The climate emergency at the heart of the week of ecological awakening at l’X
NeXt, Ecole polytechnique’s student association dedicated to the ecological transition and the protection of the environment, is organizing the 15th edition of the Semaine du Réveil Écologique (SREX) (Ecological Awareness Week) from September 28th to September 30th, which will include conferences, workshops, activities and debates around this theme.
This event is emblematic of the involvement of students in the implementation of l’X's commitments to the energy transition and its Climate Plan, and follows on from the call for mobilization in the face of the climate emergency launched by the last three classes of Polytechniciens.
One of the highlights of this event was the speeches by experts and an exchange with the public.
Magali Reghezza-Zitt, lecturer, co-director of CERES (Centre de formation sur l'environnement et la société - Research Center on Environment and Society) at École Nationale Supérieure and member of the French High council on climate Change, presented her research on the issues of adaptation, resilience, crises and risks in the context of global warming and globalization.
Climatologist Christophe Cassou, CNRS researcher at CERFACS (European Centre for Research and Advanced Training in Scientific Computing) and lead author of the 6th IPCC report, shared his expertise on understanding climate variability and its predictability on various time scales.
The NeXt student association brings together all the students of École Polytechnique who are committed to promoting the values of the ecological transition within the campus.
NeXt focused on two core priorities: improving the environmental practices of all campus stakeholders (maximizing recycling, eco challenges, discussions with Le Magnan, carbon audits conducted in conjunction with other student associations) and providing food for thought to stimulate engagement with environmental issues (conferences, round-table discussion, films screenings etc.). The association’s work extends beyond the boundaries of the campus thanks to its involvement with numerous student networks in France, and participation in national events such as the student COP.
SREX, previously known as Sustainable Development Week at l’X (SDDX), is part of the broader framework of the commitment of the École polytechnique and its community to the ecological transition.
École polytechnique has put sustainable development and the energy transition at the heart of its strategy by making five strong commitments in favor of the climate as of June 2019 on the occasion of the international symposium "Reflections: Research, Training and Action for Sustainable Development", and aims to position itself as a reference on these themes.
After implementing these five commitments - the training of 100% of students in sustainable development, the implementation of a sustainable development training certification, the creation of the E4C center, the launch of an international student challenge, the realization of a first carbon footprint - the École Polytechnique published its Climate Plan at the beginning of 2022 and affirmed its objective of making the campus carbon neutral by 2050.