LUM: UM’s Science and Society Magazine

[LUM Magazine] - Published on April 2, 2026 in Science and Society

Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the goal of keeping the global average temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius seems increasingly out of reach. And the consequences of global warming are taking an ever-greater toll on the environment, public health, and society. The^23rd issue of Lum magazine features scientists who are measuring and anticipating these changes in an effort to mitigate their effects.  

What if the Earth tips over? That is the question that opens this^23rd issue of Lum magazine, dedicated to global warming. Plants and animals are seeing their living conditions transformed. Entire ecosystems are suffering, such as the oceans and forests. Fortunately, some species are adapting, such as chickadees, which have been studied for 50 years by researchers at the Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology. Check them out in the portfolio.

In this context, humans are also facing new public health challenges. These include a surge in arboviruses and the diseases they spread, health inequalities related to respiratory problems, and increased vulnerability during heat waves, among others. These are all challenges that epidemiologists and health researchers are addressing.

Climate change does not only affect natural ecosystems; its effects are also being felt in our socioeconomic systems. Can we still protect our cities from the growing risk of flooding? Will the wine industry be able to weather the coming crisis? Will African agriculture be able to ensure food security? And to prepare for the future, should we talk to children about climate change—and if so, how?

Ecologists, virologists, economists, epidemiologists, hydrologists, researchers in management science or education: all these key members of the scientific community at the University of Montpellier and its partners are mobilized to understand these upheavals, adapt to them more effectively, but also, and above all, to limit their most severe effects so that, despite everything, we can hold onto the hope of a hospitable planet for all its inhabitants.

Take a look at these articles while reading this^23rd issue of Lum magazine in its augmented version, which gives you access to the UM podcasts: “Science at UM ” and “Lumlu.”

All issues of Lum

Keywords: LumLu, Science, Company, University