Cees was best described as an activist scientist, a connector bridging the divides in society and building bridges between people and planet. Working with youth, empowering the old, informing the policymakers, encouraging the politicians and inspiring his colleagues and friends. Cees’ collaborative capacity made the world a better place. And, he made us all feel connected and empowered to act. His legacy is now our responsibility.
Water and climate change are directly linked. We know this both intuitively and from natural disasters. The climate crisis is a water crisis. Nine out of 10 natural disasters are water related. Between 2001 and 2018, droughts, floods, landslides and storms caused over $1.700 billion US in damage worldwide according to the UN (2020), impacting over 3.4 billion people, the majority in Asia. Without water, there is no energy and no food. But too much water and ever-increasing ‘extremes’ also go hand in hand...
