ABSTRACT
Global climate change will have far-reaching consequences for delta areas throughout the world. The negative consequences of global climate change for low-lying countries are realistic and severe, especially when considering the large number of historical records of flooding in the Netherlands and the ever-increasing population density and growth of local economies located near to Dutch dykes. Other physical evidence pointing in the direction of global climate change is the global average sea level, which rose by approximately 17 cm during the 20th century. As a consequence, the volume of water from the main rivers Rhine and Meuse will increase, while at the same time drainage of water will be hampered because of the sea-level rise predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC further predicts that global warming will continue owing to ever-increasing human energy consumption and economic growth.
