The Financial Incentives Alliance brought governments together to learn, through practical pilots, how financial incentives can effectively contribute to climate adaptation.

Client Delta Program for Spatial Adaptation
Duration 2019 – 2021

The Financial Incentives Alliance brought governments together to learn, through practical pilots, how financial incentives can effectively contribute to climate adaptation. 

Context

The effects of climate change can no longer be mitigated solely through adjustments to the sewer system and the design of public spaces. Residents and business owners can also contribute by designing and maintaining their buildings and gardens to be climate-resilient. To encourage residents and business owners to make these changes, governments are offering financial incentives, such as grants and tax breaks.

The “Alliance for Financial Incentives for Climate Adaptation” was established in 2019 under the Delta Program on Spatial Adaptation to enable municipalities, water boards, and provinces to learn from one another through the eight pilot projects they carried out:

• Amsterdam-West: paving services in combination with maximum paving percentage
• Dordrecht: financial incentives for business parks
• Enschede: Decision-making process regarding the sustainable sewerage fee
• Nissewaard: testing various communication strategies aimed at homeowners
• Noord-Veluwe: encouraging private individuals through a combination of communication, facilitation, financing, and legislation and regulations
• Rotterdam: involving institutional parties in climate-proof design for new construction and renovation
• Rucphen: subsidies and communication to encourage residents to disconnect rainwater
• Son en Breugel: sustainable sewerage charges

Objective

• Developing and applying financial incentives for climate adaptation
• Sharing experiences based on pilot projects and consolidating insights together

Partners

• Municipalities: Amsterdam, Delft, Dordrecht, Enschede, Harderwijk, Nissewaard, Rotterdam, Rucphen, Son en Breugel
• Water boards: Aa en Maas, de Dommel, Delfland Water Authority
• Support for pilots and working groups: Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Rijkswaterstaat, Bureau Binnentuinen, Behavioural Insights, Inspire to Act

Process approach

Within the Alliance, municipalities and water boards shared experiences and conducted research in three thematic working groups: Effectiveness and Behavior, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Decision Support.

NextGreen, in collaboration with Stroom and Onderstroom, handled the overall process management for the Alliance, facilitated mutual learning through broader partner meetings, and guided the Decision Support Working Group in the development of the Policy Mixer publication.

Services and activities

Facilitating dialogue | Process management | Unlocking knowledge | Initiating new collaborations