Corinne le Quéré.
© Steve Forrest / Panos-Rea
Extract from an interview with Corinne Le Quéré, published in full in BRGM's Geosciences magazine, issue N° 28: "How can we adapt to climate change?
How can we reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions?
Corinne Le Quéré: We need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to global warming at the same time. So we have a lot of work to do, because until neutrality is achieved in terms of global CO2 emissions, the climate will continue to heat up. The challenge is not just to reduce our GHG emissions, but to get rid of them altogether.
This will require a social system, an economy and infrastructure that are low-carbon and properly adapted to the future climate. Only by combining GHG emissions reduction with adaptation can we protect households, businesses and economic activities as a whole. The need for protection is imperative, given the speed at which the climate is warming.
However, some GHG emissions cannot be completely avoided.
CLQ: This is the case in agriculture and some industries such as aviation. At the same time, we need to develop carbon sinks such as forests and soils to compensate for unavoidable emissions. In France, forests represent the most important carbon sink. But French forests are now vulnerable due to climate change, heat waves, soil drought, fires, insect pests, etc. As a result, forest carbon sinks in France have halved in 10 years instead of increasing. We therefore need a massive forest regeneration or renewal plan over several decades.
Only by combining GHG emissions reduction with adaptation can we protect households, businesses and economic activities as a whole.
BRGM is working on subsurface CO2 storage. Can these geological resources and the research carried out help you?
CLQ: The information generated by BRGM should be widely communicated with regard to soil requirements, spatial planning, hydrological functioning and groundwater. The development of carbon capture and storage technologies in France is also an issue, but carbon storage sites have not yet been identified. Much remains to be done to achieve this and develop carbon storage risk management. Carbon storage is among the possible solutions to be implemented in France, while keeping a realistic view of the useful but minor role it can play. It is becoming increasingly important for development to be realistic and to be part of a package of measures for France.
Cover and extract of issue 28 of the Géosciences journal.
© BRGM
Géosciences No. 28: How can we adapt to climate change?
Adapting to climate change means learning more about its consequences. This issue of BRGM's Géosciences journal takes stock of the research being conducted in this field and the solutions that are emerging.
Moreover, BRGM is a key player in this field, providing expertise to support decision-making by the State and local authorities, notably concerning the issues of coastal erosion, monitoring aquifers and understanding clay soils.
