The inclusive planet
The transition is a response to a global problem, which means that all scales and all stakeholders in society must be included, while ensuring coherence between them, in order to once again avoid one person’s solution becoming another person’s problem. This area thus looks at the governance issues of this transition towards low-carbon societies and the inclusiveness of this governance, which also remains bounded by certain physical constraints. The conditions for this inclusion are drawn up taking into account the multi-scale character of the climate challenge and the constraints involved in resolving decarbonization: in particular the physical limits related to the finitude of the planet and all of the associated economic, social and geopolitical, etc. consequences.
The actors
This involves identifying solutions for engaging different actors in the transition. Initially, work could center on companies and households. In order to investigate the different ways to engage companies and industries in the transition, we will devise tools to shed light on companies’ approaches and strategic choices, and the incentive and coercive measures to deploy, while integrating viability, sustainability and adaptation. For example, potential local developments will be evaluated in terms of their integration into the metabolism of the territory concerned (integration of flows and stocks from the territory, integration into the urban, economic and social fabric). This will include designing and deploying ecological compatibility tools, building specific decarbonization indicators, setting up life cycle assessments, considering environmental risks, business models, and prospective approaches.
In addition, tools will need to be designed that encourage household engagement in the transition and the transformation of lifestyles, in order to activate sobriety drivers and create incentives for using low-carbon solutions in the following three sectors: mobility, residential, and consumption of goods and services. Questions will be tackled considering the issues of acceptability and accessibility of solutions, services, infrastructures, resources, and everything that contributes (in terms of types of governance) to the widest possible social ownership of these sociotechnical choices related to decarbonization.
Tools for coherence
We propose to deploy tools and approaches aimed at aligning stakeholders involved in the transition, which includes circularity models. To tackle the challenges of finite resources, increasing waste production, and the need to reduce greenhouse gases, circularity models integrate recycling, reuse of goods, and reduction of waste production at source, in order to simultaneously transform offer systems and consumer behavior. This involves for example reducing the material footprint of the economy by improving the efficiency of materials, extending the life of goods and technologies (repair and reuse), and intensifying their usage (product-service systems). Implementing these approaches requires coordinating a very large number of actors (local authorities, companies, households, associations) and calls on different levels of action and decision-making. These models are pertinent to reflect on the principles and conditions of implementing the principles of a circular economy and industrial symbioses.
Lead researchers
AGGERI Franck (Franck.aggeri(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CGS – Mines Paris
COMBEAUD Christelle, christelle.combeaud(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CEMEF – Mines Paris
FLIPO Nicolas (nicolas.flipo(at)minesparis.psl.eu), GEOSCIENCES – Mines Paris
GOETZ Damien (damien.goetz(at)minesparis.psl.eu), GEOSCIENCES – Mines Paris
LEVILLAIN Kevin, (kevin.levillain(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CGS – Mines Paris
SEGRESTIN Blanche, (blanche.segrestin(at)minesparis.psl.eu), CGS – Mines Paris
FLORENTIN Daniel, (daniel.florentin(at)minesparis.psl.eu), ISIGE – Mines Paris
You will find a summary of the research carried out in this area soon in our “Resources” section.