An appeal has been made for the poles and glaciers, threatened by climate change, at the conclusion of an international summit in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron announced a one billion euro investment in polar research “by 2030”.
At the conclusion of an international summit on the poles and glaciers, a “call” in favor of these fragile, climate-threatened areas was made in Paris on Friday, November 10. At the same time, France announced new resources for research.
The meeting, which had been taking place since Wednesday at the National Museum of Natural History in the French capital, as part of the ONE Planet summits initiated by Emmanuel Macron in recent years, led to a “call of Paris for the poles and glaciers”, which, according to the French President, is already supported by “about thirty signed states”.
Among them, several European countries, as well as India, Singapore, South Korea… Or Tuvalu and Australia, which have offer climate asylum to the 11,000 citizens of this small group of Pacific islands eaten away by rising waters and threatened with disappearance.
The call of Paris is intended as an “alarm” in the face of melting ice, but also as an encouragement to cooperation and the development of research. Glaciologist Jérôme Chappellaz, co-chairman of the summit’s Scientific Advisory Committee, described his “great level of satisfaction” while regretting that the coalition wasn’t “even more comprehensive”.
Before political leaders, scientists had met for two days in the French capital to take stock of the state of the cryosphere, which refers to all the ice on Earth (ice floes, glaciers, icebergs, or permafrost). These spaces are threatened by human-induced climate change, mainly related to the use of fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas).
Faced with the “collapse” of the planet’s frozen surfaces, a “unique” and “civilizational” challenge for humanity, Emmanuel Macron called for “an unprecedented level of cooperation” despite the “renewed geopolitical tensions”. The war in Ukraine “weakens cooperation with large geopolitical and scientific powers,” he noted, in an allusion to Russia. “Despite all these tensions, it is clear that we must act, make the poles and glaciers privileged spaces of peace, scientific and environmental cooperation,” said the French President.
Pressed by the scientific community to strengthen its resources, he also announced that France would invest one billion euros “by 2030″in polar research. This billion extends over the period 2024-2030 and represents double the credits the previous period of 2017-2023, according to his entourage.
The French President has specifically announced the construction of a new ship. Based between Nouméa, New Caledonia, and Hobart, Australia, this so-called “ice-capable” vessel, capable of navigating through the ice that fills the polar seas and can reach several meters thick, will be shared between the West Pacific and the Antarctic. It will bear the name of former Prime Minister Michel Rocard, who was the first French ambassador to the poles, the French President said.
The envelope of one billion euros will also contribute to the financing of two major initiatives in the two poles: the Polar Pod with explorer Jean-Louis Étienne in the Southern Ocean, and the Arctic Station run by the Tara Foundation.
Also, as of 2026, France will rebuild its Dumont d’Urville station on the Antarctic Peninsula, and will work on the renovation of the French-Italian Concordia station, maintaining the best environmental standards, added the head of state. Paris will also participate in close collaboration with its European partners in a major research project in East Antarctica, where knowledge is still limited.
These new resources were eagerly awaited. “We need support,” said paleoclimatologist Jean Jouzel during the opening of the scientific segment of the summit on Wednesday. “Polar research needs resources, they are very inadequate,” said Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, France’s ambassador for the poles and the ocean.
