The CNRS at ChangeNOW: a commitment to working for a sustainable future

ChangeNOW is an international event for major stakeholders from industry, the academic sphere, associations, politics, culture and the media that promotes solutions for a more sustainable world. The CNRS attended last year's event and is renewing its partnership this year, reinforcing its commitment, particularly through the participation of its Chairman and CEO Antoine Petit in a round table on the challenges of AI in the context of current environmental issues.

Other CNRS researchers and specialists will be taking part in sixround table events on crucial ecological transition themes.

• The oceans: Joachim Claudet, CNRS research professor at the CRIOBE laboratory and ocean adviser for the CNRS, will highlight the important issues linked to the world's oceans and the crucial role these play in the global ecological balance.
• Phytoplankton: Chris Bowler, CNRS research professor at the Institute of Biology of the École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), will discuss this vital micro-organism's importance for a healthy planet.
• The water cycle: Agnès Ducharne, CNRS research professor at the IPSL will demonstrate the impact of human activities on the water cycle.
• Ecological transition training: Claire Gouny, national coordinator of this training programme at the CNRS, will demonstrate the success of this government scheme, pioneered in France.
• The climate: Amy Dahan, CNRS emeritus research professor, will present scientific advances in our understanding of the climate and the progress made towards the right impact mitigation solutions.
• Green algae: Philippe Potin, CNRS research professor at the Station Biologique de Roscoff, will discuss the proliferation of green algae along our coasts and solutions to deal with this situation.

Some of these round tables are scheduled to take place at the Odyssée de l'Eau, a free interactive space open to all on the banks of the Seine, near the Grand Palais.

The CNRS will also be running a stand on Saturday at the Impact Job Fair, a recruitment event dedicated to impact. This will give the organisation an opportunity to present its missions and job offers to potential candidates. Free admission for students.

The CNRS - a key player in the fight against global warming

The CNRS's research and innovations mean the organisation is making an active contribution to the United Nations' (UN) global objectives in the framework of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The CNRS's involvement in national and international initiatives like France's National Observatory on the Effects of Global Warming and the French Foundation for Biodiversity Research testifies to our commitment to finding the right scientific and practical solutions to preserve our planet.

The CNRS is also a major contributor to the data used by two key institutions in world efforts on climate and biodiversity - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (IPBES).

The organisation also steers or co-steers several Priority Research Programmes and Facilities (PEPR) dedicated to societal and environmental issues like the decarbonisation of industry, recycling, or water resources.

Finally, the CNRS is also pulling out all the stops to cut its own environmental impact by implementing its low-carbon transition plan, appointing a scientific officer for sustainable development and risks and setting up a network of sustainable development officers in all its institutes, units and offices.