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

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.


Climate Action News

09 January 2024

Student 'Quick Reaction' Team erected for field measurements in extreme weather events

Student 'Quick Reaction' Team erected for field measurements in extreme weather events

06 December 2023

Pivotal moment for humanity as tipping points in Earth systems and society accelerate

Pivotal moment for humanity as tipping points in Earth systems and society accelerate

The report says current global governance is inadequate for the scale of the challenge of accelerating tipping points and makes six key recommendations to change course fast, including coordinated action to trigger positive tipping points.

30 November 2023

The new food waste monitor 'Orbisk' provides insight into food waste at TU Delft

The new food waste monitor 'Orbisk' provides insight into food waste at TU Delft

Since the start of the academic year 2023/2024, the new food waste monitor 'Orbisk' has been integrated in the Aula, within the Foodsquare restaurant. This innovative system monitors the food that is been thrown away. A third of global emissions are attributed to food waste, so reducing food waste has a positive impact on the climate.

30 November 2023

Researchers call for Dutch leading role in global methane monitoring

Researchers call for Dutch leading role in global methane monitoring

At COP28 in Dubai, countries want to reach new agreements to reduce emissions. This requires the identification of emission sources. The Netherlands has extensive experience with satellites that monitor methane emissions. Researchers from SRON, KNMI, TNO and TU Delft see huge methane plumes over landfills and fossil fuel extraction with their current space instrument TROPOMI.

28 November 2023

Seed funding TU Delft climate Action Programme awards 13 researchers

Seed funding TU Delft climate Action Programme awards 13 researchers

For the first half year of 2023, the TU Delft Climate Action Programme has granted 9 applications for the Seed Fund. The researchers come from the faculties CEG, TPM and 3ME.