Biodiversity in 2019

 

Given the urgency of the situation (for example, world populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles have declined by more than half since 1970) and France’s decision to host the IPBES meetings of 2019 (nicknamed the IPCC of Biodiversity) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress in 2020, the festival has decided to put biodiversity in the spotlight for its 8th edition.

 
This central theme will be explored from a number of perspectives, by means of discussions related to the three foundations of ecology: the environment, social issues and the economy.


These topics were detailed by the Scientific and Ethics Committee of the festival, chaired by Jean Jouzel, climatologist, Nobel Prize winner in 2007 with the IPCC, and including Annabelle Jaeger, Vice-President of the Environment Section of the Economic and Social Council, Bernard Emsellem, President of the Mobile Lives Forum, Christian de Perthuis, climate economist and Akila Nedjar-Guerre, Senior Lecturer in Communication Sciences, Director of the "CSR and Environment" master's programme.

 

The theme of biodiversity will therefore be explored over the course of three debates:

 

The first will be a discussion on animals and plants (safeguarding, co-existing), wild nature against domesticated nature, genetic diversity vs. climate change.

The second debate will focus on our dependence on nature and the non-market services it provides in all areas: health, economy, general well-being. An opportunity to take stock of a central issue: biodiversity, what does it cost us and what does it give us in return?


The last debate on this theme will help us understand how we can live in the city while remaining connected with nature: grey and green; rational and sensitive.

 

Many other events will compliment this rich programme of debates on biodiversity: screenings-debates, workshops, awareness-raising activities, school and general public screenings, etc.

 

Let’s see if in 2019 we can make as much progress with nature as we managed to make with the climate in Paris in 2015!