A call to act together to deploy renewable energies without delay for everyone, in every country

The earth is bathed in an ocean of energy that comes to us from the sun: light. It enables life on earth, and shapes nature and landscapes. It is at the heart of humanity’s very existence, providing food, energy, health and happiness. It is also at the origin of the formation of oil, coal and gas, giving us these energy sources whose unlimited use has brought us to the brink of a climatic abyss due to the ever-increasing accumulation in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide released by their combustion.

Humanity must therefore face up to the accelerating climate disruption that is the result, and its trail of disasters, which are already underway, and which will only get worse if we don’t react urgently and collectively. The solution is not to dig ever deeper, but to look once again to the sun, and to the renewable energies that come from it, whether direct, such as photovoltaic or thermal conversion, or indirect, such as wind, hydro and biomass, to which we must add geothermal energy.

Tremendous progress has been made over the last few decades, and today mankind has the means to harness and transform the sun’s energy more efficiently. Unaffordable until recently, renewable energies are now competitive with traditional energy sources. In addition, the sun’s resources are unlimited on our scale, distributed throughout the world, and capable of satisfying all of humanity’s needs.

Yet, progress remains too slow. Entire countries bathed in sunlight still rely on fossil fuels, while others still do not have full access to electricity. As for the industrialized countries, most are still largely dependent on fossil fuels, even though renewable energies are abundantly available for them too.

How can we act, how can we move faster? Will the availability of technology, industrial development, political will, finance and research be up to the task of bringing about the necessary acceleration? We believe that there is an essential element for success that needs to be amplified: the commitment of citizens themselves, at the heart of society. It is they who will build the most solid foundations for a successful energy and ecological transition. Without their support, their involvement and their determination, the transformation will be far too slow and will not succeed. What could be more mobilizing than being able to produce energy locally, on the roof of a house or school, with a solar or wind farm, or from sustainably managed biomass?

A vast movement of support for this perspective, combined with a concern for the efficient, ecological and responsible use of energy, will also lead to the essential evolution of behavior towards greater sobriety and sharing. The current development of citizens’ associations and initiatives led by local authorities is a promising start to the larger-scale movement that needs to develop and shake up established habits to create the momentum that humanity needs.

We call for an unprecedented collective mobilization of citizens worldwide, and for strengthened cooperation at all levels of society, with all economic, social and political forces, education and research.

We call on governments to take the measure of this citizen commitment, and to put in place the political and economic frameworks that will enable us to amplify its results.

We must act together, on all fronts, to deploy renewable energies without delay for everyone, in every country.

Paris, Collège de France, December 12, 2023