"Do you really see the consequences of climate change, tangible traces?" Asked the head of state from his office.
"Unfortunately yes, Mr. President. Through the window of the Space Station we can clearly see the fragility of the Earth, an oasis with limited resources, and the harmful effects of human activities, the pollution of rivers, air pollution," he said. replied the astronaut, weightless in the station.
Thomas Pesquet is due to return to Earth in the next few days, but the precise date has not yet been announced.
"We saw entire regions burning, Canada, California covered with a cloud of smoke, the flames that we saw with the naked eye at 400 km of attitude, the same thing in the south of France and the Greece and the Mediterranean basin, "he continued.
He also described "the sad spectacle of the tropical storms which follow one another".
“Have you seen any changes compared to your last mission?” Continued Emmanuel Macron, who had already conversed with the astronaut.
"Yes, these meteorological phenomena are accelerating in a worrying manner", replied the astronaut, while the head of state remained silent for a moment.
"We hope that we will be able to take the necessary measures so that the planet remains habitable for everyone," concluded Mr. Pesquet, offering him a new discussion during his next water landing.
"We must accelerate the commitments and their implementation much more. This is the objective of this COP26 and of what we are all trying to do at national, regional and European level", concluded the president, thanking the President. astronaut to bring "this part of dream and inspiration".
Thomas Pesquet also recalled the objectives of the next space missions, in particular "to return to the Moon in a more sustainable way to establish a base there, and in a few years to go to Mars, to see if what happened to this planet - to lose its atmosphere. - can happen to Earth ".
© 2021 AFP