Pier Vellinga
Encyclopedia
Pier Vellinga is one of the Netherlands experts on the impacts of climate change
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(WUR) and is director of the Wageningen University climate program and has a part time chair in Societal Impacts of Climate Change at the Institute of Environmental Studies of the VU University Amsterdam.
His 1986 PhD on Beach Erosion and Dune Erosion During Storm provided the basis for the coastal safety evaluation (the Dutch Delta Plan).
In 1988, in a newly created position, he became advisor to the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment on the issue of Climate Change and the development of international CO2 policies. In this role he was key negotiator during the Netherlands EU-presidency of 1988. In 1991/1992 he was one of the architects of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
and in 1989 was actively involved in setting up the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC
) as vice chairman in the first bureau of IPCC. He has acted as an author of various IPCC chapters. In 2007 with all his IPCC colleagues and Al Gore he was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize.
From 1995 to 1998 he combined his work as director of the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at the Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam (a position which he held from 1991 to 2001) with a part-time position at the World Bank
, United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) as Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). Since 1991, he has been a professor of earth sciences at the Vrije Universiteit
. Joyeeta Gupta, Richard Tol
, Robert Swart and Hasse Goossen were among his first PhD students.
In 2009 he initiated the international Delta Alliance, a collaboration among low lying coastal areas in the world vulnerable to climate change. This initiative is still going on.
He is a member of the “Uffizio di Piano”, a high level committee of scientists and policy makers charged by the Italian prime minister to supervise the high water protection and lagoon rehabilitation works in Venice. He is also a member of the supervisory board of the FMO-Bank (finace and development)
At a national level he is chairman of the board of the Royal Dutch Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and a member of the Energy Transition - Creative Energy platform. Lastly he is a member of the board of Urgenda.
Pier Vellinga gives many lectures in the field of climate change and related energy and water issues. He has published 18 scientific papers, of which the citations add up to an h-index
of 5. In addition, he has more than 100 articles as author or co-author in books, scientific reports and proceedings of a more general nature. He has frequently appeared in news media and participated in several interviews and scientific documentaries made by national and international broadcasting cooperation’s including BBC, ABC, CNN and Discovery. In August 2009, the Dutch weekly Elsevier choose him as the no. 1 climate alarmist of the Netherlands.
• Climate Changes Spatial Planning program http://www.klimaatvoorruimte.nlhttp://www.climatechangesspatialplanning.nl
• Institute for Environmental Studies VU University Amsterdam http://www.ivm.vu.nl
• Earth system science group Wageningen University http://www.ess.wur.nl/UK/
• Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change http://www.ipcc.org
• Stichting Urgenda http://www.urgenda.nl/
• Royal Dutch Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)http://www.nioz.nl/
• Energy Transition - Creative Energy platform http://www.senternovem.nl/energietransitie/regieorgaan/index.asp
• FMO-Bank http://www.fmo.nl/
• Delta Alliance http://www.delta-alliance.org
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
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Position in 2009
Vellinga is the chairman of the Knowledge for Climate research program and vice chairman of the Climate Changes Spatial Planning program. These programs support the Netherlands government and companies with operational knowledge required for investment decisions related to climate change adaptation and mitigation. He has a chair in Climate and Water at Wageningen UniversityWageningen University
Wageningen University and Research Centre is a Dutch public university in Wageningen, The Netherlands. It consists of Wageningen University, the Van Hall-Larenstein School of Higher Professional Education, and the former agricultural research institutes of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture...
(WUR) and is director of the Wageningen University climate program and has a part time chair in Societal Impacts of Climate Change at the Institute of Environmental Studies of the VU University Amsterdam.
Career
He was among the first scientists to publish on climate change and its implications regarding water and energy in the eighties. His education and training includes a Fullbright scholarship in the USA in 1967-68, an Msc (1976) and doctors degree at Delft University of technology (1984).His 1986 PhD on Beach Erosion and Dune Erosion During Storm provided the basis for the coastal safety evaluation (the Dutch Delta Plan).
In 1988, in a newly created position, he became advisor to the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment on the issue of Climate Change and the development of international CO2 policies. In this role he was key negotiator during the Netherlands EU-presidency of 1988. In 1991/1992 he was one of the architects of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to 14, 1992...
and in 1989 was actively involved in setting up the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
) as vice chairman in the first bureau of IPCC. He has acted as an author of various IPCC chapters. In 2007 with all his IPCC colleagues and Al Gore he was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize.
From 1995 to 1998 he combined his work as director of the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at the Vrije Universiteit
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
Amsterdam (a position which he held from 1991 to 2001) with a part-time position at the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
(UNDP) as Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). Since 1991, he has been a professor of earth sciences at the Vrije Universiteit
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
. Joyeeta Gupta, Richard Tol
Richard Tol
Richard S. J. Tol is a Research Professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, Ireland, where he works in the research areas of energy economics and environmental economics...
, Robert Swart and Hasse Goossen were among his first PhD students.
In 2009 he initiated the international Delta Alliance, a collaboration among low lying coastal areas in the world vulnerable to climate change. This initiative is still going on.
Other activities
In 2003 he presented the Erasmus Liga Lecture on Climate Change and the safety of the Netherlands. This triggered national debate on the vulnerability of the Netherlands with regard to flooding and the need to update the Deltaplan. He was advisor to the second Delta committee (2008) on sea level rise and coastal protection.He is a member of the “Uffizio di Piano”, a high level committee of scientists and policy makers charged by the Italian prime minister to supervise the high water protection and lagoon rehabilitation works in Venice. He is also a member of the supervisory board of the FMO-Bank (finace and development)
At a national level he is chairman of the board of the Royal Dutch Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and a member of the Energy Transition - Creative Energy platform. Lastly he is a member of the board of Urgenda.
Pier Vellinga gives many lectures in the field of climate change and related energy and water issues. He has published 18 scientific papers, of which the citations add up to an h-index
H-index
The h-index is an index that attempts to measure both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar. The index is based on the set of the scientist's most cited papers and the number of citations that they have received in other publications...
of 5. In addition, he has more than 100 articles as author or co-author in books, scientific reports and proceedings of a more general nature. He has frequently appeared in news media and participated in several interviews and scientific documentaries made by national and international broadcasting cooperation’s including BBC, ABC, CNN and Discovery. In August 2009, the Dutch weekly Elsevier choose him as the no. 1 climate alarmist of the Netherlands.
Views on Climate Change
Vellinga's views on climate change are set out in his SID-lecture from 2008 and his 2008 inaugural lecture "Hoogtij in de Delta" at Wageningen UR.External links
• Knowledge for Climate program http://www.kennisvoorklimaat.nl• Climate Changes Spatial Planning program http://www.klimaatvoorruimte.nlhttp://www.climatechangesspatialplanning.nl
• Institute for Environmental Studies VU University Amsterdam http://www.ivm.vu.nl
• Earth system science group Wageningen University http://www.ess.wur.nl/UK/
• Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change http://www.ipcc.org
• Stichting Urgenda http://www.urgenda.nl/
• Royal Dutch Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)http://www.nioz.nl/
• Energy Transition - Creative Energy platform http://www.senternovem.nl/energietransitie/regieorgaan/index.asp
• FMO-Bank http://www.fmo.nl/
• Delta Alliance http://www.delta-alliance.org