2 April 2024

15:25 – 16:10

Amphi 4

Jean-François Boucher

Biologist since 1993 (UQAC), he completed a master’s degree in 1997 and a doctorate in 2002 in Forest Sciences (ULaval). During his post-doctoral studies, which began in 2002 at UQAC, he developed an expertise in combating climate change in the forestry sector and its many sectoral interfaces. He is one of the experts who served on the Groupe de Travail Forêt et Changements Climatiques (GTFCC), an inter-university group formed in 2017 whose main mandate is to quantify the potential contribution of Quebec’s forestry sector to the province’s GHG emissions reduction target. A professor of eco-consulting at UQAC since 2014, he teaches in particular in the short graduate program on socio-ecological transition, a unique program aimed at any professional from any sector wishing to acquire multiple skills in the context of climate change and carbon markets. In both his teaching and his research, Prof. Boucher has positioned himself as a leader in the field. In his teaching and research, Prof. Boucher promotes the idea of combating climate change while actively participating in the socio-ecological transition, with an eco-counseling approach to scientific, human and social issues and opportunities.

Does biogenic forest energy help combat climate change?

It’s not often emphasized, but plants support a fundamental energy source for life on Earth, the one on which most biodiversity has been built over the course of biological evolution. This energetic watermark manifests itself in the organic matter derived from photosynthesis and activates all food webs, in oceans and forests alike. The conference will trace a series of fundamental links between the biological sequestration of carbon by forests, the production of organic matter, terrestrial biodiversity, forest management, biobased products, their transformation and use, and the fight against climate change. Possible answers to the question posed will be proposed from a systemic and cross-sectoral perspective, affecting the building, agricultural, industrial and energy sectors alike, in the current global context of achieving carbon neutrality.