Welcome to Burning Planet, the Dream Team dedicated to finding solutions around the increasing impacts of climate change. Risks are increasing worldwide, and the Netherlands is also increasingly facing them. Yet our society is still insufficiently prepared for this new reality.
We believe that a climate-proof future requires innovative, integrated and supported solutions. From diverse academic backgrounds - from earth sciences and environmental science to public administration, ecology and communication - our team works together on one central mission: preventing and managing climate-related natural disasters.
What does Burning Planet do?
Over the past year, our focus has been on:
- How people perceive fire risks, using maps and visualisations.
- Policy options and stakeholders' perspectives, such as wildlife managers, farmers and recreationists.
- Technological innovations, such as improved protective equipment for firefighters and AI-driven risk communication in collaboration with MEJOR Technologies.
The research results were presented at the prestigious EGU conference and attracted attention from both scientific and wider public groups.
Interests sometimes diverge - and that is precisely where our strength lies. As a Dream Team, we develop creative and science-based solutions that different stakeholders can agree on.
In the 2024-2025 academic year, our team focused on three main themes:
- Risk indicators: we investigated vegetation and weather indices that map wildfire risk.
- Policy insight: we analysed the perspective of stakeholders such as nature managers, fire brigades, governments and residents.
- Protective equipment: we investigated the suitability of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Dutch conditions.
Our impact
With our work, we contribute to increasing risk awareness, improving disaster preparedness and creating space for dialogue between science, policy and practice. We present our findings through workshops, public meetings, infographics and policy discussions - all aimed at making the problem visible and providing action perspectives.
As a member of this team, you work on today's social challenges. Do you want to contribute to tackling climate-related risks? Join Burning Planet and contribute to tangible solutions with social impact.
"In the past year, I learned an awful lot! Collaborating with students from different studies was super fun - I even liked it more than my studies!"
- Eva, History student
"This year was one of the highlights of my studies. It was inspiring and educational and really a special experience."
- Melanie, International Business Law student
Are you curious, eager to learn, entrepreneurial and want to make a real impact? Then send an e-mail to dreamteams@vu.nl and let us know why exactly you want to be part of our team. And let us know what you study and what year you are in. We will then contact you.
Ambassadors:
Lecturer Ambassador: Dr Marleen de Ruiter
University lecturer at the Department of Water and Climate Risks at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), VU University Amsterdam. Co-chair of the international RiskKAN network.
Lecturer Ambassador: Dr Sjoerd Kluiving
Associate Professor of Geoarchaeology and Anthropocene Studies at VU University Amsterdam. Expert in the long-term relationship between humans and landscape.
This team is linked to the VU profile theme Connected World.