Opening speech of the President of the Polytechnique Institute of Paris

Science and education, the tools for successfully tackling climate change

Mr. Minister of the Ecological Transition, Christophe BECHU,

Dear colleagues of the X,

Dear students,

Dear alumni of the Polytechnique School,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to meet you again today for the second edition of the international scientific conference Reflexions on climate regulation. First of all, I would like to introduce this conference by extending my heartfelt thanks to the Institute’s partners who made this event possible : BNP Paribas and the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech. As President of the Polytechnique Institute of Paris, I wish to make strong commitments this year, just like those made by the Polytechnique school during the first Reflexions conference in 2019, in the wake of the publication of the Institute’s Climate plan in 2022. Under the banner of innovation for the environment, the previous edition of Reflexions led to the project to transform Polytechnique school campus to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

I have also committed myself to ensuring that students are trained in the challenges of the ecological transition, through specific teaching modules, a certification for sustainable development, as well as by supporting research with the creation of the interdisciplinary center for renewable energies called

Energy4Climate. I can say that our Institute is based on the philosophy that expertise is at the service of sustainable prosperity. It is my hope that Reflexions will become a permanent forum for discussions that promotes ideas, so that each actor involved in the fight against global warming can bring his or her own vision of the future and propose solutions. The goal of this conference is to make today's society the sustainable society of tomorrow. Together, we must become actors of change and contribute together to raising awareness. And what institution is better suited than the Institut Polytechnique of Paris to accelerate thinking about the climate challenges of our time? Every year, our graduates join the ranks of experts and decision-makers who will enable our society to overcome and transcend the environmental crisis we face. With its vast network of member schools, the Polytechnique Institute of Paris is a large community that has always promoted the exchange of knowledge and best practices between universities. Our world-renowned schools and cutting-edge research share a common goal : to create an institute with a worldwide reputation that provides solutions on environmental issues.

We count between our ranks many driving forces to achieve this goal. We have 55 teaching and research chairs, 30 laboratories, 1,000 doctoral students, 230 post-doctoral students, 1,000 French and international professors and researchers. As you already know, the Polytechnique Institute of Paris is also, and above all, its 8,200 students, 39% of whom are students and 42% of whom are international teacher-researchers. Together, we are moving forward a little more each day towards progress. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that women play an important role in the ecological transition ; I wish to see strong increasing representation of women in our workforce. For the sake of this objective, I am renewing our commitment to having 30% women in our workforce by 2026. Indeed, we need all our talents to act together to face the climate challenge ! As it has been noted, the Institute is committed to fighting for a more sustainable world through research, innovation and education. It trains brilliant and innovative minds which will become tomorrow’s actors of change and is committed to training these young generations by providing them with strong knowledge and skills. This commitment to transformation is reflected in our excellent training programs and our prestigious teaching chairs, which embody our vision and know-how for the profound transformation of french society. For example I am thinking of our "Transport, Mobility and Space" academic chair, which is looking at alternatives to fossil fuels to reduce the carbon footprint of transport and train our engineers and decision-makers in the energy transition.

We must give priority to new, green energies, such as hydrogen. This is why the school Polytechnique has developed HyPSTER, the first green underground hydrogen storage project to revolutionize the way we produce and use energy. Our bright students have the chance to benefit from high-level specialized training in the environmental field. Today, there are various Master's degrees dedicated to the environment, in energy science and technology, in transport and sustainable development, in sustainable management and in the economics of smart cities. The ecological cause is very important to our students and pushes them to become increasingly involved. I am thinking, for example, of the student association NeXt- the Association of Students for the Ecological Transition - which brilliantly organized the 15th edition of the Ecological Awakening Week held in September 2022. I am very proud to say that our students of the 2015, 2016 and 2017 graduation classes are more than ever involved in the fight of the ecological transition and denounced climate immobility during their graduation ceremony I support their commitment. Taking action for our planet means fighting for life. These courses are based on the involvement of our research and innovation in all sustainable development issues. For this reason, I strongly encourage our teacher-researchers who are as involved as our students in facing the climate challenge and building an ambitious line of action for the climate. For any example, our interdisciplinary Energy4Climat Center launched in 2019 is a community dedicated to the energy and climate transition. It brings together nearly 30 laboratories and produces scientific data on several themes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency, deploy renewable energy and propose relevant energy policies. I am deeply convinced that through the strong alliance of education and science, scientific research and the commitment of our students, we will be able to convey the values of the ecological transition within and beyond the limits of our schools to impact society and to join the european and french vision to achieve carbon neutrality. We can achieve our goals through our combined efforts and by sharing a common objective: the ecological transition. Through the plurality of visions, the sharing of knowledge and the

internationalization of research, we will be able to move faster and go further in achieving our climate goals.

The objective of Reflexions is to invite actors of different nationalities and from different sectors of expertise to the discussion table. This is how, through the convergence of intentions in favor of the climate, we will be able to imagine solutions and fight together against global warming. The agenda set for this conference reflects this. Today, many speakers have come to share their vision with us : they are economists, researchers, teachers, entrepreneurs, politicians and come from different backgrounds, but they have all answered to feed our reflection and set the conditions for a frank debate. Each actor has specific solutions to his sector of expertise, his vision, his own interests. This is why we have chosen to focus on the role play by legislation in the debate on ecological transitionn that is to unify, to bring together convergent and divergent interests around the essential issues of our time. Regulation is indeed the keystone of the fight against global warming. The law is the expression of our collective will. It is also the tool used by decision-makers to make the greatest number of people understand the climate emergency that drives us. Our students and teachers are building together and tomorrow's legislation on sustainable development by contributing their expertise to the legislator. Throughout this conference, you will learn how our consumption habits and the role of whistleblowers can have a positive impact on climate change.

Today, we will discuss how scientific innovation influences the development

of energy legislation. Your contribution will be crucial, as this project is the backbone of the Polytechnique Institute of Paris' climate vision. Through our collective commitment, our creativity and our determination, we will find innovative and transformative solutions to fight effectively against global warming. I will now give the floor over to Minister Christophe BECHU who will talk about the place of French citizens in the French climate strategy.