From wildfires to floods: can extreme weather spur us to climate action?

It became painfully clear again this summer that climate change is real and is already affecting us. The consequences are visible all around us: forest and heath fires, historically low water levels in rivers like the Rhine and the Meuse, trees shedding their leaves early, and desiccation and heat stress in cities. But what exactly causes this? What are the mechanisms behind our changing climate and increasingly extreme weather?

And just because we know our climate is changing, does that mean we know exactly what lies ahead, or is there still a great deal of uncertainty? Our planet is warming, yet this can have seemingly contradictory local effects. For instance, the slowing or stalling of the AMOC (a crucial system of ocean currents in the Atlantic) could actually mean that the Netherlands becomes colder and wetter in the long run.

Margot Ribberink, biologist, meteorologist, and climate communication expert, takes us on a journey to explain and better understand the complex mechanisms driving our climate and its transformation. But more importantly: what can we do to combat climate change? What courses of action are available to us, and what is holding us back?

The lecture will take place on 6 October in the Aula of the Academy Building, from 20:00-21:30 (doors open at 19:45). The lecture will be conducted in Dutch.

Margot Ribberink (1965) studied biology in Nijmegen. She began her career as a meteorologist in 1990 at Meteo Consult, the Netherlands' first commercial weather service. She made history by becoming the first female weather presenter on Dutch television. Driven by a passion for extreme weather, Ribberink also regularly traveled to the United States during tornado season to track tornadoes. In January 2019, she left television to focus entirely on climate communication and sustainability. Her mission is to raise awareness about sustainable living and to translate complex climate issues into practical, concrete advice.

This lecture is part of Sustainability Week 2026.