2024-01-11 13:00:12
Bonaire is already suffering from more extreme weather and flooding. There is too little climate support from The Hague, says Kjelld Kroon. “We’re being treated like second-class citizens.”
Amsterdam or Den Helder do not have to figure out how to protect themselves once morest rising sea levels. They receive help from the Dutch government, which has, for example, drawn up a Delta Plan. This is different for Bonaire. The island with the status of ‘special municipality’ has so far been on its own, says Kjelld Kroon (28).
Kroon grew up on Bonaire, now lives and works in the Netherlands, and is participating in the lawsuit that Greenpeace is going to conduct once morest the Dutch state. One of the demands is that the government does more to protect Bonaire once morest the consequences of climate change. If nothing is done, scientists say much of the island will be underwater by 2050.
Wakeboarding on the street
“The lighthouses, the salt lakes and the remains of the slave culture in the south are meaningful for Bonaire. They help shape our identity and tell us where we come from as Bonarians. Obviously, they must be preserved,” says Kroon regarding the most vulnerable part of the island. He points out that the capital Kralendijk is also at risk of being partly swallowed by the water.
Extreme weather is already causing nuisance, says Kroon. “In November you might wakeboard on the street and the water flowed into the houses – including my mother’s. There is a lack of basic drainage on the street. A lot needs to be done in that regard.”
“Co-plaintiff Onnie Emerenciana is a farmer, just like my grandfather was. The increasing drought means that crops no longer grow, there is too little water for the goats and they are weaker and sicker. Growing crops and keeping goats is part of our culture, and we want to protect it.”
‘Make sure you have a good height map’
Bonaire cannot wait for the arrival of a Climate Table for consultation between stakeholders on the island, or for a new cabinet in The Hague, says Kroon. “There must now be research into practical measures to make Bonaire resilient. Consider the construction of mangrove forests that dampen the waves of the water. Make sure you have a good elevation map. The fact that it is not there yet says enough regarding the situation.”
Bonaire has regarding 24,000 inhabitants, comparable to a municipality like Heiloo. “Bonaire has a secondary school, that’s regarding it. The knowledge and money are in the Netherlands and the island depends on it.”
As a program maker, Kroon has been trying to draw attention to the disadvantaged treatment of Dutch citizens on the islands for some time. “People on Bonaire see that there is inequality, that things are not right. Consider, for example, the poverty on the island.”
He sees the climate case as a good strategy to demand more responsibility from the Dutch state towards the islands. “So far we have been treated like second-class citizens. That feeling is strong.”
Also read:
Greenpeace and Bonaire are taking the Netherlands to court for climate negligence
There are no plans yet to protect the island of Bonaire once morest rising sea levels and more extreme weather. Residents of the island and Greenpeace want to demand more support from the Dutch government.
The Netherlands is doing too little to protect Bonaire once morest the threat of climate change
The south of the island of Bonaire may be flooded, and residents are increasingly at risk from hurricanes. But the Dutch government is doing far too little to map these consequences, researchers conclude.
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