017-2020. Both tracks, i.e. the how and the what, run concurrently. We helped fine-tune the goals. What exactly does a climate-proof province mean? How many hours of heat stress is still actually acceptable? What is the maximum permissible amount of flooding due to extreme rainfall? We created analyses to define the task in concrete terms and be able to move towards launching an implementation programme.
At the same time, we set up an implementation organisation comprising ten employees from across the provincial organisation. We set to work with this group, asking questions such as what does the climate task mean for policy fields such as agriculture, nature, infrastructure and urban development, and which developments could actually work against the province becoming climate-proof? This internal network formed the central point in the organisation for knowledge and raising awareness. It also went out looking for partnerships with municipalities and other partners, and kept up to speed with what’s going on and factored in climate adaption in every development that could be relevant.
We helped set up the organisation and gave the work a direction. Now is its time to fly, so that climate adaptation becomes an integral part of all urban planning tasks and programmes in Noord-Brabant. Together with its partners, the province can work towards its goals step by step, so that the living environment can withstand the changing climate.