The threat of rising sea levels and more intense hurricanes through climate change makes South Florida a perfect location for a coastal protection keynote address. At GeoAmericas 2016 (10 – 13 April 2016, Miami), two Netherlands-affiliated speakers will be joined by Broward County, Florida’s Dr. Jennifer L. Jurado. The team will present a talk under the heading “Call to Action: The Urgency to Protect Our Coastal Communities.”
Jurado is the Director of the Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division of Broward County. She has played an active role in the adoption of a four-county Regional Climate Change Compact and the formulation of a Regional Climate Action Plan. Her work has also been recognized by US President Obama’s administration, which named Jurado a Champion of Change.
The other speakers, previously announced, are Nathalie Olijslager, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Miami, and Dale Morris, Senior Economic Advisor at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, DC.
Prior to her appointment as Consul General, Olijslager was Head of Business Environment and Market Development at the Department for Sustainable Economic Development at the Netherlands Ministry in The Hague. Morris directs the Dutch government’s water management efforts in the United States, in particular in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, California, and Virginia. His work is focused broadly on sustainability-related topics: flood protection, flood risk mitigation, coastal and floodplain restoration, ecosystem resiliency, urban adaptation, urban water management, and landscape design for risk reduction and environmental/public amenity.
THE URGENCY TO PROTECT COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Regarding the keynote address, the authors note:
Few natural resources are as vital and as volatile as water. The Dutch understand this challenge and have developed an integrated approach to water management that has made them global leaders in flood control. With one quarter of its area under sea level, the Netherlands is especially vulnerable to water threats posed by climate change. Out of necessity, the Dutch are leaders in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change through innovative and proactive solutions.
As the global go-to partner in times of water-related crises, this keynote lecture will focus on:
- The Netherlands’ integrated approach to water management which combines water safety, provision and infrastructure to control floods and build eco-dynamically
- Global trends on coastal resiliency and infrastructure in the face of sea level rise
- Projected coast line changes in the Americas over the next 20 years
The challenge of sea level in the Americas can be witnessed today in South Florida. This keynote lecture also will present the proactive action that is taking place in South Florida through the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact. This Compact provides regional coordination of climate mitigation and adaptation activities across the county lines of Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties. The Compact represents a new structure for regional climate governance, providing an organizational framework that allows local governments to set the agenda for adaptation while providing an efficient means for state and federal agencies to engage with technical assistance and support.
Learn more and register for GeoAmericas 2016 at www.geoamericas2016.org.
