Futurapolis Planet: methods to adapt to alter | EUROtoday

Regulate to rule higher

Faced with the technological domination of the United States and China, Europe is making an attempt to jot down its personal historical past: that of a mannequin the place regulation turns into a instrument of affect and innovation. “Can you imagine Gafam doing without the European market? » asks Fatie Toko. For the Business Transformation, Data and AI director of the La Poste group, the EU remains a strategic market, and regulation, a weapon. But alone, it is not enough to compete with the global giants.

Asma Mhalla, doctor of political science, deplores the “visceral lack of a clear techno-industrial policy”. According to her, Europe should construct a mannequin that mixes innovation, cooperation and financing, specifically by mobilizing traders, strengthening training and accelerating the emergence of abilities. For Nadia Pellefigue, vice-president of the Occitanie area, Europe should additionally “capitalize on its strengths and strengthen its alliances” with international locations with equal moral values ​​and industrial alternatives.

Changing your outlook on AI

If Europe is considerably behind by way of innovation, it’s above all due to its cultural and philosophical heritage, believes physicist and paleoanthropologist Pascal Picq in his newest essay, AI, the Philosopher and the Anthropologist (Odile Jacob, 2024). Unlike the United States, empirical and pragmatic, or Japan, the place animism integrates machines into religious continuity, Europe is anchored in a inflexible Cartesianism, separating thoughts and physique.

This mistrust of synthetic intelligence, exacerbated by its intrusion into mental duties, additional slows down innovation. “Our elites struggle to understand the issue, while our researchers go abroad to develop their ideas,” regrets Pascal Picq. For him, Europe should undertake the centaur analogy: a human-machine partnership that exploits the strengths of AI with out shedding management.

“They are only a reflection of our skills. It all depends on the questions we ask them,” he insists. But this partnership requires vigilance. “They can also lock us into algorithmic narcissism, where they never contradict us. » To avoid this trap, he calls for a critical approach: artificial intelligence must stimulate our thinking without replacing it.

Climate: the age of uncertainties

In 2024, global CO emissions₂ will reach a record level, reflecting global inaction in the face of the climate emergency. If Europe is aiming for an ambitious 55% reduction in its emissions by 2030, it seems very alone today, particularly in the face of a United States with no real climate policy and a rapidly growing emitting China. Without global coordination, these efforts not only risk being in vain, but could undermine European competitiveness.

A situation made worse by “carbon leakage” – the motion of industries to much less regulated international locations. For Christian Gollier, economist and director of the Toulouse School of Economics, a carbon border tax is “essential” to ensure truthful competitors and place polluters on an equal footing.

But its implementation stays a colossal problem, significantly for sure assembled merchandise. “The transition requires cooperation, sobriety, innovation, and a clear long-term political framework,” concludes the economist.

Water, a standard good

Shortages, air pollution, mismanagement of assets: the worldwide water disaster requires revolutionary options. Among them, the reuse of wastewater, an space the place France is lagging behind. “We reuse less than 1% of wastewater, compared to 15% in Spain,” laments Anne Le Guennec, director of the Global Water Technologies space at Veolia. In query: a psychological barrier, which is now being lifted.

“More than two thirds of French people now accept the idea of ​​drinking treated wastewater or consuming food irrigated with this water,” she notes. Technologies exist already, corresponding to nature-based options, which use crops to deal with water organically, perfect for irrigation, or UV disinfection, which makes water drinkable.

But the administration of micropollutants stays a significant problem. “We are working on processes to destroy them, instead of concentrating them and then having to manage them,” explains Julie Mendret, physician in environmental course of engineering, HDR lecturer on the University of Montpellier. Another problem: simplifying administrative procedures and investing. “The solutions are there, all we have to do is decide,” concludes Anne Le Guennec.

The transition, in actuality

While environmental requirements can speed up the power transition, their complexity and instability typically hinder their implementation. Sylvain Panas, Occitanie regional director of TotalEnergies, illustrates this paradox: “The regulations on biofuels guarantee a market by 2025, which allows us to invest with peace of mind. »

Conversely, administrative procedures in renewable energies lengthen deadlines. “It takes seven years to develop a photovoltaic park in France, compared to two in the United States. » “Legal insecurity is the enemy of investment,” confirms Stefan Ambec, Inrae analysis director at TSE.

While 75% of power in France is fossil, changing it requires large efforts and elevated training. Globally, 1 billion folks nonetheless do not need entry to power, and their precedence stays the price of it. “Virtuous energy varies depending on the perspective,” concludes Sylvain Panas. Here it needs to be inexperienced. Elsewhere, it have to be dependable or just accessible. » Ultimately, the true query is much less about decarbonization than who will bear the associated fee.

Energy sobriety: the French, related!

The French are more and more dedicated to power effectivity, observes Lionel Zecri, Market Director for Individual Customers at EDF. “Electricity consumption fell by around 7% between the winter of 2023-2024 and that of 2021-2022, confirming the trend that began since the energy crisis of 2022.”

This sobriety, favored by technological instruments making it attainable to watch and regulate consumption, is especially defined by the price of power, which nonetheless motivates 85% of French folks. Heating and air-con stay the primary consumption objects, representing 50-60% of a family’s electrical energy, adopted by family home equipment (20%), sizzling water (10%) and lighting (5 %). However, ecological consciousness is gaining floor, significantly amongst these beneath 35.

Innovations like warmth pumps, which scale back CO emissions by 90%₂ in comparison with fuel, speed up this transition. Previously criticized, nuclear energy is now seen as an asset: “60% of French people are in favor of it. » With 98% carbon-free electricity, France has established itself as a leader in energy sobriety and electrification.

Live to be 100… but with what health?

While living to 100 is becoming a realistic prospect, this longevity poses major social and economic challenges. Beyond preventive actions, such as the WHO Icope program, intended to detect fragilities before they lead to dependence, Catarina Goulão, Inrae researcher at Toulouse School of Economics, calls for a rethinking of the mechanisms of insurance.

“Disadvantaged people, who live shorter lives, pay for benefits they will never see. » She pleads for a more equitable system, aligned with real risks and the needs of the most vulnerable. For her part, Sophie Boissard, general director of the Clariane group, proposes a change of outlook on aging by promoting seniors as agents of growth.

“Gaining a generation of active life is an opportunity for France and Europe. » It calls for doubling the number of paramedical professionals by 2030, while reforming public policies in order to integrate prevention, adapted support and inclusion of seniors in active society.

Sad transhumance

Every year, 1.6 billion live animals are transported across Europe and beyond, often in dramatic conditions. Émilie Fenaughty, author of Carcass (Marchialy, 2024), denounces this dark side of industrial farming: “A cow can travel thousands of kilometers, be fattened in Spain, then slaughtered on the other side of the Mediterranean. » Despite regulations supposed to protect animals, their application remains incomplete in the face of a growing demand for meat.

For Nicolas Treich, Inrae research director at Toulouse School of Economics, this suffering results from both a problem of quality – inhumane conditions of transport and breeding – and of quantity: “The more animals we consume, the more the amount of suffering increases. »

Solutions are emerging: strengthened standards, tax incentives – taxing meat, subsidizing plant-based alternatives, for example – and innovations, such as cultured meat produced in laboratories. But the change must also be cultural: “We are disconnected from the life and death of the animal,” regrets Émilie Fenaughty, calling for consciousness.