The “Avenir Commun Durable – Energy, Environment, Society” initiative was launched in 2021 out of a desire among professors at the Collège de France to take action in the face of climate change challenges. Their goal is to combine their expertise, analyses, and knowledge to understand the challenges of the environmental and energy transition. History, mathematics, economics, physics, law, chemistry… The project seeks to break down the barriers between fields of expertise in order to grasp the full complexity of the challenges that lie ahead.
Now more than ever, public debate must be grounded in verified information and data. Avenir Commun Durable aims precisely to share the results of its deliberations with everyone, without glossing over the uncertainties and debates inherent in the scientific process. Thematic symposia open to the public and free of charge will thus be organized regularly at the Collège de France to publicize the progress of ongoing research on issues related to climate change and on possible solutions to address them. In particular, professors will reach out to young people, especially students, to provide them with reliable scientific information to support their efforts in favor of the ecological transition.
Finally, “Avenir Commun Durable” is expanding to include an annual Avenir Commun Durable Annual Chair dedicated to these issues, which will enable the program to invite renowned researchers each year and shed new, high-level scientific light on these topics. In 2024–2025, the chair will host François-Marie Bréon , a researcher at the CEA and a specialist in the use of space-based observations to understand climate processes and track their evolution. In previous years, the chair has also hosted Christian Gollier , founder and director of the prestigious Toulouse School of Economics; Laurence Boisson de Chazournes , full professor of law at the University of Geneva; and Kyle Harper , Professor of Classics and Letters at the University of Oklahoma and a member of the Fractal Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute.
The initiative is supported by the Collège de France Foundation and its major sponsor, the Covéa Foundation, which also helped establish the Avenir Commun Durable Chair.
