Dutch police Thursday said they would do their bit to fight climate change by using airships instead of helicopters to monitor protests and port security in Rotterdam.

"We want to do our little bit," the Police Chief for Rotterdam, Aad Meijboom, told the ANP news agency.

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The German-made airships will be equipped with cameras and will be deployed from next year, he said. They will also be used for surveillance of the city's port, which is Europe's largest.

Rotterdam aims to halve gas emissions by 2025 through a variety of measures including the use of low-energy bulbs, tramcars and underground trains.