Our Climate Initiative

A Significant and Varied Offering

In spring 2019, Sciences Po’s Director, Frédéric Mion, gave the anthropologist and sociologist Bruno Latour the mission of conducting a vast review of teaching and research around ecological transition. Meeting between April and October 2019, a committee headed by Latour produced an “encouraging” preliminary report: there is already a “rich ecosystem” of courses, seminars, research and educational innovation centring on the environment at Sciences Po. A significant and varied offering, which now needs to be expanded and rendered more visible and accessible. In Latour’s own words: “What we need is an across the board adjustment of the institution’s teaching, research and public interventions”.

The 2020-2023 Action Plan

Taking up the committee’s conclusions, as of 2020 Sciences Po has adopted a 2020-2023 roadmap for implementing new initiatives and reorganising existing teaching and research (FR). The roadmap establishes environmental disruption as a priority theme to feed into all aspects of the university’s educational mission and research. The measures include:

At undergraduate level: set ecological transition at the heart of Undergraduate College teaching

• With the creation of a mandatory core course on the history and sociology of the environment and the introduction of climate-related exploratory seminars on every campus as of 2021/22
• Climate-related educational exercises as part student induction and a range of international environmental opportunities for the third year abroad
• An ecological issues certification as of the academic year 2021/2022
• Within the existing framework of the Civic Learning Programme, increase the number of opportunities proposed for students in the field of the environment

At master’s level: give master’s students the choice of an ecological transition pathway

• Establishment of a core foundational course in environmental issues, with introductory classes in new disciplines and in-depth classes in the ‘classic’ disciplines of Sciences Po
• Creation of an environmental skills certificate
• Launch of new dual degrees on ecological issues between now and 2023

For doctoral students: broaden the base of teaching around environmental change

• Creation of an interdisciplinary programme of doctoral research on the subject, comprising around 30 doctoral students, who will sustain and support the programme
• Creation of a summer school open to PhD and master’s students, to introduce them to the challenges of social science research on the environment

Research: amass a wealth of scientific analysis

• Recruitment of at least 15 academics working on issues related to environmental disruption in all disciplines and research centres between now and 2023
• Recruitment of post-doctoral researchers to deepen expertise on the subject

An institutional commitment in line with the unique educational mission of Sciences Po, these measures will build on the university’s existing disciplinary foundation, while expanding it to encompass the full range of environmental issues

NET-ZERO TRAJECTORY

Sciences Po is committed to an ambitious net-zero trajectory involving the following direct and indirect greenhouse gas emission reduction targets: 

• -90% by 2050 compared to 2019, to reach net zero
• -60% by 2035 compared to 2019, to achieve carbon neutrality

Our interim reduction targets are -30% in 2027 and -46% in 2030 compared to 2019, for scopes 1, 2 and 3.

In addition to these reduction targets, Sciences Po will finance carbon contribution projects aimed at sequestering residual greenhouse gas emissions from scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 2035 at the latest. Emissions linked to the travel of executive committee members will be offset from 2024, via a contribution to the reforestation of the Bois du Boscq in the Landes region, a project with the 'Low Carbon Label' and driven by the operator Stock CO2. 

Sciences Po's net-zero trajectory is illustrated by the graph below:

2024-2027 ACTION PLAN

In 2024, Sciences Po adopts a 2024-2027 ecological transition action plan structured around ten strategic areas: 

1. Energy
2. Travel
3. Digital
4. Purchases
5. Catering
6. Waste
7. Biodiversity and water resources
8. Awareness-raising and training
9. Exemplarity
10. Governance

The first 5 areas of this action plan will contribute directly to our net-zero trajectory. The next 5, while not having a significant carbon impact, are nonetheless major areas of work in the context of an ambitious ecological transition.

Given their carbon impact, the "energy" and "travel" areas are priorities. With regard to energy, the main challenges will be to sustain the good practices introduced by the energy saving plan launched in 2022 and to initiate renovation work based on the monitoring of energy consumptions and the recommendations of the energy audits. 

To measure and gradually reduce the carbon impact of business travel, Sciences Po is launching a test phase of the carbon quota mechanism in January 2024. 

Download the full action plan. 

Methodology 

Our climate strategy is based on the net-zero standard method of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which defines emission reduction targets that are consistent with scientific recommendations (in line with the Paris agreements).

All Sciences Po communities have been involved in building our net-zero trajectory and the associated action plan, in particular students through the Ecological Transition Student Advisory Committee, research centres involved in the test phase of the carbon quota mechanism, and employees through the Ecological Transition Correspondents network. Numerous working sessions have been organised with the departments particularly concerned by the challenges of the action plan (Real Estate Department, General Services and Resources Department, Legal Affairs Purchasing and Procurement Department, etc.). Members of the permanent faculty were also consulted.

The actions proposed in the 2024-2027 action plan are also based on the results of Sciences Po's first 2020-2023 ecological transition action plan. Out of 45 commitments, 30 have been achieved, 12 partially achieved and 4 have not been achieved. The detailed report can be found at this link. It should be noted that as the action plan was drawn up before the Carbon Footprint, the objectives were prioritised at a later date. Overall, the targets for the areas with the highest emissions were achieved (energy, travel, digital and purchases).