Climate Change

Our climate is changing: longer periods without precipitation, more and more heavy rainfall, more violent storms - also in summer and more days with tropical temperatures. We want to make Gemert-Bakel resilient to the changing climate, or climate proof. Consider, for example, the creation of more greenery, extra space for water and the storage of rainwater so that it is available during periods of drought. It is impossible to prevent severe severe severe weather, such as in May 2019. Still, it is important for everyone to participate. Together we can limit the effects of climate change as much as possible. In this way, together we will make Gemert-Bakel irresistible.

What can you do?

Climate-proofing your garden

• Take out the tiles, put in greenery!
• If you do put down some tiles, choose tiles that allow water to pass through
• Plant more flowers, shrubs and trees and grow fruits and vegetables
• Put up a green yard fence
• Choose a sloping, rather than a flat garden
• Create shade with a parasol or sunshade
• Disconnect rainwater from the sewer and collect it in a rain barrel at the downspout
• Construct a pond

Climate-proofing your home

• Choose a green facade or green roof
• Provide shade on facade and windows
• Widen gutters and keep them clean
• If you build a house, make sure the house is higher than the garden
• Provide more insulation in the home

Incentive schemes

The municipality has an incentive scheme for disconnecting rainwater and installing a green roof. You may be able to take advantage of this.

• Incentive contribution 'Disconnecting rainwater'
• Incentive contribution 'Construction of green roofs'

Do you qualify for one of these incentive grants? Then in almost all cases you also meet the water board's subsidy requirements. For more information on climate-proofing subsidies, visit the Aa and website.

What do we do together?

Climate dialogues

The road to a climate-proof Gemert-Bakel must be taken together. That is why we will enter into discussions and organize climate dialogues with businesses, residents, social and health organizations in the fall of 2020. During these dialogues we will discuss the results of the stress test and the consequences of extreme weather. In addition, we consider measures to reduce vulnerabilities. The information and ideas we gather during the climate dialogues are developed into action points for an implementation plan. Other municipalities, such as our neighboring municipalities in the Peel, also make such a local implementation agenda. On this basis, the province of North Brabant will draw up a regional implementation agenda (see below).

What does the congregation do?

Climate stress tests

The national government requires municipalities to be climate-proof by 2050. It has therefore been agreed nationally that all municipalities, water boards and provinces will conduct so-called stress tests in their areas. A stress test simulates the "stress" of extreme weather using mathematical models, satellite images and other data. In 2019, for Gemert-Bakel, in cooperation with the Peel municipalities, we examined which weak spots in our municipality play a role in the occurrence of heat stress, drought, flooding and flooding.

Thanks to the stress test, we know what consequences of extreme weather we can expect in Gemert-Bakel. For example, water in the streets will occur more often. On the one hand because more water falls in a shorter period, on the other hand because we have a lot of paving in Gemert-Bakel. Also, in some situations the water can enter houses. The brooks in Gemert-Bakel may overflow their banks but also become dry more often due to longer periods of drought.

When it comes to heat, we go from 7 (now in 2019) to more than 18 days where temperatures rise above 30ºC. The number of tropical nights above 20ºC, is also on the rise. The heat is causing heat stress in the city center as well as in all business parks in Gemert-Bakel. The extreme heat and prolonged periods without precipitation are also causing drought. In urban areas trees in paved areas are particularly affected and small ponds will increasingly fall dry; in the countryside our (agricultural) entrepreneurs are affected because this can lead to loss of crops.

Regional implementation agenda

To give an idea of the kind of projects that the Peel municipalities (Helmond, Deurne, Laarbeek, Gemert-Bakel, Asten and Someren), water board Aa and Maas and drinking water company Brabant Water are carrying out, an implementation agenda climate adaptation has been drawn up. This contains a selection of a much larger number of projects to make the Brabantse Peel climate-proof. Some of these projects receive a subsidy from the state, such as the Borretstraat and Jan van Amstelstraat in the Presenbuurt in Gemert. The regional implementation agenda consists of a description of the national and regional policy for climate adaptation and a description of the 21 selected projects.