Climate Action

Extreme heat in Canada, flooding in the Netherlands and forest fires everywhere. The climate is changing and the dangers of droughts and floods are lurking. MSc student Gijs Vis didn’t hesitate when he got the opportunity to work on a unique international climate research project in Spain where scientists from multiple European countries joined forces during an intensive fieldwork campaign.

Als we de gevolgen van klimaatverandering beheersbaar willen houden, moet in een mensenleven veel anders. Professor Kornelis Blok zet een aantal belangrijke punten op een rijtje.

If it is up to the European Commission, all the energy used will come from renewable sources by 2050. Achieving this goal will require the large-scale use of floating wind turbines, says Axelle Viré, wind expert at TU Delft. ‘Although the technology is still in its infancy, it has enormous potential,’ she explains. ‘To capitalise on this potential, TU Delft is launching the Floating Renewables Lab: a lab facility that will tie together all the elements of the development chain for floating wind turbines and other offshore renewables with the help of numerical models and AI.’

The canals and quaysides in historic cities such as Amsterdam, Delft and Utrecht make a pretty picture. In order for these often busy cities to remain safe, the quay walls, some over 300 years old and built on wooden piles, need to be well maintained.

Oil and gas shortages are not only pushing up the prices of gas and petrol, but also plastics, medicines and cosmetics. To make our society less dependent on fossil fuels and combat climate change, the chemical industry needs to change radically. In recent years, TU Delft and TNO have laid the foundation for cleaner production processes in the chemical industry. The new e-Chem partnership is now taking this a step further by actually constructing a clean factory of the future.