Marcel Crok Dismantles Gerrit Hiemstra’s Climate Alarmism

Clintel Foundation
Date: 12 November 2026

North Sea temperature and sunshine duration in De Bilt (the Netherlands). Source: KNMI

“The heatwave in Western Europe began early this summer. On the Rhine near Lobith, there was even a record low water level. So never before had so little water flowed into our country via the Rhine. But how unusual is that?”

Minimum annual daily flow rate of the Rhine in the Netherlands. Source: Rob de Vos

“This graph shows that such low values have occurred much more frequently over the past century. And more importantly, there is no clear decline in the Rhine’s discharge. And that makes it very difficult to say that this is the result of climate change.”

“Incidentally, 2026 isn’t necessarily an extremely dry year. So far, 640 mm of rainfall has been recorded. That’s slightly below average, but we still have two months to go. By far the driest year since 1900 was 1921. Back then, only 420 mm of rainfall was recorded for the whole year. At that time in Maastricht, the Meuse was virtually dry. Imagine if that were to happen now. What would Gerrit Hiemstra say? The CO2 concentration back then was 40 per cent lower than it is today. So, on this point too, it is far too simplistic to say that the current drought has anything to do with climate change.”

Annual average precipitation in the Netherlands. Source: KNMI

“France and Spain were hit by extreme wildfires this summer. But does this have anything to do with climate change? In France, no fewer than 474 people were arrested in connection with their involvement in starting the fires. Globally, however, it was actually an extremely quiet year in terms of wildfires.”

Global cumulative area burnt by wildfires. Source: Our World in Data

“Hiemstra spoke of more than 35,000 heat-related deaths in Europe. In that context, it is distressing that air conditioning is so much less common in Europe than, for example, in Japan or the United States. One could even argue that if Europe had as much air conditioning as Japan and the United States, we could prevent thousands of heat-related deaths every year. Not a word about this from Gerrit Hiemstra. What Hiemstra conveniently omitted is that, worldwide, there are still 10 times as many cold-related deaths as heat-related deaths.”

Cold-related deaths and heat-related deaths in Europe. Source: Bjorn Lomborg

“And we have recently learnt that this also applies to the Netherlands. The RIVM has recently published a study showing that there are 350 heat-related deaths annually and no fewer than 12,000 cold-related deaths. Sky-high energy prices, partly as a result of our climate policy, mean that people no longer dare to turn on their heaters in winter. And this is, in fact, far more dangerous than those few weeks of heat we experienced in the summer.”

“Hiemstra spoke of economic damage amounting to around 180 billion euros in Europe. The damage caused by extreme weather is indeed increasing, but that is because there are more of us, because we are becoming increasingly wealthy, and because we have inflation. Once you adjust for these factors, there is no remaining increase in the damage. There is therefore no discernible effect of climate change on the damage.”

European climate and weather-related damage as a percentage of GDP (1990–2024). Source: Roger Pielke Jr.

“Hiemstra gives the impression that climate change is extremely dangerous for humanity. But the data we have actually points to exactly the opposite. Over the past century, deaths caused by extreme weather – such as those resulting from disasters like floods or hurricanes – have fallen by 98 per cent. Meanwhile, the world’s population has quadrupled from 2 billion to 8 billion. A spectacular decline in deaths caused by extreme weather.”

Global number of climate-related deaths (1920–2025). Source: Bjorn Lomborg

“Why is that? It has nothing to do with climate change, but everything to do with increased prosperity. Thanks to that prosperity, we build better houses, have better technology and people are warned sooner that extreme weather is on the way.”

“According to Hiemstra, the hot summer is our fault: ‘Every time we fill up with petrol or diesel, every cubic metre of natural gas we burn, every flight we book, every meatball we fry, contributes to climate change.’ He makes it seem as though the Dutch can save the global climate. But the Netherlands accounts for just 0.3 per cent of global CO2 emissions. And whilst we are closing down our industries and relocating them to countries such as China and India, CO2 emissions in China and India are rising dramatically. So what Hiemstra should do if he wants to make an impact is pack his bags and go and convince the Chinese.”

Annual CO2 emissions by country. Source: Our World in Data

“In conclusion, we can say that Gerrit Hiemstra’s narrative was rife with scaremongering. He links everything that has happened this summer to climate change. And as we have explained, that is completely unfounded. A predecessor of Gerrit Hiemstra at the NOS, weather presenter Erwin Kroll, often used to say when it was 5 degrees warmer than normal: ‘We are living beyond our means.’ In fact, we could say that since the 1980s, when the winds changed, the Netherlands has been living beyond its means. And the question is how much longer that will last.”

“So my message to you is: enjoy it and cherish it whilst you still can.”

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