In the coming months several Belgian green spaces, including the largest park in the city of Brussels, will be renamed after places that are suffering greatly from the climate crisis.
From Wednesday 8 November, the Tour & Taxis Park near the Brussels canal will change its name for several months to become Sidi Boughaba Park, named after a well-known nature reserve in the northwest of Morocco where flooding is common.
"The effects of the climate crisis are being felt everywhere, from Morocco to Brussels. Even here in Brussels, where on average we experience three times more periods of great heat than in rural areas," State Secretary of the Brussels Capital Region in charge of international relations Ans Persoons said in a statement.
Together with the Brussels regional government, Flemish coalition for international solidarity 11.11.11 unveiled a sign on Wednesday indicating the temporary name. The NGO aims for the campaign to draw attention to climate change around the world.
"Climate change does not stop at national borders. Countries and people who have contributed least to warming who are hit hardest by it," said Els Hertogen, director of 11.11.11. "We want to address that injustice by making the link between cities near us and cities worldwide."
The temporary name of the nature reserve Tommelen was unveiled last month. Credit: Nele Kelchtermans, councillor in Hasselt.Several other parks across the country have already changed names as part of the campaign, which kicked off in Hasselt at the end of October when nature reserve Tommelen became Okavango Park. The Okavango River in Botswana is affected by rising temperatures and longer droughts.
This week, the Sint-Donatuspark in Leuven, better known as the city park, was named "Palawanpark" – a name it will bear until the end of the year in honour of the largest island in the Philippines. Palawan is often cited as one of the most beautiful places in the world, with its snow-white beaches, coral reefs, lagoons and widespread palm trees, but it is also suffering due to climate change, mainly rising sea levels.
In total, parks and nature reserves in ten cities and municipalities will be renamed, including in Bredene, Izegem, Mortsel, Zwijndrecht, Kortrijk, Sint-Niklaas and Vilvoorde.
