People collapsing of heat? Rising sea levels drowning out the country? These problems could be faced by future generations if the NL doesn’t act now.
We’re all used to complaining about the cold weather in the Netherlands. But by 2100, the Dutch population might think of our current temperatures as a golden era.
Yup, according to experts, if we keep up the carbon dioxide emissions, Dutch weather conditions will only go south for future generations, RTL Nieuws reports.
40-degree weather, every other year
For the last six years, a group of 40 researchers at the Dutch Royal Meteorological Institute (KNMI) have collected data to determine what the future will hold depending on our environmental choices nowadays.
Researcher Karin van der Wiel of the KNMI believes 40-degree weather would occur every other year in the Netherlands if we continue to burn fossil fuels at our current rate.
READ MORE | How do the Dutch feel about climate change?
She also says, “the number of tropical days will increase to 35 per year” — as opposed to the average of 5 days we currently experience per year. 🥵
In the most extreme scenario, temperatures could occasionally even rise up to 50 degrees Celsius.
The consequences? More death. That’s right — in those circumstances, the Netherlands would experience something very not-Dutch: people dying of heat.
But there is hope
Still, the KNMI wants to remind us that we aren’t completely doomed, and there is still an opportunity to turn this around.
If the Netherlands manages to cut back on emissions, then temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius would be a rare occurrence. 🌎
High temperatures aren’t the only threat for “our children and grandchildren”, says oceanographer Sybren Drijfhout.
Sea levels off the European coast are reportedly rising by roughly 2.5 millimetres per year, which isn’t a good sign for a country that has a large portion of its land below sea level… 😬
READ MORE | The Dutch built cities on sinking land: how will this fare with climate change?
However, reducing emissions would also ensure that sea level rise is kept in check.
In short, if we want to avoid all this hassle, we should start to evaluate how much greenhouse gasses we’re letting into the atmosphere. 🌱
How do these predictions about the Netherlands’ future climate make you feel? Let us know in the comments below!