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

07 April 2022

Sharlene en Lieke droegen bij aan het IPCC rapport: ‘een onvergetelijke ervaring’

En dan ben je ineens een van de schrijvers van het indrukwekkende IPCC rapport deel II over impact, adaptatie en kwetsbaarheid dat afgelopen februari werd gelanceerd. Het overkwam TBM onderzoekers Sharlene Gomes en Lieke Brackel. Beiden hadden de ervaring niet willen missen.

04 April 2022

Immediate acceleration of global climate action needed to realise 1.5°C goal

Immediate acceleration of global climate action needed to realise 1.5°C goal

The goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change, limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C, is becoming increasingly unrealistic unless countries collectively decide to take action immediately. This is the opinion of the five Dutch climate experts who contributed to the IPCC report that appeared today. Such an acceleration and strengthening of policy measures is still possible, but requires a far-reaching transformation of the systems that underpin our economy, including energy, industry, transport, and agriculture. The coming years will be crucial in this respect. These are some of the most important conclusions from the IPCC report published today.

15 March 2022

Documentary on solar energy expert Miro Zeman gains film award

Documentary on solar energy expert Miro Zeman gains film award

It isn’t often that a scientist wins a prestigious film award, but it happened last week to Miro Zeman, a solar energy expert at TU Delft. In his mini-documentary on energy transition, he elaborates on his scientific dream and how he is pursuing it at the brand new ESP Lab. The film was awarded a Green Heron during the Evening of the Corporate Film – The Golden Herons are awarded annually to the best commissioned films. The Green Heron is bestowed specifically on young film makers.

15 March 2022

Climate scientists launch national climate research initiative

TBM onderzoeker Andrea Ramirez Ramirez maakt deel uit van een breed gezelschap van Nederlandse klimaatonderzoekers die zich hebben verenigd op verzoek van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (KNAW) en NWO in een taskforce. Deze groep zal nog voor de zomer een rapport uitbrengen over de oprichting van een nieuw netwerkinstituut voor wetenschapsbreed klimaatonderzoek.

25 February 2022

Delft scientists present “green” series of children's lectures

Delft scientists present “green” series of children's lectures

We generate more and more electricity from solar panels and windmills, but what if there is no wind and the sun is not shining? Will you still be able to charge your phone? This is one of the many questions that will be addressed in a brand new series of lectures by the MuseumJeugdUniversiteit. For this "green" series – made especially for children between the ages of 8 and 12 – this long-term collaboration between MuseumJeugdUniversteit and Science Centre Delft travels to the TU Delft campus, which celebrates its 180th anniversary this year.


Climate Action News

11 January 2020

Storm at sea: the inside story

Storm at sea: the inside story

A subject of rollicking sea shanties the world over, storms at sea have always fired people’s imaginations. But knowledge of what happens underneath the waves is not quite as universal. Femke de Jong, Caroline Katsman and Carine van der Boog are preparing to don their sou’westers to investigate the inside story.

30 December 2019

Water in the sky

Water in the sky

Water is of vital importance for human survival. Human activity influences the way water moves around the earth but the complexity of the system is such that it is hard to tell how far-reaching its effects really are. Scientists like Lan Wang-Erlandsson are working hard to chart the earth’s water cycle with more precision. Wang-Erlandsson, who grew up in Sweden, became involved in this area of research when she worked as a volunteer at the annual World Water Week conference in Stockholm.

28 December 2019

Water stress in the rainforest

Water stress in the rainforest

How much water is intercepted by the canopy of a tree? That was the question PhD candidate Tim van Emmerik had to find an answer to in order to gain a better understanding of the earth’s water cycle. But how to go about it? Fitting every leaf with expensive equipment was not an option, so Tim and colleagues had to develop smart measuring methods to infer the right data. And learn to climb trees, in the Brazilian Amazon.

23 December 2019

Hot topic: Green Roofs

Hot topic: Green Roofs

Green roofs are hot! Roofs completely covered in plants are becoming a familiar sight in our cities. After all, what’s not to like? They offer a home to birds and insects, and because the plants hold on to moisture they cool down the city in summer. And, as an added bonus, it’s clear for everyone to see you’re doing your bit for the environment. Except that Anna Solcerova’s PhD research project (Department of Water Management) shows that these roofs are having quite a different effect.

21 December 2019

Leapfrogging towards sustainable palm oil

Leapfrogging towards sustainable palm oil

With palm oil being the most widely used vegetable oil in the world, the industry is likely to stay with us for the foreseeable future, despite its controversial reputation of pollution, deforestation and ignoring the needs of local communities. “The palm oil industry is only expanding, so doing nothing is not going to solve the problem,” says Dr Ralph Lindeboom of the department of Sanitary Engineering. Together with the PhD-researcher and Delft Global Fellow Saqr Al-Muraisy , he aims to help make the industry more sustainable for both the environment and local people.