DIFFERDANGE

Differdange, with its about 30.000 inhabitants, is the third biggest town in Luxembourg located in the south of the country in the border triangle with Belgium and France. Since the 19th century, Differdange has shown its strength with the start of industrialization with local mining operations and one of Luxembourg’s biggest blast furnaces. With its economic development, Differdange offered to be a new home for people from all around the world with 118 nationalities making up more than 50 percent of the population. Diversity comes with socioeconomic challenges, which Differdange had to manage in its past and which are a factor in reaching climate neutrality goals. This is why the environmental policies of the city concentrate a lot on growing support in the population, while not forgetting the city’s ties to the local industrial sector. The city of Differdange committed to climate transition since 2013 signing the Pacte Climat mission (local and national initiative in the framework of the European Energy Award) and joining the Klima-Bündnis Lëtzebuerg (national office of the European Climate Alliance). Differdange is also active on circular economy with initiatives to support the development of a healthy, organic, short-circuited food system to increase local production in fruits and vegetables, also leveraging cross-border cooperation (cfr. Territoire Naturel Transfrontalier). With the Climaborough project, Differdange will address two main climate action challenges:
i) adopting innovative ideas, processes and tools to stimulate climate-responsible behaviours taking into account the opportunities and challenges of the multinational/multicultural population in Differdange; and
ii) involving the private sector in the climate actions, in particular the large industrial partners active on the territory of Differdange in economic sectors such as steel, plastic fabrication, food processing, etc.