17 November 2023

18:25 – 19:10

Amphithéâtre Painlevé

Gérard Bonhomme

Gérard Bonhomme is Professor Emeritus at the University of Lorraine, Institut Jean Lamour. He currently chairs the Energy & Environment Commission of the French Physical Society. He holds an engineering degree from Centrale Nantes and a doctorate in science. After training as an engineer, he turned to research in the field of plasma physics. Throughout his academic career, his research has focused on the study of instabilities and turbulence in plasmas, where he has developed numerous fruitful collaborations. In the field of magnetic confinement fusion research, in connection with the ITER project, he has actively contributed to the creation and management of projects and structures federating research and training at national and international level (Erasmus Mundus in particular). His long-standing interest in energy and its impact on the development of human societies and the economy, which had already led him to teach at Sciences Po (Nancy campus), led him to agree in 2016 to chair the Energy Commission of the Société Française de Physique. He is also a member of the Energy Group of the European Physical Society.

Conference: How easy would it be to free ourselves from our addiction to fossil fuels?

Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 will require a drastic reduction in our consumption of fossil fuels, which today represent our main source of energy. The electrification of new uses, combined with the deployment of low-carbon electricity sources, as well as the reduction of consumption through gains in energy efficiency and the implementation of sobriety measures, are the levers envisaged in the various scenarios. But given the enormity of the challenge and its global dimensions, and the essential role of energy in the economy and development of human societies, an objective and lucid examination of the constraints and physical limits of these levers is essential. In this presentation, we explain why renewable sources alone will not suffice, and why recourse to nuclear energy is absolutely essential if we are to meet this century’s challenge.