Think globally and act locally: This is the motto of the climate partnership between Rastatt and Saint-Louis in Senegal. In 2014, the city of Rastatt had entered into the climate partnership with the West African city on the initiative of the local group Naturfreunde Rastatt. Both cities agreed on measures to jointly advance climate protection and climate impact adaptation.
The climate partnership is about the mutual exchange of experience between Rastatt and the African partner municipality on the topics of climate protection and climate adaptation as well as nature and environmental education. A joint action program was also developed.
In 2015, the municipal council initially rejected the implementation of the program by a majority of one vote. in 2019, a cross-faction motion in the Rastatt municipal council enabled the climate partnership to be resumed. Since then, extensive climate protection measures have been jointly developed and successively implemented in both municipalities. They are largely financed by donations and subsidies.
One of the goals in both municipalities is to green the city centers. 1.as part of this, the city of Rastatt has given away 000 climate trees to its citizens in 2020 and 2021. These are intended to make an effective contribution toCO2 storage and also ensure a better microclimate. In Saint-Louis, meanwhile, thanks to numerous donations and the support of the Climate Alliance and the Friends of Nature Rastatt, 5,000 euros were recently transferred to the city of Saint-Louis. The money was used to plant coconut palms there in order to improve the climate in the city, increase humidity and stop the advance of the desert. An expansion of the street greening, also with other tree varieties, is to start in 2023 with the support of the city of Rastatt.
In 2021, the municipal council of the city of Rastatt decided to install photovoltaic systems on suitable roofs of existing municipal buildings in the baroque city. In Saint-Louis, too, a photovoltaic system will be installed on the town hall as well as on the roof of the registry office in Saint-Louis, and 25 solar lights will be installed on the premises of a non-profit fishery processing company for women. This will lead to greater job security and allow for longer working hours, which will help employees improve their incomes. Other benefits: Electricity can be produced in an environmentally friendly way, and lights are still available during power outages, which are more common in Africa. Environmentally harmful generators can thus be dispensed with.
Due to its location directly on the Atlantic Ocean, Saint-Louis is strongly affected by coastal erosion and rising sea levels. By reforesting the mangrove forests, the city wants to counteract the erosion. The project receives funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and has already led to the planting of 80,000 mangroves in Saint-Louis. Saint-Louis also receives support from the Friends of Nature Rastatt with donations and know-how.
Kommissarischer Kundenbereichsleiter / Klimaschutzmanager
