Science at UM [S02-ep12]: From COP 15 to the Science Bar
This week on *A l’UM la science*, Anaëlle Durfort, a PhD student at Marbec, and Marie-Morgane Rouyer, a PhD student at CEFE, join us to break down the latest COP 15 on biodiversity that they attended. Agnès Pesenti, head of science outreach, joins us at the end of the show to introduce the new season of the Bar des sciences. A program broadcast on Divergence FM-93.9, every Wednesday at 6 p.m.
When a ship takes on water, a good captain brings the entire crew up on deck to bail, bail, and hope to reach dry land. And in “bail,” as you’ve heard, there’s “COP” for Conference of the Parties—that international body created following the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 to try to stem the tide of the looming disaster that is climate change. The idea: to ensure that the 198 signatory countries implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The first COP was held in Berlin in 1995. Twenty-six have taken place since then—one each year—up to the most recent one, COP 27, held in Sharm el-Sheikh in 2022. Among these conferences, COP 3 stands out for producing the Kyoto Protocol, and COP 21 forthe Paris Agreement. We also recall the failure of COP 15 in Copenhagen, which aimed to renegotiate a climate agreement (The Disappointing Outcome of the Copenhagen Summit, Le Monde, 12/19/2009).
In parallel with these climate COPs and in response to the collapse of biodiversity, the COP on Biodiversity was established in 1994 and is held every two years. If we had to name just one, we would highlight COP 10 in Nagoya, where governments committed to achieving the 20 Aichi Targets, including: halving the loss of natural habitats and implementing plans for sustainable consumption and production.
By 2020, none of these goals had been fully achieved. The evidence of the collapse of biodiversity is undeniable: 1 million species are threatened with extinction, 75% of the Earth’s land surface has been significantly altered, and 85% of wetlands have disappeared. The problem with bailing water out of a sinking boat is that you don’t stop the leak.
Anaëlle Durfort and Marie-Morgane Rouyer are our guests. Both are doctoral students at the University of Montpellier—the former at the Marbec Marine Biology Laboratory and the latter at the Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology (CEFE). They were selected by the Global Youth Biodiversity Network to participate in the latest biodiversity COP, COP 15, held in Montreal from December 7 to 19 under the Chinese presidency. And they’re here to tell us about it today. They will also give a lecture open to the public on Thursday, January 26, at 6:30 p.m. on the Triolet campus.
Our last-minute guest will be Agnès Pesenti, head of science outreach. She’ll be introducing the new season of the Science Bar, which kicks off on January 26 with a nightmarish topic: sleep disorders.
At UM Science, you’ve got the program—let’s get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production: Tom Chevalier
Tune in to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
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