Interview with Mr. Alain Grandjean energy and climate change expert, he contributed to the report « Mobilizing finance for the climate » for the President of the French Republic.

Mr. Alain Grandjean *

Q1 of LTE magazine: first of all could you Mr. Alain Grandjean, give to the Lte magazine readers a brief description of the situation of the global warming.

R1: The planet was warming gradually since the middle of the nineteenth century; the average temperature has increased about 1 degree Celsius. Climate is disrupted and the consequences were visible in all regions of the world: important heat wave episodes, huge fires, rains and flfoods, rise of waters, marine submergence, shifting of the seasons and agricultural production, etc. We know the main cause of this climate change: are emissions of anthropogenic origin of greenhouse gas (GHG) Emissions, such as carbon dioxide or methane. We issue today every year about 50 billion tons (in equivalent CO2). The worst is yet to come if we do not change the current trajectory, which could lead to increases in temperature of 3 to 6 degrees by the end of the century. Knowing that the temperature increased by 5 degrees since the last glacial period. Therefore, it is enough to change the climate era. The impact would be devastating all naturel ecosystems.

Q2 – The Conference of the 21th parties (or COP21) about the climate held in Paris in 2015 has set among other objectives a limitation of global warming between 1.5 ° C and 2 ° C by 2100. Can we achieve these objectives knowing that the politicians and nature defenders do not have the same sense of time? Indeed the time of democracy is a time in the short term, usually connected with the elections.

R2 – These goals are critical; If we don’t reach them the consequences for billions of humans beings are going to be tragic, as for the global economy. The economy cannot thrive on a planet with an atmosphere that is out of adjustment. The investments to make to adapt will be considerable but will be purely defensive and they will not create value. These effects are becoming visible and they require, from now on, a strong implication of States like for
example: Canada. The admittedly short time that politicians have, will be overtaken by the acceleration of extreme events. However, solutions to mitigate climate change existed; they generate jobs and are source of innovations. In addition, this matter can be beneficial for politicians since defending this great cause can affect their notoriety.

Q3 – How to make the achievement of those objectives mandatory in the context of a competitive environment. Especially at a time where some technological applications resulting from modern time are consumed in a time that is largely lower than the time it takes to reduce their pollutant upstream and downstream effects.

R3 – The climate is a global public good; its preservation requires international cooperation as there are in other areas. Think for example about the fight against epidemics where the OMS played a key role or how the destruction of the ozone layer was stopped, as soon as we heard that it was due to chemicals (chlorofluorocarbons). International cooperation on the climate issue produces effects: every country committed to control and reduce their GHG emissions. International solidarity mechanisms are currently being negotiated. But, indeed, it is clear that the ecological crisis that we are experiencing, requires a questioning of the consumerist model that dominates in the West. We can not indefinitely fight to consume more without taking into account the fact that the planet is « dying ». If the emulation was good in economic, it should be at the service of innovation that allows simultaneously to improve the fate of everyone and to reduce the destruction of natural resources.

Q4 – We know that some countries deploy major efforts to move towards a greener world. But most of them are just pretending to do so. Should we not invent other politico-economic models or other indicators that incorporate a protecting dimension of our ecosystem.

R4- At the Summit on sustainable development, in New York on 25th September 2015, the UN Member States have adopted a new sustainable development program, which includes a set of 17 global goals to end poverty, combat inequality and injustice, and to deal with climate change by 2030. These objectives should be taken seriously by all leaders of the world, seen as more important than the GDP growth, that does not make sense if these targets are not met. Then it should be explore in each country and at the same time followed by major international bodies (the G20, IMF, multilateral banks, and all coordination instances of emerging and developed countries).

Q5 – What do you think of the French philosopher quotation from Mr. Michel SERRES, taken from his book « the natural contract ‘:If there is a physical pollution, which exposes the climate at risk time, there is a second, invisible, which endangers the time that passes and runs, cultural pollution. Without fighting against the second, we will fail in the first fight. ?

R5 – Indeed we we will not emerge from this crisis without questioning the culture that is the deep source.  » science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul » said Rabelais. We also see, coming here and there in the world, the ‘cultural revolution’, often it comes at the local level. Many initiatives are born that are intended to increase the real-time sharing and reduce material consumption: less goods, more links. But this does not concern the inhabitants of our planet who live in poverty and where our common moral imperative is to help them out. And if you think that the planet will be more than 9 billion by 2050 (in 35 years, it is very short), unfortunately we cannot bet on the cultural change of the inhabitants, which will take two or three generations at least. The elites of the world must take responsibility, public opinions advanced in all countries must pressure. The future of the planet and its inhabitants is now.

LTE Magazine (Ahmed Khaouja): Thank you very much Mr. Alain Grand jean.