At a time when environmental challenges are inviting us to rethink our socio-economic models, we took stock of current transitions with Santiago Lefebvre, founder of ChangeNOW, the world's largest event for solutions for the planet.
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What is ChangeNOW?
ChangeNOW is an impact company whose mission is to accelerate the implementation of solutions towards a more sustainable and humane future, to tell the story of the world we can all work towards. The heart of our business is the summit we organize every year, which brings together 35,000 people from 120 different countries. 1,000 solutions are presented each year!
At ChangeNOW, you bring together a wide range of solutions for the planet. In your opinion, what are the main highlights or developments you've seen in recent years?
The first edition of ChangeNOW took place in 2017 at Station F. We brought together barely a hundred solutions - the transition ecosystem was in its infancy! Nevertheless, it developed very quickly and by the 3rd edition of ChangeNOW, we were able to bring together 1,000 solutions at the Grand Palais. More and more people are investing in this transition, and that's fundamental!
In 2017, the climate issue and carbon were the main themes of transition topics. This is still the case today, but we can see that a holistic approach has recently taken hold. The notion of planetary limits has gained momentum, and we're no longer just talking about greenhouse gas emissions. Industry players are also looking at how to make the transition inclusive and social. Solutions for biodiversity or resource management in the circular economy have recently emerged, and form highly dynamic clusters in terms of the existence of solutions.
If we zoom in on the agricultural sector, have you seen any changes?
Agriculture is an essential part of the transition. Today, 3 transitions condition the world in which we are going to live: the agricultural, energy and cultural transitions. Our relationship with the world and with others must change!
The agricultural transition is challenging the way we eat and, more broadly, the way we source our food. In recent years, the notion of regenerative agriculture has emerged as both an agricultural and a scientific solution. Soil, thought to be "inert" since the advent of intensive agriculture, is proving to be a precious ally for our food security.
Regenerative agriculture helps sustain soil and crops, creates a carbon sink and nurtures biodiversity... It offers powerful solutions, because it doesn't attack an environmental problem in silo, but responds across the board to issues of climate, food, energy... Biochar, which has a real capacity to capture CO2 and render numerous services to the soil, is also part of the solution, in my view.
Nevertheless, for the agricultural sector to make this transition to regenerative agriculture, financial resources are needed to remunerate farmers for the ecosystem services they provide and support them in changing their practices. Some players, such as Omie, have begun to think in this way, to give meaning to the sector, but solutions that have been scaled up are still lacking.
How do you see the agricultural sector's transition in relation to other sectors?
Agriculture is not a sector that lags behind the others. Transition takes time everywhere! For example, in the mobility sector, most transport boats still use fossil fuels, and the electrification of vehicles is not yet widespread... Another example is fashion: many initiatives are being put in place, but their action is not yet impacting the entire sector.
What innovations have impressed you recently?
When I talk about innovation, I don't necessarily mean tech: sometimes all it takes to innovate is a change in usage. For agriculture, the monetization of ecosystem services rendered by farmers is a crucial issue, and one that Agoterra (editor's note: a startup accelerated at Hectar) is addressing, with an approach to agricultural impact that is both local and concrete.
Secondly, I'd like to mention the challenge of bringing river transport back into the mainstream. Tests have been carried out in Paris, for example, to transport goods to the heart of the city for delivery in a low-carbon way. For the time being, these are just tests, but Brussels has already set up a river transport service that prevents 2,000 trucks a day from crossing the city. This is innovation through intelligence, not technology, which will come into play at a later stage, to electrify the barges, for example.
The next ChangeNOW event will take place on March 25, 26 and 27, 2024.
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