Our world is cracking all over the place, man has created in a few generations a new geological era, the anthropocene, which shapes the earth and redefines its habitat. Successive crises - financial, environmental and social - have come and gone, while at the same time our knowledge and innovation have never been so important. Some see cyclical episodes while others see a transition taking shape.
Perhaps it is time to question the fundamentals of our societies such as food, the economy, energy, health, education and democracy. The Aristotle Association is organising its next seminar on Thursday 27 April 2017 on the theme "Tomorrow, the blue economy" at the Ecole Polytechnique in Palaiseau, organised by David Menga (EDFlab) and Olivier Seznec (Novanum Smartuse), in partnership with Cap'Tronic and Ceebios.
Che seminar "Demain l'économie bleue" wishes to make positive, action-oriented contributions to these questions, in line with Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent's film "Demain" and the articles in the magazine "Wedemain".
He wishes to come out of "comfortable pessimism" as the philosopher Patrick Viveret says.
This day has been built as a journey to this new world that we all aspire to and that is gradually emerging all over the world. Starting from the observation on the need to transform our societies and on the basis of the transformation around the knowledge economy, biomimicry and the blue economy. Then we will discuss innovative solutions for food production, trade, the new economy, information technologies and finally the necessary governance to be put in place.
The speakers are both thinkers and doers, actors in the field, the "zebras" as the writer Alexandre Jardin put it so beautifully.
Alarming findings
For the first time in 4.5 billion years, a single species, man, has radically changed the morphology, chemistry and biology of our planet. Entire species are on the brink of extinction. The latest example is the giraffe: there are only 100,000 left on earth. Humans are suffering too. Every year, air pollution by fine particles kills 48,000 people in France, the 3rd cause of death after tobacco and alcohol. Our life expectancy drops by 15 months in the cities and 9 months in the countryside. Cancer, cardiovascular diseases and reproductive disorders are a scourge that affects more and more of our fellow citizens, even the youngest.
Our mode of economic development based on the unlimited predation of natural resources, which is supposed to bring us well-being, has reached its limits and is dragging us into a destructive spiral. Wheat and maize yields are stagnating, despite increasing expenditure on nitrogen fertilizers and so-called plant protection products. The low organic content of soils and their erosion herald a decline in production. Industrial food no longer provides the nutrients essential for human development. The historian Jared Diamond, in his famous book "Collapse: How Societies Decide on their Disappearance or Survival", has shown that the extinction of civilizations was the result of strong climate change coupled with environmental degradation, most often caused by human action. Our diet based on processed foods favours the emergence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. One death out of 3 in France can be attributed to a poor diet. Chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are exploding, as are the costs of treatment. Massive deforestation coupled with the globalization of trade is releasing viruses and bacteria into our aseptic environments, which are becoming highly pathogenic and threatening entire populations, as evidenced by the ravages of the H1N1 flu.
Diseases we thought we had beaten are resurfacing, such as tuberculosis and pneumonia, and some strains are resistant to our antibiotic arsenal. It usually takes 10 years to develop and bring a new antibiotic to market. On the education side, the latest PISA report, released on December 7, 2016, paints a bleak picture of French education. Our education system is expensive, inefficient and faithfully reproduces social inequalities. On the energy side, the world of fossil fuels will come to an end in this century. Renewable energies are attractive, their cost is falling, but they remain intermittent. The safety of nuclear power plants and the management of long-term radioactive waste remain a matter of concern. The right energy mix has yet to be found. Finally, the functioning of democracies seems to us to be far removed from the concerns of citizens, who express their dissatisfaction by abstaining, looking to extremes, with Brexit and the recent election of Donald Trump.
At program :
- The observation: the necessary transition, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, IPCC
- The new framework of transition: the circular economy, biomimicry, the knowledge society, Tarik Chekchak, Ceebios/Cousteau Society
- Food: Intensive Food Production - Permaculture and New Economic Models, Daniel Evain, agricultural engineer
The agricultural system developed since the 1950s is out of breath. The only objective sought has been to increase yields and satisfy the needs of the food industry and supermarkets. The situation is bitter today. Many struggling farmers with low incomes, excessive consumption of pesticides that pollute citizens and the environment. Can we change the agricultural model today? Where are the levers for this change?
- Trade: short and local circuits, Hélène Binet, The Beehive that says yes
- The reinvented economy: the end of waste, Thibault Turchet, Zéro Waste France
This presentation will address the environmental and economic issues raised by the massive production of waste in France and its incineration or landfilling. Having made this observation, the session will be particularly dedicated to demonstrating that there are solutions, often multi-partner solutions, to drastically reduce waste or recycle it, while creating employment-intensive activities.
Thibault Turchet is a lawyer by training, and is a lawyer at Zero Waste France, an approved environmental protection association specialising in waste. He works with local associations and promotes their access to the law. He is also in charge of the follow-up of some advocacy cases (taxation, EPR, regional plans...).
- The reinvented economy the energy transition, Yves Marignac, Negawatt
- The reinvented economy: the method of Ecodesign in circular economy - Presentation of the Circulab, Brieuc Saffré, Wiithaa Agency
The metal equivalent of an Eiffel Tower is consumed every 3 minutes in the world, an Olympic swimming pool filled with concrete is poured every 15 seconds... Our consumption of materials has reached an unprecedented rate. Global demographic pressure and the finiteness of resources are forcing us to change our design methods. It is urgent to facilitate the optimization, reuse and even recycling of materials and parts to reintegrate us into the cycles of life. But how can we take action?
- The blue economy in Cornwall, Eric Seulliet and Patrick Bellec, La Fabrique du Futur
This presentation will introduce the "Blue economy in Cornwall" project. The overall approach will be described and illustrated with concrete ideas for innovative, profitable and non-polluting business models. In particular, the project of the Alg in Town startup will be presented. Its objective is to produce and market fresh spirulina in the Bigouden country based on the precepts of the Blue Economy.
- Digital innovation: Blockchain to check companies' commitments, Julien Leconte, PlayItOpen
Authenticating, monitoring and reporting transparently on companies' societal commitments: the chain of events lifts the veil
Industry, finance, media, sponsorship, politics, citizens: everyone's responsibility is decisive in meeting the global challenges of climate, natural resources and social justice. Unfortunately, current events confirm every day that it is no longer possible to trust slogans and that it is legitimate to have doubts about the control mechanisms that have been put in place. There are many virtuous initiatives, but they are drowned in an ocean of digital communication and reports that are difficult to read.
This presentation will show how the use of a decentralized application on a public blockchain allows any type of organization to authenticate, track and report in a transparent, unified, readable and sustainable way on its societal commitments.
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- Policy: Rethinking governance, Corinne Lepage, former Minister of the Environment and Member of the European Parliament
For more information :
"The Anthropocene."
http://www.letelegramme.fr/monde/anthropocene-l-homme-a-fait-entrer-la-planete-dans-une-nouvelle-ere-30-08-2016-11198662.php
"Giraffes on the endangered species list."
http://www.lemonde.fr/biodiversite/article/2016/12/08/la-girafe-desormais-sur-la-longue-liste-des-especes-menacees_5045818_1652692.html
"This is why industrial food causes chronic disease."
https://reporterre.net/Voici-pourquoi-l-alimentation-industrielle-cause-des-maladies-chroniques
"Hellouin's Beak Farm Beauty Makes Productive",
http://www.sad.inra.fr/Toutes-les-actualites/Ferme-du-Bec-Hellouin-la-beaute-rend-productif
"The biological quality of soils, stakes, know, measure, improve",
http://www.hautsdefrance.chambres-agriculture.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/National/FAL_commun/publications/Picardie/plaquette_biologie_sols.pdf
"Emergence of infectious diseases",
http://www.uvp5.univ-paris5.fr/wikinu/docvideos/Grenoble_1011/pinel_claudine/pinel_claudine_p02/pinel_claudine_p02.pdf
"Collapse: How Societies Decide Whether They're Disappearing or Surviving",
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effondrement_(testing)
"Antibiotic resistance."
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/antibiotic-resistance/fr/
"PISA: the 2016 ranking unveiled, how many points France gets",
http://www.linternaute.com/actualite/education/1310839-pisa-le-classement-2016-devoile-la-france-retrogradee/
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"Education, Germany is doing better than us with fewer resources."
http://www.capital.fr/enquetes/dossiers/education-l-allemagne-fait-mieux-que-nous-avec-moins-de-moyens-1139809
"When digital helps citizens take power."
https://www.franceinter.fr/societe/quand-le-numerique-aide-les-citoyens-a-prendre-le-pouvoir
Patrick Viveret: "As soon as you're open to others, you're accused of being a teddy bear",
http://www.wedemain.fr/Patrick-Viveret-Des-qu-on-est-dans-l-ouverture-aux-autres-on-se-fait-taxer-de-bisounours_a2298.html
Contribution to costs :
* free for Aristotle members (Arcsys Software, BnF, Bull, CEA, Cerfacs, CINES, CIRAD, CNES, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, EDF, GENCI, HP, IFPEN, IFREMER, IFFSTAR, INRA, INRIA, IRSTEA, Kertios, MIM, ONERA, SBA, Synchrotron Soleil, Thales, Xirius Informatique) and speakers,
* paying for non-members: 60 €, by check payable to "Association Aristotle" to be handed in at the entrance of the seminar
Location : Ecole Polytechnique - Amphitheatre Becquerel, Palaiseau
Bus/coach connections from Massy-Palaiseau station
