Film 'Waterproof' highlights the social aspects of climate change

27 October 2008

The Netherlands will not escape the consequences of climate change. However, it is difficult to predict how climate change will affect society. Such predictions not only require knowledge from the life sciences but also the social sciences. The film 'Waterproof' by Joshka Wessels sheds light on social sciences research into the climate. The film received its premiere on 19 November 2008.

Joshka Wessels, producer of eco-documentaries and social geographer, gained her doctorate last spring for her research into traditional sustainable drinking and irrigation water systems in the Middle East. As part of her doctoral research Joshka made a film about the disappearance of that system. Wessels: "Whereas there in the Middle East it is often too dry, here in our surroundings we will have to learn to live with an 'excess' of water. The sea level is rising just like the level in the rivers. We need to prepare ourselves for this as it will bring about change in our society. And despite the availability of climate change models at a world level, predictions about the consequences at a local level are full of uncertainties. Therefore knowledge from the social sciences should be drawn upon in efforts to make the Netherlands 'waterproof'. How do people response to climate change and what different scenarios are possible?"

Learning from developing countries

The film 'Waterproof' throws light on research projects from the NWO social sciences programme 'VAM' ('Vulnerability, Adaptation and Mitigation'). This programme stimulates scientific research into the social, behavioural and legal aspects of climate change. One of the research projects in the film considers what the Netherlands can learn from countries where floods regularly occur. Wessels: "The researchers have examined a developing country such as Mozambique where large-scale flooding and coastal erosion are no longer exceptional events. How do the people there deal with the effects of climate change and what can we in the Netherlands learn from this?" Further the film takes a look at research into the impact of climate change on coastal tourism as well as examining a study into how the inland shipping in the Netherlands will be affected by rising river levels.

The 30-minute long film will be first shown during the VAM conference 'Are we prepared for extreme weather conditions?' in Groningen on 19 November 2008. Please consult the NWO website for further information about this conference.

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