[Gardiens de la nature] Climate change: what action plan for the country?

The Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Serge Wilmes will present his strategy next month. A LIST study on southern municipalities has just demonstrated the urgency of an ambitious policy.

If we do not yet know what measures will be included in Minister Wilmes’ “Draft strategy and action plan for adaptation to the effects of climate change in Luxembourg (2025 – 2035), the ministry, contacted by The Dailyhowever, clarified that “Luxembourg’s climate adaptation strategy aims to prepare the country for the inevitable effects of climate change.

It aims to strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to the consequences of these changes. Citizens are encouraged to actively participate in the development of this strategy and to commit to a more sustainable future.”

While on the other side of the Atlantic, Donald Trump denies the climate emergency with as much imbecility as indecency, it is up to Europe to spearhead a virtuous and responsible environmental policy. towards future generations. Will she be able to take responsibility? If the Grand Duchy – not the worst-off country in its finances – does not assume this role, who will…

At this stage, at a time when climate skepticism is on the rise, it is useful to recall what the reality of climate change is. An obvious fact which is perfectly demonstrated in very recent work from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST).

On October 22, Jürgen Junk (scientist at the Environmental Research and Innovation department» of LIST) had revealed the results of the study “Stadtklimaanalyse für die Region Pro-Sud»carried out in 2023/2024. Claude Meisch (Minister of Housing and Regional Planning) and Christian Weis (president of the Pro-Sud intercommunal union and mayor of Esch-sur-Alzette) were at his side.

This research work, which analyzed the urban microclimate of the eleven member municipalities of Pro-Sud, was carried out in collaboration with the company GEO-NET (Hanover). It is based on fine modeling (a mesh of squares measuring five by five meters) which made it possible to map current climatic conditions and then to simulate two future climate change scenarios (+0.7°C and +2.7°C). already established by IPCC scientists.

Essential green spaces

This is not a surprise, but, caused by poor air exchange and a high rate of waterproofed surfaces (those which store the most heat), densely built city centers will be increasingly affected by waves of heat during summer heatwaves. Episodes whose frequency, moreover, will only increase.

The main results demonstrate that cities cool less quickly than the surrounding countryside, particularly in dense urban centers and industrial areas. Areas with little vegetation and a lot of waterproofed surfaces actually display high heat during the day.

Not only are green parks beneficial for biodiversity and air quality (they filter atmospheric pollutants), but they also offer essential cooling, the effectiveness of which however varies depending on their size, location and location. their plant density. Open spaces thus produce fresh night air, essential for cooling highly urbanized areas. To cause air flows between different sectors, the presence of wind corridors is essential.

The building will also have to evolve. For the authors of the study, municipalities should require a climate analysis for each new project. Not only should the use of materials with a high solar reflection capacity be favored (wood, for example), but as many surfaces as possible should also be greened, both roofs and facades.

The orientation of buildings should be studied based on sunlight and airflow, particularly in sensitive buildings such as hospitals or care homes. In short, it is already necessary to develop sustainable urban planning with a vision over several decades to anticipate the impacts of climate change.

Reconsider urban planning

In the first scenario worked on, established on very optimistic criteria (+0.7°C), scientists predict that the urban areas which will suffer a thermal load will expand slightly. In the second (+2.7°C), which is not the worst predicted by the IPCC, up to 80% of urban areas will be classified as highly or very highly exposed to heat. Significant increases in daytime and nighttime temperatures will lead to increased risks to health and well-being.

The study confirms that the artificialization of surfaces considerably increases heat disturbances within our cities

The study concludes with a catalog of 20 measures which, according to the authors, will allow cities to be better adapted to climate change and therefore to better protect the health of their inhabitants and the people who work there. They therefore advise increasing shaded areas and vegetation in public spaces (parks, streets, schools, etc.), protecting and strengthening wind corridors, reducing impermeable surfaces to limit the accumulation effect. heat or to integrate climatic factors into urban planning, by giving priority to critical zones identified in the very precise climatic maps that they created for the occasion. Finally, they stipulate that this study should be renewed every five to ten years in order to be able to monitor climate change and better define new urban projects.

Serge Wilmes was not present during the presentation of this study, but we can bet that this work has reached his office and that its conclusions will permeate the strategy that he will unveil in a few weeks.