Responding to climate change in delta regions: Fair sharing of the benefits and burdens

Over 500 million people live in deltas worldwide. Deltas provide essential services to humans, such as fertile land for food production, biodiversity, drinking and irrigation water and a river network for transportation. However, deltas are by nature low-lying, fragile and sensitive geomorphic features, making them extremely vulnerable to the challenges of degradation and transformation resulting from intensive human development, population growth, urbanization, and climate change.

This interdisciplinary workshop seeks to consider different benefit- and burden-sharing questions underlying climate change responses in delta regions. Relevant questions are for example: How should responsibilities of various actors be defined? How should differences in local, delta scale (regional) and transboundary interests be incorporated into responses? Do the decision-making processes facilitate a fair sharing of burdens and benefits?

We are excited to welcome a number of expert speakers from diverse fields of expertise, including:

• Prof. Neelke Doorn (Department Ethics and Philosophy of Technology, TUDelft), ethics of water governance and engineering;
• Dr. Bregje van Wesenbeeck (Senior researcher/advisor, Deltares), coastal and wetland ecosystem assessment;
• Prof. Annelies Zoomers (International Development Studies, Geosciences, UU), international migration and land governance and climate adaptation strategies;
• Prof. Edward Brans (Institute of Constitutional, Administrative Law and Legal Theory, UU), civil and administrative environmental liability law
• Dr. Julie Fraser (Department of International and European Law, UU), human rights and the environment.
• Dr. Esther Engelhard (Molengraaff Institute for Private Law, Utrecht University), liability law and climate change.
• Dr. Bishawjit  Mallick (International Development Studies, Utrecht University), social responsibilities, non-migration and delta adaptation.

We invite Utrecht University scholars and other people to join our workshop.

Organising Team

• Professor Marleen van Rijswick
  Head, Utrecht Centre for Water Oceans and Sustainability Law, Community Board Member Water Climate and Future Deltas Community
• Dr. Haomiao Du
  Postdoctoral researcher, Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law, Legal Expert Water Climate and Future Deltas Hub & Community
• Dr. Natalie Dobson
  Assistant Professor, International and European Law, Utrecht Centre for Water Oceans and Sustainability Law, Community Leader, Water Climate and Future Deltas Community