Kan vi leve
med deg?

Dear Norwegians,
My name is Nicolaas Veul, a journalist with the Dutch Public Broadcaster. I am making a documentary about climate change and I have spoken to many scientists who are very concerned about the future of my country.

I will give a brief background: the Netherlands is a low-lying country, much of it below sea level. In the IPCC's worst-case scenario, sea levels could rise by five metres in the next century. Anything above two metres means parts of our country will likely have to be returned to the sea.

Millions of Dutch people will have to relocate, because we will not have enough room for them all.

In the Netherlands, we do not like to talk about this worst case scenario. We gamble that global warming will not be as bad as predicted and that our dykes will protect us. But science has a clear warning: we will not be able to cope with a disaster of such proportions and the earth is warming up faster than predicted.

What do you want from us, Nicolaas? I hear you think.

Our government does not have a plan B, so I decided to do some exploratory research myself.

Your country comes in number one in all the lists of the best countries to live. Norway has lots of space, beautiful nature, plenty of work, and your sustainability policy is the most successful in Europe (leaving aside your oil problem, but I’m sure that will be sorted out).

I think you will like us too; after all, we both love skating. And of course, your own Thor Bjørklund invented the cheese slicer! While we have the best cheese! What a match!

But seriously, we are headed for disaster. Many people will be forced to migrate due to the consequences of climate change. But Norway is safe for now. That’s why I would like to ask you:

Kan vi levemed deg?

Kan vi levemed deg?

Takk!

Kan vi leve
med deg?

Kan vi leve
med deg?