Civil protection and climate change impacts in the Netherlands: Local risk perceptions and actions

Being a delta, one third of the Dutch territory consists of flood-prone areas. This article discusses how the local civil protection system in the Netherlands responds to increasing climate change-induced flooding risks in terms of risk perception and action. Case studies on three Safety Regions are used to better understand the relation between climate change risk and changes in civil protection systems and practices. Data is presented that suggest that a minimum level of climate change risk awareness is present and that proactive action from the civil protection system is exceptional.