Climate Action

There is no doubt that the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are changing our living environment. Climate change is in our hands. We need to both work on limiting it as much as we can (mitigation), but we will also have to learn to adapt to new circumstances. TU Delft will harness its innovative powers to support the world-wide transition to non-fossil resources, and adaptation of the living environment to the consequences of global warming.

The problem is complex and urgent – but we have no other choice than to be optimistic and use all of our capacity to face the challenge, through our education programs and our research.

For more information, see:

In the Climate Action research programme, we start from four themes we consider to be paramount for future Climate Action:

The TU Delft vision on Climate Action is deeply founded in preceding decades of university wide climate action research. The goal of the Climate action research programme is to build on current strengths and identify the areas where there is a need to strengthen our capacities to keep up our (inter)national reputation as climate action university.

Climate Action News

16 February 2024

Green steel programme receives final approval, marking its official start

Green steel programme receives final approval, marking its official start

On 12 February, the Growing with Green Steel programme received official approval for a grant of more than 100 million euros from the National Growth Fund. Around 22 million euros of the total sum is destined for TU Delft. The programme aims to develop scientific knowledge and technology for sustainable steel production.

12 February 2024

Robust reactor design to simplify biomolecule production

Robust reactor design to simplify biomolecule production

TU Delft and Delft Advanced Biorenewables (DAB) are engaged in a long term development of a low cost and robust integrated bioreactor especially for the production of biofuel precursors as well as chemical and other building blocks that have a common ‘oily’ behaviour of immiscibility with aqueous phases such a fermentation broth. Research of Rita da Costa Basto focused on the important elements of the integrated production process of hydrocarbons by the fermentative route such as coalescence and phase separation. She has defended her PhD thesis on this topic Thursday 11 January 2024 in Delft.

08 February 2024

How social science can make the energy transition more fair

How social science can make the energy transition more fair

‘People living near an airborne wind energy test site in Germany experience noise, ecological and safety impacts from the airborne wind energy system similar to those from the nearest regular wind farm. The airborne system did score better on visual impacts.’ These are the main conclusions from a pioneering study into the social impacts of airborne wind energy conducted by Helena Schmidt, a PhD candidate at TU Delft in collaboration with Medical School Hamburg.

01 February 2024

Minimising contrails through altitude diversions of aircraft

Minimising contrails through altitude diversions of aircraft

On 30 January 2024, PhD candidate Esther Roosenbrand’s study on contrails and air traffic management was featured in an article from the New Scientist, presenting a simple yet effective operational solution to reduce the climate impact of aviation.

30 January 2024

Art Science Festival | CityClimate meets CreativeCoding

Art Science Festival | CityClimate meets CreativeCoding

Last year, Juliana Goncalves and Carissa Champlin collaborated with City Science Lab at HafenCity University to co-curate the CityClimate meets Creative Coding festival in Hamburg. The aim of the festival was to bring science, the arts, data and planning support tools together to explore new approaches for addressing the climate crisis. I am delighted to share that the Festival was a big success!


Climate Action Stories

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Climate Action News

02 August 2022

How coastal seas help the ocean absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

How coastal seas help the ocean absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

The biologically productive North Sea impacts the global climate through exchange of carbon and nutrients with the Atlantic Ocean. A Dutch consortium of scientists will investigate how big this role of the North Sea really is. Under the leadership of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), conduct a combination of field studies and computer model simulations will be conducted over the next four years to address this question. Models will be used to determine future effects of environmental and climate change on the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean and ultimately Earth’s climate. TU Delft's Peter Herman and Bram van Prooijen (Civil Engineering & Geoscience) are involved in the research.

18 July 2022

Gerdien de Vries in Trouw over wake-up call voor het klimaat

Gerdien de Vries in Trouw over wake-up call voor het klimaat

Het wordt snikheet. Is dit een wake-up call voor het klimaat? "Als mensen zelf klimaatverandering ervaren, wanneer de psychologische afstand verkleind wordt - wat nu steeds meer gebeurt - dan zijn mensen een stapje dichterbij het ondernemen van actie. Want hoe dichterbij iets komt, hoe moeilijker het is om er voor weg te rennen.” zegt Gerdien de Vries.

12 July 2022

'Het wordt heet onder onze voeten' - Delft Matters Magazine

'Het wordt heet onder onze voeten' - Delft Matters Magazine

Mochten de huidige middelen om klimaatverandering af te remmen falen, is climate engineering dan de oplossing? Eurocommissaris Frans Timmersmans sprak met wolkenprofessor Herman Russchenberg, die meer aandacht wil voor onderzoek naar technieken om de aarde af te koelen.

11 July 2022

Gerdien de Vries bij RTL nieuws over klimaatnoodklok van David Attenborough

Gerdien de Vries bij RTL nieuws over klimaatnoodklok van David Attenborough

Weer luidt David Attenborough de klimaatnoodklok. De Britse bioloog riep het vaker, en zal de boodschap tot aan zijn dood blijven verkondigen. "Of je luistert, ligt eraan of je iemand ziet als autoriteit. De mensen die dat zo zien, die luisteren. Als je dat niet vindt, of je gelooft helemaal niet in klimaatverandering, dan luister je niet." zegt Gerdien de Vries bij RTL.

04 July 2022

Gerdien de Vries bij Tweede Kamer over klimaatbeleid en gedragsinzichten

Gerdien de Vries bij Tweede Kamer over klimaatbeleid en gedragsinzichten

Minister Rob Jetten heeft de Tweede Kamer begin dit jaar beloofd dat het Kabinet extra aandacht gaat besteden aan de gedragskundige aspecten van klimaatmaatregelen. Om deze belofte gestalte te geven heeft een groep gedragswetenschappers waaronder Gerdien de Vries (TU Delft) in een viertal intensieve sessies gereflecteerd op een paar bestaande klimaatmaatregelen en de mate/wijze waarop gedragskennis wordt meegenomen in klimaatbeleid.