Climate Action Programme

The Climate Action Programme was launched in 2021 and functions as a community for climate action on the TU Delft campus and beyond. We coordinate various events, activities and functions, providing a central platform for climate related research, education and innovation at TU Delft. Through these efforts, we help to bring to fruition our university’s goal of creating impact for a sustainable society.

Our four overarching themes of Climate Science, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Change Governance are composed of Flagships. Researchers from different disciplines co-operate within the Flagships, and dedicated researchers have been appointed to each Flagship. We foster co-operation within Flagships, between the Flagships, with other climate related researchers and with external stakeholders and partners to secure societal impact.

We actively collaborate with other TU Delft initiatives including:

Delft Energy Initiative

We work together with the TU Delft Energy Initiative and it's energy institutes: Urban Energy; PowerWeb; Wind Energy; e-Refinery; H2; e4Battery; Social Innovation; Ocean Energy, Energy Access 4 All.

Delft Sustainability Initiative

TU Delft aims to be carbon neutral, climate-adaptive and circular, with contribution to the quality of life and biodiversity, by 2030. We focus on all aspects that affects our climate and the environment: from buildings and energy systems to waste management and mobility.

Climate Safety & Security Centre

The Climate Safety & Security Center is an interdisciplinary research center of TU Delft | Campus The Hague that combines two important societal themes - Climate Change and Safety & Security – from an engineering perspective.

There is always a reason not to act. Let’s do something about this. Time is running out
― Prof Herman Russchenberg

Climate Action Stories

What is the coolest tree?

My façade is your façade!?

The next phase in aircraft design

ESP Lab - Peter Palensky, Digital Technologies

ESP Lab - Lucia Beloqui Larumbe, Power Electronics

ESP Lab – Miro Zeman, Photovoltaics

A meaty trick: plant-based deception for good

Fransje Hooimeijer

Moved by moving water

LandShapes: made to feel real

Climate Action News

21 March 2023

Climate-proof coastal protection with 'living dikes'

Dikes protect the Netherlands from flooding. To keep the Netherlands safe in the future, several dikes are being reinforced in the High Water Protection Programme. The traditional way of strengthening dikes involves 'hard' (asphalt) revetment, but this is at the expense of the natural environment. Therefore, the 'Living Dikes' project looks at dike reinforcement using 'building-with-nature' methodologies. Various parties, including TU Delft, are investigating how 'living dikes' can play an important role in climate-proof coastal protection while preserving nature and landscape.

15 March 2023

TU Delft crowns best climate and energy publication

Een algoritme dat voor een hogere energieopbrengst van windparken zorgt én een onderzoek waaruit blijkt dat niet alleen brandstofverbruik maar ook seizoenseffecten een belangrijke rol spelen bij het optimaliseren van vliegroutes en vlieghoogtes. Dit zijn – in één zin samengevat – de twee grote winnende publicaties van de Beste Climate & Energy Paper Award. De awardceremonie, die woensdag 15 maart plaatsvond op de TU Delft, stond volledig in het teken van grote en kleine innovaties die een bijdrage leveren aan het versnellen van de energietransitie en het beteugelen van klimaatverandering.

09 March 2023

What does Dutch society think about Dutch climate policy?

From March 9, 2023 to April 21, 2023, all Dutch citizens can advise politicians on climate policy through the National Climate Consultation. Through the so-called Participatory Value Assessment (PWE in Dutch), researchers will enable Dutch citizens to provide the House of Representatives with advice.

28 February 2023

Tatiana Filatova one of eight winners of the 2023 Ammodo Science Award

Today Ammodo announced that Tatiana Filatova is one of eight winners of the Ammodo Science Award for fundamental research 2023. The laureates each receive a cash prize of 350,000 euros which they can use in the coming years to explore new avenues of fundamental scientific research.

28 February 2023

TU Delft presents the eight best Climate Action & Energy Papers

Record temperatures, floodings and melting sea ice: radical weather events are becoming more frequent and have a devastating effect on our planet and our lives. By accelerating the energy transition and climate action TU Delft, together with its partners, tries to prevent climate change and contain its consequences. With the election of the Best Climate & Energy Paper, TU Delft is highlighting a number of large and small innovations that contribute to this.

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Climate Action Stories

What is the coolest tree?

My façade is your façade!?

The next phase in aircraft design

ESP Lab - Peter Palensky, Digital Technologies

ESP Lab - Lucia Beloqui Larumbe, Power Electronics

ESP Lab – Miro Zeman, Photovoltaics

A meaty trick: plant-based deception for good

Fransje Hooimeijer

Moved by moving water

LandShapes: made to feel real

Climate Action News

04 May 2018

Plantenna towards an Internet Of Plants

The 4TU.Federation has awarded a total of 22 million euros to five proposals within the framework of the call ‘High Tech for a Sustainable Future’, thus giving a strong impetus to research into sustainable technology.

20 April 2018

Take geo-engineering seriously as an emergency brake to combat global warming

Geo-engineering. The idea is cropping up increasingly often in answer to the question: what can we change on Earth to curb global warming? First and foremost, we must do everything we can to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases around the world. The Paris climate agreement is an important step in the right direction, but more and more studies are showing that the promises made by the signatory countries will have insufficient effect. So we need to find a quicker way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but, unfortunately, the global community isn't prepared to do that just yet. At some point, we may need geo-engineering whether we like it or not. The sooner we carry out research into the practical aspects of geo-engineering, the possible pitfalls and the consequences, the better prepared we will be for the future.

12 April 2018

Ruisdael Observatory: measuring the Dutch atmosphere on a 100m scale

‘Weather’ is the result of a combination of many diverse factors, such as solar radiation, the concentration of greenhouse gases, air quality and humidity, local building density or vegetation, wind direction and a whole host of underlying physical and chemical processes.

25 March 2018

Inaudible infrasound also useful for weather and climate forecasts

Research by Pieter Smets of TU Delft and the KNMI shows that infrasound can be used for weather and climate forecasts. These inaudible low sound waves can be used to gain a better picture of the stratosphere, which can barely be measured in any other way. On Wednesday 28 March, Smets will be awarded his PhD at TU Delft for his work on this subject.

15 March 2018

Increasingly accurate picture of accelerating rise in sea levels

Rising sea levels are affected by all kinds of different factors, most of which we can now effectively unravel and explain almost everywhere in the world. This is according to TU Delft researcher Thomas Frederikse, who has also established that the average rise in sea levels worldwide is accelerating. Moreover, the days on earth are becoming slightly longer... Frederikse will be awarded his doctorate on Monday, 19 March.