What is the Dutch Climate Risk Portal going to be?

Lars: “The Dutch Climate Risk Portal is intended to be the primary hub for national and international companies and the financial sector to find information and data on the physical climate risks for the Netherlands, such as floods, heat waves and other extreme weather events.”

Why is it important to have this portal?

Detmer: “There is a lot of information and data about how we deal with climate risks in the Netherlands. But this is often hard to find and also difficult to interpret. As a result, misunderstandings frequently arise, leading people to believe that the Dutch delta region is more vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather than it actually is.

What are the common misconceptions about the Dutch delta region?

Detmer: “For example, the Netherlands frequently appears on lists of countries with high flood risks, primarily because one-third of the Netherlands is below sea level. This affects the choices companies and the financial sector make nationally and internationally about investments, financing and insurance. While we, as the Netherlands, consider ourselves the best protected delta in the world, it is essential to substantiate and communnicate this fact effectively.”

Lars: “For example, credit rating agencies analyze the financial risks in the Netherlands. It is increasingly becoming important for such organizations to conduct stress tests in which they include climate risks. But to perform such stress tests, they need to have the right knowledge and data. The portal aims to address the needs of companies by providing centralized insights into all physical climate risks relevant to the Netherlands, how we manage them as a country and where to find the necessary data.”

How important is climate risk information to the private sector?

Detmer: “The demand for reliable data on climate risks has grown tremendously in recent years and will only continue to grow in the coming years. Companies in the European Union are required by the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) to annually report climate risks and make policies accordingly. For large companies, this obligation applies from 2025 for reporting on the financial year 2024. In addition, banks and insurers are required by European regulators to report on the climate risks of their portfolios and take appropriate measures to manage these risks. As a result, the private sector increasingly needs high-quality data at the asset level, data on the current situation and various future scenarios. With this portal, we support the private sector create these reports and policies based on the right data. This way, the portal can have a meaningful impact and make an important contribution to a favorable business and investment climate in the Netherlands.”

Are climate risks mainly related to real estate?

Simone: “When people think of assets, they often first think of real estate, and it’s true that a lot of data is needed for this, for example, for a bank’s mortgage portfolio. But other sectors are also important for investors. How vulnerable is our agriculture to salinization? And what about our logistics sector? Could shipping suffer from prolonged periods of drought? And what could extreme heat mean for livestock transport? And what about our water supply for industry? Every sector needs climate risk data, and the portal brings this data together.”

Lars: “In addition to directing users to state-of-the-art maps on the Climate Impact Atlas or the National Information System for Water and Flooding (LIWO), we also provide context. What exactly are you talking about when discussing flood risks? Coastal flooding or river flooding? Flooded streets and roads due to heavy rainfall, or issues like mold and moisture in basements caused by high groundwater levels? And how does Dutch legislation address these risks? What is insurable and what is not? We also want to offer users the tools to start with an initial assessment themselves. And if they want to consult a consultancy firm, the portal helps them get the right support, which ultimately saves costs and leads to better knowledge.”

For whom is the Dutch Climate Risk Portal intended?

Detmer: “The portal is intended for both the national and international private sector. It’s for professionals from banks, pension funds, insurers, and real estate investors, as well as regulators and credit rating agencies. Additionally, it is intended for businesses more broadly. So, the portal can be useful for someone looking for climate risks associated with a particular investment or company. But it’s also meant for users who need analyses of entire portfolios.  The goal is to provide accurate and accessible information to this large and diverse professional audience.”

What climate themes do you focus on? Do you follow the Dutch DPRA themes of heat, drought, flooding, and sea level rise?

Lars: “Yes and no. As a basis, we use the so-called ‘EU Taxonomy’. It provides a clear structure that is used nationally and internationally for legislation and reporting. The ‘EU Taxonomy’ distinguishes between risks in the areas of temperature, wind, water, and soil. These are split into ‘acute risks’ and ‘chronic risks’. An example of an acute risk is a heavy downpour. Chronic risks develop gradually over time, such as sea level rise. On the portal, we provide insight into the risks defined by the ‘EU Taxonomy’, but we also link them to the themes of the Dutch Deltaprogramme for Spatial Adaptation (DPRA).”

When will the portal go live?

Simone: “Our goal is to make the portal available in the second or third quarter of 2025. For the climate data and climate hazard information provided on the portal, we are working closely with various content experts from the Dutch climate field. Additionally, the portal is being further developed in collaboration with the Climate Adaptation Working Group of the Platform for Sustainable Finance of De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). This working group includes representatives from banks, investors, pension funds, insurers, various ministries, and the Delta Commissioner’s Office. Before the portal becomes publicly available, we will first have a beta version tested by a broader group of users.”

What do you hope to achieve with the portal?

Detmer: “The portal is primarily a data hub that we hope professionals will adopt as the ‘go-to place’ for climate data about the Netherlands, enabling better analysis and decision-making. Ultimately, we also hope that it will accelerate the development of climate data, and inspire dialogue between different experts and sectors about what data is needed and how to use it. For example, a company may be more interested in specific scenarios for dike breaches related to business continuity, while a mortgage lender would focus on the risks for specific buildings and portfolios. In the end, all these different parties should be able to make the right choices.”

Simone: “In addition: we hope to create a level playing field by making the same data available to everyone. This way, we can prevent some parties from having a better starting position than others.”

Help us develop the portal

To make sure the portal meets user needs, we have created a user group to help us test a beta version of the portal. Are you curious about the portal and want to contribute to its development? Then sign up as a tester via the application form.

What is Safe4All about?

Hasse: “The aim of the project is to make three African countries more resilient to the effects of climate change: Ghana, Zimbabwe and Kenya. During the project climate tools will be co-developed, such as apps for farmers to receive weather forecasts. CAS creates tools for longer-term planning and decision-making. We develop the tools together with local partners and potential users. We are also developing a learning programme to support practitioners, such as climate service providers, policy officers and agricultural extension officers. And for us, this project offers an opportunity to bring the Climate Impact Atlas to Ghana, Zimbabwe and Kenya.”  

Want to know more about Safe4All? Then go to the project page 

A Climate Impact Atlas for Kenya sounds like a lot of work. How far along are you with that now?

Sophie: “We haven’t started from scratch. Between 2019 and 2022, we created a first version of the atlas. Thanks to the Safe4All project, we can continue with this. We are again working with our partners at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and the Kenya Meteorological Service (KMD) to take the current atlas to the next level. This includes updating climate information and expanding the atlas to include four additional counties.”  

Hasse: “The Dutch Climate Impact Atlas started 15 years ago with two provinces. Over time, other provinces joined, and new research partners kept getting involved. We hope to see the same growth in Kenya, and then also in Ghana and Zimbabwe. By setting up these atlases, we also hope to create a lasting partnership between all kinds of organisations. In the Netherlands, for example, the KNMI regularly updates scenarios, while other research institutes keep maps on climate effects up to date.”  

What exactly did you do in Kenya?

Hasse: “On the second day, we held a workshop, for which we made final preparations with our partners on the day of arrival. For the workshop, more than 20 participants gathered at the hotel where we stayed. That hotel was a beautiful place where we enjoyed the local food and the warm atmosphere!”  

Sophie: “The participants came from four counties of Kenya: Narok, Nyandarua, Nairobi and Kisumu. Some had to travel six hours to attend. There were farmers from each county, extension workers, and representatives from ministries, JKUAT and KMD. Hasse and I hosted two sessions. During the first workshop, we wanted to hear directly from participants how they experience climate change in their communities. For this purpose, we had brought large posters with diagrams inspired by the NAS Adaptation Tool. The posters were incredibly effective in starting the conversation about the impacts of climate change.”   

Hasse: “Then we introduced the Adaptation Pyramid to start discussions on how to combat the impacts of climate change locally. We wanted to hear what participants thought about what measures would work best for their communities. During a lively and engaging session, each group created its own adaptation pyramid. It was incredibly fun – and also amazing – to see how well the pyramid works for Kenyan farming communities!”    

Are you happy with the results?

Sophie: “Absolutely! The participants shared so much valuable information! And it was great to see how excited everyone was to work together for the next three years. We also visited the headquarters of the KMD to discuss and confirm our collaboration. They are an important partner in the project, also because they provide data for the atlas.” 

And you went to Narok to meet farmers. How was that?

Sophie: “Visiting Narok was a unique and valuable experience. By engaging with local farmers, we were able to hear their stories and only really understand their challenges. The differences turned out to be huge. For example, we met John, a farmer who had cows, sheep and chickens and grew several crops. He used modern tools like online weather forecasting, a biogas system and an underground water storage. But uphill lived a small farming community that did not have these resources and struggled with water shortages. The residents looked to the stars and to animals and plants to predict the weather for the coming days.”   

Did you only work in Kenya? Or was there also time for relaxation?

Sophie: “We were definitely able to relax too, and especially enjoyed the beautiful nature. Kenya is a beautiful country. But you do realise during a visit that life there is hard, for example for all those farming communities now struggling with the effects of climate change. We hope that with the Climate Impact Atlas and the learning programme we can make a positive contribution in the Safe4All countries. In any case, we are determined to make it a success!” 

How did you experience the city of Gdynia?

“Throughout the project, I have collaborated with the city of Gdynia on the climate story. Therefore, I was eager to visit the city and see their adaptation efforts firsthand. I was impressed by the beautiful central park, which was recently finalised and has a huge diversity of plants and trees. Gdynia is renowned for its forests, and we were invited to experience a ‘forest bath’.”

A forest bath? What is that?

“We immersed ourselves in the forest for about two hours and did all kinds of exercises to activate our senses. Walking slowly for instance, to take in all the sounds and smells. With my eyes closed I had to feel and smell lavender. We also had to sit or stand still for 15 minutes, and just watch. Not much happened at first, but at some point certain things started to catch my eye, like the light, moss and mushrooms. It was a bit meditative all around. This ‘forest bath’ worked to relax everyone, so it was the ideal way to start this GA.”

Sounds wonderful! And what was the goal of the General Assembly?

“Since the project is in its final year, we focused on activities that can increase the outreach and that ensure that the tools we developed will actually be used. We had an interesting discussion about the ‘demonstrators’, that aim to inspire cities from outside REACHOUT to apply methods and tools from the project. In addition, our colleague Eva Boon presented her PhD research project on the framework of successful climate services.”

What will you be doing in this final year?

“As I have been working on climate stories, I am currently developing a guide on how to create a climate story together with my colleagues from CAS and NGI. Additionally, I am contributing to the demonstrator on cities that are in the early stages of adaptation. We aim to make REACHOUT and its triple-A toolkit practical and useful for European cities.”

Interested in knowing more about REACHOUT? Follow REACHOUT on LinkedIn! You can also visit the project page on this website or visit the REACHOUT website.

Why did you give a training in Tamale?

Sophie: ‘The aim of our training was to make farmers in the Tamale area more resilient to the effects of climate change, using various adaptation measures. Over the past few years, droughts, floods and crop pests have impacted smallholder farmers in northern Ghana. This has a lot to do with climate change, which has made the rainy season in the area more erratic.’

‘One major topic that kept coming up in our discussions was the changing rain seasons and how unpredictable they have become.’

To whom did you give the training?

Sophie: ‘The training about climate change and agriculture took place at the University for Development Studies. For this, we worked together with our colleague Spyros Paparrizos from Wageningen University & Research. We had a diverse group that included students from the University for Development Studies of Tamale, staff from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, some risk and insurance advisers and a PHD student from the University of Parakou in Benin. Also, a staff member participated from the Sungold Farm Estate, an organisation dedicated to sustainable agriculture in Africa. The training was supported by the Orange Knowledge Programme, managed by Nuffic and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.’

First training day: getting acquainted and gathering information

Sophie: ‘We kicked off the training on 16 January at the WACWISA Center for Excellence with a lot of excitement. In the introduction round, we found out that the participants really enjoy nature, the environment, farming, and animals. To start things off, we did a group exercise, focusing on climate change in Ghana. We used posters and impact chains to collect information about relevant hazards and their impacts. One major topic that kept coming up in our discussions was the changing rain seasons and how unpredictable they have become. Last year, some farmers faced difficulties because of the late start of the rain season, resulting in the loss of two rounds of seedlings. By the time the rain finally arrived, the farmers lacked the financial means to buy seeds for a third planting. I also discovered that farmers used to rely on signals from nature to predict the weather, like the flight patterns of flamingos or fruit bats. Unfortunately, these animals have disappeared.’

Second day of training: field trip and Drop App

Sophie: ‘On the second day, we first went on an excursion to the Golinga Irrigation Project dam. Issa, one of the participants, explained how the dam was built to provide water for the nearby communities where 4000 people live. We were amazed by the green surroundings of the dam since we had become accustomed to seeing dry fields during the dry season. We expected to see various irrigation methods like drip or sprinkle irrigation, but to our surprise, irrigation was done by women using buckets to collect water.’

‘We were amazed by the green surroundings. We expected to see various irrigation methods like drip or sprinkle irrigation, but to our surprise, irrigation was done by women using buckets to collect water.’

Sophie: ‘In the afternoon, we focused on different data types and portals. But students were clearly most interested in Spyros’ presentation about the Drop App, which is a weather prediction app for farmers using both scientific and indigenous forecasts. They could relate well to Spyros’ experiences with local communities in often remote areas. They asked many questions about costs, data usage, how engaged the members of local communities were and whether they had smartphones.’

‘I also discovered that farmers used to rely on signals from nature to predict the weather, like the flight patterns of flamingos or fruit bats.’

Third training day: adaptation measures and storytelling

Sophie: ‘After a morning session about adaption measures, we focused on storytelling. The aim of storytelling is to bridge the gap between knowledge providers, such as scientists, and end users, like smallholder farmers. We encouraged creativity and many storylines were created using drawings and AI generated images. One of the stories was about Adam, a maize farmer in the Northern region. In 2017 he experienced a lot of crop damage. He was desperate, feeling his livelihood threated. An extension officer from the ministry helped him to take adaptation measures. In 2020, he had a successful maize harvest.’

Final day: presentations, presentation of certificates and guided tour

Sophie: ‘Friday was the day of celebration! The students shared their case studies, bringing together various training topics from the training, like engaging with stakeholders and storytelling. After the presentations, we gave out certificates, accompanied by a big round of applause. The final activity was a guided tour around the campus by Didier, one of the participants. The tour highlighted various climate-smart agriculture measures, like greenhouses. The tomatoes growing in the greenhouses are protected from extreme heat and water demand is reduced by 75%, Unfortunately, most farmers cannot afford a greenhouse, even though the return on investment is only 3 years.’

What was the goal of your trip to Athens, Eva?

REACHOUT follows the triple-A adaptation approach: Analysis, Ambition, and Action. This years’ theme was: ambition. REACHOUT’s cities, tool developers and knowledge brokers discussed what ambitions European cities have for climate adaptation. And how climate services can help cities to also set new ambitions. Participating cities also shared how far they were with climate adaptation and how they were already using REACHOUT’s tools and services. The meeting was hosted by the Chief Heat Officer of the city of Athens, Elissavet Bargianni. She focuses on combating the dangers of extreme heat in the city.’

And how have you experienced these two days in Athens?

‘We had a full programme. The tool developers presented their new tools and the knowledge brokers discussed how to further tailor the data and tools for the cities. I myself organised a working session with colleagues on how to monitor and evaluate the success of the climate stories for each city. It was great to see all project partners again in person. I also enjoyed speaking to a few people from the city of Athens in real life about the climate story we are developing together. While we have been working effectively through online meetings, the yearly in-person meeting is of great value for our work. There is time and space for more in-depth discussion on what cities really need and what the project should focus on.’

What were the main outcomes?

Based on the discussions in Athens, the participating cities identified their needs for climate services for the coming year. Another important topic we addressed was the legacy of the project: how will the services support the cities after the project? And how can the services be available and usable for all European cities? For example, for the climate stories we explored how the story website can be transferred to the cities and how they can build the capacity to maintain it and build new stories.’

Will there be another General Assembly?

‘Yes, the next and last General Assembly will be held in the Polish city of Gdynia at the end of this year. At the moment, it is still uncertain when exactly the General Assembly will take place. For those who are interested, I can recommend following CAS and REACHOUT on LinkedIn.’

Would you like to know more about REACHOUT? Then visit the project page.

What do you do as a data visualist? Do you make those pie charts and bar graphs?

‘Yes, but data visualizations consist of so much more! You can use the most extraordinary forms. And that is also the hardest part: daring to go beyond your own imagination. Sure, some data fit well with a traditional bar or line graph. But if you really want to attract attention, a visualization with its own unique shape works best.

Just look at the two data visualizations below. On the left is Simon Scarr’s visualization “Iraq’s bloody toll”. It shows the number of deaths between 2003 and 2011 in the Iraq war. This visualization is more than just an inverted bar graph: it also looks like a bloodstain. So very thematic and it immediately grabs attention!

On the right you see the visualization of the Global Carbon Footprint. Each circle represents a country. The larger the circle, the larger the carbon footprint of that country. Together, the circles form a footprint. This type of visualization is also called data art. The goal of data art is to convey emotions to the audience by showing insights, patterns or stories hidden in the data in an accessible and creative way.’

How do you like being a data visualizer at CAS?

‘It is varied, creative and challenging. It’s a search for the perfect visualization every time:

• It has to give the best insight into the data we are using for the project.
• It has to be visually appealing.
• It must suit the target audience and the message should become clear to them quickly.
• The time it takes to create the visualization must fit the available budget.

We have a small technical team so we go through the whole process of data visualization together. We also learn how to further improve this process. We do it all by ourselves. That’s what makes the work so much fun. We move from a good idea, to a nice sketch, to the technical skills, to make the visualization a reality.’

As a data visualizer, how do you collaborate with other colleagues? When are you asked to create a data visualization and how do you go about meeting that request?

‘Colleagues ask me to join a project when they need a data visualization. This can be a map, a graph, a dashboard, an infographic or another form. With the entire project team, we first brainstorm and try to answer the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the visualization?
  • What should you learn from the visualization?
  • Is the visualization intended to persuade?
  • Is the visualization supposed to incite action?
  • Is the visualization intended to present a particular point of view? Or is it just meant to explore the data?
• Which visual form suits the data and the purpose best?
  • What is the optimal way to show the data: a standard bar or line graph or some other form?
  • Will the visualization provide the desired insights and answer questions?

Then, either by myself or with colleagues, I make a number of sketches. We start with sketches because this allows us to easily make adjustments to the design. This sketch is already as close as possible to the final result. Once we have started programming, it is more difficult to change course. Once the project team and possibly the external party are satisfied with a sketch design, we start developing. The technical team starts coding the tool. During development, we regularly solicit feedback from the project team. When we are almost done, we establish a domain name where the final visualization can be seen.’

What visualization would you like to show yourself? One where you went beyond your own imagination?

‘I am currently working on a data visualization that provides insight into forest fires in Europe. I visualized the data in the form of a burning tree. Below is an image of the visualization.

The trunk of the tree represents Europe. The trunk branches into eastern, northern, southern and western Europe and then into the different countries. The thickness of the trunk and branches indicates how many forest fires have occurred in that area. The thicker, the more forest fires. In the outer branches – the branches representing countries – you can see different fires. These are the forest fires that have raged in the different countries in recent years. So the more forest fires there have been in a country, the worse the branch will be on fire. A visualization like this is not the easiest to read, but conveys a strong feeling. This is an example of data art. This visualization is still under development. When it is finished, I will add the link here!’