You gain some funding, you lose some freedom: The ironies of flood protection in Limburg (The Netherlands)

Wesselink, A. J.; Warner, Jeroen; Kok, Matthijs

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2012.10.018

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Flood protection standards are generally higher in areas with high population density and potential losses (Kind, 2013). In comparison, protection levels up to 1/100 years are typical in most other developed countries (Wesselink et al, 2013). As a result of the high protection standards provided, population growth and economic progression has been able to continue, making the Netherlands one of the countries with the highest potential exposure to flooding globally (Jongman et al, 2012a).…”

Section: Flood Risk and Flood Protectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over time, upgrades of flood protection measures have been implemented in several steps. The current safety levels, measured in terms of the occurrence probability of floods the defences are designed to withstand, range from 1/250 to 1/11 250 years along the main rivers, and 1/4000 to 1/10 000 years along the coasts (Wesselink et al, 2013). Flood protection standards are generally higher in areas with high population density and potential losses (Kind, 2013).…”

Section: Flood Risk and Flood Protectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Increasing flood exposure in the Netherlands: implications for risk financing

Jongman

Koks

Husby

et al. 2014

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. The effectiveness of disaster risk management and financing mechanisms depends on an accurate assessment of current and future hazard exposure. The increasing availability of detailed data offers policy makers and the insurance sector new opportunities to understand trends in risk, and to make informed decisions on ways to deal with these trends. In this paper we show how comprehensive property level information can be used for the assessment of exposure to flooding on a national scale, and how this information provides valuable input to discussions on possible risk financing practices. The case study used is the Netherlands, which is one of the countries most exposed to flooding globally, and which is currently undergoing a debate on strategies for the compensation of potential losses. Our results show that flood exposure has increased rapidly between 1960 and 2012, and that the growth of the building stock and its economic value in flood-prone areas has been higher than in non-flood-prone areas. We also find that property values in flood-prone areas are lower than those in non-flood-prone areas. We argue that the increase in the share of economic value located in potential flood-prone areas can have a negative effect on the feasibility of private insurance schemes in the Netherlands. The methodologies and results presented in this study are relevant for many regions around the world where the effects of rising flood exposure create a challenge for risk financing.

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Section: Flood Risk and Flood Protectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Flood Risk and Flood Protectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing flood exposure in the Netherlands: implications for risk financing

Jongman

Koks

Husby

et al. 2014

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Hegemony rests on assent and may even be actively courted (cf. Wesselink, Warner, & Kok, 2012). In fact, investee states may actively seek out investors.…”

Section: What Does a Hegemon Want? The Geopolitical Perspectivementioning

confidence: 97%

Geopolitical drivers of foreign investment in African land and water resources

Sebastian¹,

Warner

2013

African Identities

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Resource grabs, particularly land and water, can be a proxy for geopolitical influence. As such, 'grabs' become intertwined in international power relations and the competing collective goals and state priorities of economic development, poverty elimination, ecosystem management, energy, self-sufficiency, and food supply stability. African land has become the most appealing and vulnerable to acquisition. In this article we will analyze external investor actions in Africa by South Africa to explain how regional and global geopolitics are fostering a 'new' scramble for natural resources on the African continent. This south-south geopolitical concern examines South Africa's investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lesotho. We argue that 'grabbing' is important, but often it is not the foremost factor in south-south relations and, as such, is an inadequate basis for exploring the role of domestic capital and government investment corporations. We contend that grabbing is not only about food, finances, energy, or even water itself, but also about geopolitical influence. Land and water resource acquisition become intertwined in international power relations and the competing goals of state priorities. This article uses an International Relations framework to analyze these complex relationships, spheres of influence, and asymmetries. Its central argument is that countries with limited arable land 'securitize' (B. Buzan, O. Waever, & J. de Wilde [Eds.], 1998, Security: A framework for analysis, Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf) their food supply and seek ways to increase the supply of food and sources of 'virtual' water by targeting 'easy targets' for resource imperialism, like weak states.

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“…According to Wesselink et al [34], loss of life is almost certain when flood defenses, such as levees, are breached and the internal area inundated. Some examples, among others of this type, may be found in the literature: large floods that affected the US Midwest along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries in 1993 and 1995, caused by levee failure [10,11,32]; the disastrous flooding of New Orleans provoked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, also associated with a levee failure; and two important events that occurred in 1993 and 1995 [35], in The Netherlands, a low-lying country with approximately 20% of its area below sea level [36] where large polders have been constructed to protect the country against floods [32,37].…”

Section: Lowlands Levee Systems and River Restoration As An Alternativementioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Floods in Lowlands—Levee Systems, Unplanned Urban Growth and River Restoration Alternative: A Case Study in Brazil

et al. 2015

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Abstract:The development of cities has always had a very close relation with water. However, cities directly impact land use patterns and greatly change natural landscapes, aggravating floods. Considering this situation, this paper intends to discuss lowland occupation and city sustainability in what regards urban stormwater management, fluvial space, and river restoration, aiming at minimizing flood risks and improving natural and built environment conditions. River plains tend to be attractive places for a city to grow. From ancient times, levees have been used to protect lowland areas along major watercourses to allow their occupation. However, urban rivers demand space for temporary flood storage. From a systemic point of view, levees along extensive river reaches act as canalization works, limiting river connectivity with flood plains, rising water levels, increasing overtopping risks and transferring floods downstream. Departing from this discussion, four case studies in the Iguaçu-Sarapuí River Basin, a lowland area of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, are used to compose a perspective in which the central point refers to the need of respecting watershed limits and giving space to rivers. Different aspects of low-lying city planning are discussed and analyzed concerning the integration of the built and natural environments. OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 11069

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You gain some funding, you lose some freedom: The ironies of flood protection in Limburg (The Netherlands)

Cited by 24 publications

References 27 publications

Increasing flood exposure in the Netherlands: implications for risk financing

Increasing flood exposure in the Netherlands: implications for risk financing

Geopolitical drivers of foreign investment in African land and water resources

Urban Floods in Lowlands—Levee Systems, Unplanned Urban Growth and River Restoration Alternative: A Case Study in Brazil

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