On January 20 and 21, 2025, Mont Sainte-Odile hosted the General Assembly of the INTERREG Upper Rhine Clim’Ability Care cross-border project. These two days of exchanges were marked by constructive discussions and significant advances in the management of Upper Rhine climate issues.
A varied and structuring program
During the meeting, the partners and experts present shared their experiences and worked together on a number of key topics:
1) Presentation of progress made on the three pilot sites, with valuable feedback on issues relating to :
- Flooding and the adaptive solutions implemented ;
- Preservation of living soil in industrial and residential areas;
- And the preservation of nature areas for recreation, production and biodiversity.
2) Interactive workshop by Work Packages:
Identification of critical infrastructures and associated vulnerabilities with a view to developing appropriate mapping for building resilience pathways on the scale of the Upper Rhine.
Updating and expanding the “Clim’Ability” toolbox. The inventory of emerging tools once again testifies to the dynamism of the project! To date, no fewer than six new tools have been designed, not to mention updates to existing tools. The Clim’Ability toolbox now includes diagnostics, mapping, serious games, emergency kits, guides, climate walks and immersive tours… Not to mention the many exploratory approaches to solutions associated with this range of tools. All of this in open source, with a view to offering increasingly relevant support to local businesses.
Promoting a new entrepreneurial culture. The adoption of a new entrepreneurial culture throughout the Upper Rhine is a major challenge that runs through the entire project. This applies to both local authorities and private companies. The project is looking for companies willing to think about questioning or observation grids to identify situations sensitive to climate change in services and turn them into springboards for innovation. Internships in companies or local authorities are being organized on the initiative and under the responsibility of INSA Strasbourg.
Interactive workshops and brainstorming sessions, aimed at strengthening synergies between the various work packages and fostering a cross-functional approach. The workshop resulted in the identification of a cross-border calendar to present the new Clim’Ability Care materials and tools. This agenda is backed up by the Mobilab’s autumn tour, as well as important events such as Resilience Day in October 2025.
Institutionalization of the project through the presentation of experience feedback and outline of potential strategies for advancing the project’s sustainability. In parallel with these presentations, an editorial project to reflect a decade of co-production of tools and communication between Upper Rhine universities, economic players and local authorities is being studied (coordination: Freiburg University & Insa Strasbourg). The project will also be supported by visual aids (webdoc) and regular maintenance of its web page.
Towards a cross-border climate risk culture
These exchanges helped consolidate a shared vision and explore concrete avenues for action to develop a genuine cross-border culture of climate risk. Cooperation between the various players has proved essential if we are to work together to meet today’s environmental challenges in a tense and changing international context.
Many thanks to all our partners and contributors for their commitment and valuable input. Our thanks also go to our main supporter, the European cross-border program Interreg Upper Rhine.
Together, let’s continue to transcend borders to build a more resilient future in the face of climate change!
To immerse in these two intense days of exchange, click on the video link below:
