Most of the forecasts that appear are unfavorable for the Vistula Delta. This region, like most depression areas in Europe, may be regularly damaged by floods and weather anomalies in a few dozen years.
The Association of Lovers of Nowy Dwór Gdański – Nowodworski Club and the Żuławy Association invite you to participate in 2nd conference on climate change in Żuławy Fri “Are we at risk of a flood?” It will take place May 17, 2024 in Nowy Dwór Gdański at 9:00 – 14:00. This is the second time when social activists from the Vistula Delta area raise issues related to the changing environment, the region’s climate future and its security. The previous edition, which took place in April 2023, attracted several dozen people, representatives of central authorities, local governments, scientists and social activists. As its organizers unanimously emphasize:
That conference, despite an extremely substantive discussion, did not fully satisfy our needs in terms of knowledge, as well as plans for specific actions to protect Żuławy against high water. It would be good to know how climate change is discussed in other countries and what solutions and protections are proposed for depressed areas. That’s why we decided to meet again.
Specialists from Poland, Germany and the Netherlands were invited to participate in this year’s conference. The speakers will include: prof. Szymon Malinowski from the Institute of Geophysics, University of Warsaw, prof. Jan Marcin Węsławski from the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, prof. Hans von Storch, emeritus director of the Helmholtz Center Institute for Coastal Research and, among others, professor at the Institute of Meteorology at the University of Hamburg and prof. Herman Hummel, chairman of the HuFoSS Foundation for Sustainable Solutions and former Coordinator of the North Sea Research Center at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Marine Research, Anna Rubczak from the Gdańsk University of Technology. There will also be presentations on history, social changes and architecture. As the conference organizers emphasize:
We want to present the widest possible spectrum of experience and knowledge. Hence the idea to talk not only about the future and present, but also the past. The inhabitants of Żuławy have had to cope with the threat of water for centuries, and they have done really well during this time. We want the conversation about climate change to also cover social issues, because what is already happening has a huge impact on ourselves and other people. Hence the idea of inviting prof. Cezary Obracht-Prondzyński from the University of Gdańsk. The 2nd Climate Conference is also an excellent opportunity to show how the former inhabitants of Żuławy dealt with high water levels and what lessons from these experiences we can transfer to the present day. Łukasz Kępski from the Żuławy Museum will talk about it. We are also looking forward to the speech of Dr. Anna Rubczak from the Gdańsk University of Technology, who will look at climate change and the threats related to rising water levels from the perspective of architecture. We want the inhabitants of the Vistula Delta to see that climate change and the challenges we will face are a universal problem that does not only concern Żuławy or Poland, it is a global problem. Just look at the discussions taking place in the Netherlands and Germany.
The conference program also includes a debate in which members of the Parliamentary Team for Żuławy and the Ministry of Climate and Environment will take part. It will be an excellent opportunity to talk about contemporary problems of the Vistula Delta. One of them are activities under the “Comprehensive flood protection of Żuławy until 2030” program adopted in 2010, or rather their lack. The program was suspended after the first phase. Why did this happen? Why is it not being implemented and what updates does it require in connection with the current needs of residents and local governments in Żuławy, including those related to climate change. These are just some of the questions that will certainly be asked during the planned debate.