With climate change and rising sea levels the threat of flooding increases in low-lying areas all over the world. The Netherlands are famous for their long history of surviving floods. How did people cope with floods in the past? Watch this video lecture by Petra van Dam to find out.
In honour of World Water Day 2019, the Society for Water History and the Environmental Humanities Center organize a workshop on the theme of Water Safety and Unsafety and concepts of nature, on Thursday March 21 at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) in Amsterdam.
Drought, flooding. Water is the main environmental problem of the near future, already the cause of wars. How did we deal with water in the past? This summer, the results of a large research project into the history of water were published in a special issue of the journal Environment and History. Our board member Petra... Continue Reading →
Studiemiddag: veenontginningen en waterbeheer voor 1800 Nederland is ontstaan uit het moeras, althans Laag-Nederland. We zijn begonnen als ontginners van de grote venen in de kustvlakte, en de eeuwen daarna zakten we er langzaam in weg. Daarom moesten we dijken gaan bouwen en polderbesturen oprichten. Deze studiemiddag presenteert nieuwe onderzoeksresultaten over de eerste duizend jaar van dit proces,... Continue Reading →
This is the week of ‘Our Water’ (Ons Water). The water lobby in the Netherlands has designated this week to organize activities to increase our awareness of water as an important theme in our society, as a threat (sea level rise, cluster showers), but also as an essential resource (drinking water). On Saturday evening a... Continue Reading →
Since one of the effects of climate change in our current era is an increase in flooding, Professor Petra van Dam has analyzed how the Dutch dealt with floods in the past. She reached the surprising conclusion that even though risk of flooding is on the increase today, our society is now less adapted to... Continue Reading →
Environmental Humanities Center Amsterdam 