The Island of Saint-Louis is the historic area of the city of Saint-Louis in Senegal. In 2000, UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List.

History

Saint-Louis was established as a French colonial settlement in the 17th century. It developed into a city in the middle of the 19th century. From 1872 to 1957, Saint-Louis was the capital of Senegal and was important for culture and economy in West Africa. The town is located on an island where the Senegal River meets the ocean. Its organized layout, system of docks, and colonial-style buildings help make Saint-Louis unique in appearance and character.

Climate change

In 2022, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report listed the Island of Saint-Louis as one of the African cultural sites that could be damaged by flooding and coastal erosion by the end of the century. This risk applies only if climate change follows the RCP 8.5 scenario, which assumes very high and continuously rising greenhouse gas emissions. This scenario would lead to global warming of more than 4°C, but it is no longer considered very likely. Other scenarios, which are more likely, predict lower temperature increases and smaller rises in sea levels. However, under all scenarios, sea levels will continue to rise for about 10,000 years. Even if warming is limited to 1.5°C, global sea levels are expected to rise more than 2–3 meters (7–10 feet) after 2000 years. This rise would exceed the sea level increase predicted by the RCP 8.5 scenario (~0.75 meters (2 feet), with a range of 0.5–1 meter (2–3 feet)) at some point before 2100.