- Jean-Louis Etienne is a French explorer who has already achieved several exploits on the Atlantic, the Himalayas, and the polar regions.
- 73 years old, he plans to go back to the South Pole as part of the Polar pod scientific project.
- He is invited to come and talk about “living together” on Saturday as part of the National Citizenship Conference in Rennes organized by Ouest France (shareholder of 20 Minutes ).
Jean-Louis Etienne, 73, will be one of the "great witnesses" invited by the National Citizenship Conference which takes place on Friday and Saturday in Rennes. He will talk about adventure, pack ice, but also about living together and the fragility of the "territories", the theme of the event organized by Ouest France (shareholder of 20 Minutes ). Interview.
Thirty years after the longest Antarctic crossing ever, you are actively preparing for a new challenge at the South Pole. What is it about ?
This is the Polar pod expedition. The objective is to study the Southern Ocean, this huge reservoir of cold water that surrounds Antarctica. It is a carbon sink whose performance is not well known. We need to settle there for long studies. The Polar pod will be a scientific vessel specially designed for this exploration. A kind of large vertical float which is very stable, which is energy independent and driven by the current. It will allow us to measure the impact of this ocean on the climate. To also carry out an acoustic inventory of fauna.
You will be alone on board?
No, there will be eight of us. Three sailors, four scientist-engineers and me. It should last two years and the crews will be relieved every two months. Life will be a bit like aboard the international space station. All members will have a specific role. Everyone will participate in daily tasks, such as preparing meals. This is what makes it possible to socialize, to create links naturally. I already have a lot of applications from passionate people.
Have you ever had similar life experiences behind closed doors?
When I crossed Antarctica, it lasted seven months. We were six with dog sleds, six of different nationalities: a Chinese, a Russian, an American, an English, a Japanese and a French. We had a common goal. We had different cultures but we respected each other very much. There was elegance in relationships. Elegance is so important. We are courteous, we smile, we make the effort to better understand the other. For me it is the basis of living together.
Your fight, for several years, has focused on awareness of climate change. Has the message gotten across the globe?
I think everyone is informed. But we do not have the same perceptions. We are more and more numerous, we are consuming more and more energy. Digital, for example, we don't realize, but it consumes more than world civil aviation. When you see a country like India, which aspires to development, it runs on coal which is terrible for the climate. In South Africa, in Asia, people already have to move because of the drought. Conversely, on the west coast of Greenland, the pack ice no longer exists, so fishermen can fish all year round. They are happy but the halibut is suddenly victim of overfishing. Faced with these differences, the only answer is pedagogy. It is fundamental. You only become an actor when you understand things.
You stress the essential role of the oceans in the fight against global warming…
Yes, because the ocean absorbs 93% of the planet's heat effect. We are in the process of disrupting the water cycle. This is clearly seen with the development of droughts or tropical wet storms. The ocean is also a gigantic non-carbon energy resource if we use wind turbines or tidal turbines. In France, we wanted to be the world champions of offshore wind power but we don't have a single wind turbine yet. The Danes, the Germans and the English have wind farms at sea. Our problem is remedies. Everyone wants renewable energy, but nobody accepts wind turbines in front of their homes. It is a paradox of our country which also says things about our living together.
Precisely, what do you think of France after having explored a large part of the globe?
I tell myself that we are very lucky. We live in a country that has resources, intelligence, universities. Access to education is free, as is access to healthcare. We have an extremely developed social policy. We have so many assets! We should be less pessimistic, less complaining, spread a little more collective happiness. The French complain about their mouths full. There are many countries where visibility does not exceed one week, where people are forced to have two jobs. We expect too much from papa, the Elysee, the government. I suffer from time to time with our country and I regret it very much.
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Two days of debate on "living together"
The Couvent des Jacobins hosts Friday and Saturday the third edition of the National Assizes of Citizenship organized by Ouest-France and of which 20 Minutes is a partner. Debates, conferences, exhibitions and events will be organized around the theme of "territories". It will be a question of health, agriculture, urban life, overseas, digital ... More than 70 specialists, elected officials and experts are invited among which Jacqueline Gourault, Minister of Cohesion of sterritoirs, Salomé Berlioux, co-author of Les Invisibles of the Republic , or Daniel Herrero, the former coach of the Toulon rugby club.
The event will also give the floor to ten "great witnesses", who will come to tell their stories and give their critical view on society. One will find for example the former president François Hollande, the explorer Jean-Louis Etienne, the photographer François Lepage, the director of SOS Mediterranean Sophie Beau, or Latifa IbnZiaten, mother of one of the victims of the terrorist Mohamed Merah. These meetings are free but registration is compulsory via the official website.
- Rennes
- Planet
- Global warming