Institute for Environmental Transformations

Climate change and the degradation of natural resources represent the main challenge for contemporary societies and their governments. The resulting issues call for a profound reconsideration of growth models, lifestyles and consumption, and political and legal systems.

Eager to provide concrete responses to climate and ecological challenges, Sciences Po has chosen to place environmental transformations at the heart of its strategic institutional project by launching its Institute for Environmental Transformations, created as part of the TIERED project (Transforming Interdisciplinary Education and Research for Evolving Democracies).

The Institute has the following objectives:

• Deepen the existing academic and research offerings to train all students on these issues,
• Produce knowledge that allows for understanding the complexity of environmental transformations and become the leading research university in humanities and social sciences in Europe,
• Address the need for high-level professional training,
• Propose and provide solutions for the difficult choices ahead.

Gathering existing resources

Sciences Po has been active on environmental issues for several years, with an acceleration in the past two years:
 

• Over 250 courses on environmental issues, including the mandatory Ecological Culture course for all bachelor students.
• 10 specialized master's programs proposed to students, along with 4 dual degrees at the bachelor's or master's level, with a focus on other sciences.
• More than 40 faculty researchers working on the study of environmental transformations, and over 40 doctoral students are researching these topics.
• The Bruno Latour Fund launch, which enabled the recruitment of 10 postdoctoral researchers in 2023, to work for three years on environmental issues.

The 11 research centers at Sciences Po have tackled the subject from multiple angles, with dedicated initiatives such as:

• The European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition led by Marc Ringel,
• The Interdisciplinary Research Workshop on the Environment (Atelier Interdisciplinaire de recherches sur l’environnement AIRE) - an interdisciplinary research collective,
• The Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Evaluation of Public Policies (LIEPP), created in partnership with Université Paris Cité,
• The Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (“L’Institut du développement durable et des relations internationales” - IDDRI), associated with Sciences Po.

Activities of the institute

• Structuring research and content production on the study of environmental transformations and their impacts on society.
• Recruiting faculty researchers and postdoctoral fellows, and hosting visiting professors.
• Teaching knowledge to students.
• Promoting knowledge to a broad audience.
• Integrating into major networks (Alliance U7+, GAUC) to make the actions of research and education institutions visible in support of the Paris Agreement objectives.

Governance and team

The Institute for Environmental Transformations is headed by Charlotte Halpern, who is also a member of the TIERED Steering Committee. She is supported by Nathalie Gastone, General Secretary (also a member of the TIERED Steering Committee), and Marie Le Carrer, Project Manager for the Latour Fund/AIRE.

 The Institute relies on three governance bodies: 

• An internal steering committee, composed of members of Sciences Po's Executive Committee, to support the deployment of a transformative agenda for the institution. The committee defines strategic orientations and validates the Institute's annual report, relying on Sciences Po's scientific council, research unit directors, department heads, and school’s deans.
• A scientific council composed of members of Sciences Po's permanent faculty, CNRS, TIERED project partners, and international experts, chaired by the Institute's director. Its role is to define the scientific orientation of the Institute, including its research themes.
• A stakeholders council brings together elected officials, representatives of public authorities, business leaders, association heads, qualified individuals, and representatives of the student community. Its purpose is to support the deployment of the Institute's missions, provide advisory opinions on the Institute's actions and suggest directions for development needs, particularly in relation to the labor market. This council is chaired by Jean Jouzel, a paleoclimatologist and CNRS gold medalist, former GIEC member, and coordinator of the report on raising awareness and training on the issues of ecological transition and sustainable development in higher education.

Acting in the city with the podcast “Sans transition”

Sciences Po aims to extend its action beyond its walls. The podcast "Sans Transition" is dedicated to environmental transformations as seen by our students. Produced by Louie Média, this 4-episode podcast follows students in classrooms, during conferences, or after screenings, capturing their doubts, questions, and intuitions.