Two Boxtel, Netherlands aldermen recently announced their town would be divesting investments from the 200 fossil fuel giants that have the largest coal, oil and gas supplies in reserve. It follows the more than 20 U.S. towns and cities that have made the commitment, but it becomes the first European municipality to join the movement.
The Netherlands have been forward thinking in other areas surrounding the changing climate. They’ve promoted alternative energy and in September they placed an 18 month ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) while research continues on its environmental dangers. In another progressive move, they’ve re-examined their flood controls to let that kid pull his thumb out of the dike.
The Dutch have had a long history of holding the waters back, but they’ve accepted the fact of rising sea levels and developed the Dutch Delta Works to let the water in. People have been moved out of flood plains and where flooding seems inevitable, the plan attempts to strategically channel floodwaters to cause the least amount of damage. Coastal, river edge cities and floodplainers take note.
www.350.org
See also: InClimate 288, 241, 70, 63, 23; (Divest from Carbon & Reinvest) Oct. 16 Talk is Cheap: Divest) Aug. 30 (Divest then reinvest) Mar. 12 (Divest Part II) Mar. 5 (Divest) Jan. 23
On Fracking InClimate 302, 278, 275; 267, 245, 215, 203, 202, 120, 84 (Natural Gas & Methane) Oct 30 (US Groundwater Loss and Fracking) Oct. 6 (Fracking All Around Dirty Business) Oct. 3 (Fracking Health Affects) Sept 25 (Fracking Threatens Beer Purity) Sept. 3 (Indigenous Fracking Protests) Aug. 4 (Frac Sand Mines WI/MN) July 23 (Hydraulic Fracturing Sand Out Ships Coal) July 22 (35 Arrested in Winona Frac Protest) May 1 (No Free Lunch; Fracking Dirties Natural Gas) Mar. 26
On Floods: InClimate 228, 224, 194, 161, 149, 86, 77 (Floodplains) Aug 17 (Mekong Mississippi River Commissions) Aug. 13 (Too much, too fast, too intense water Toronto) July 14 (2 “Once in a Century” European Floods) June 11 (Droughts & Floods) May 30 (Permeable Paving) Mar. 28 (Dutch Delta Works Lets Water In) Mar. 19