Can territories be Sustainable ?

The COP 21 in December 2015 culminated in a Paris Agreement which was as historical – nearly 200 nations approved a new strategy – as it was inadequate : national commitments remaining far below the 2°C target. However, the intense negotiations in Le Bourget also cast the spotlight on highly-mobilised non-governmental players: enterprises, NGOs and, above all, cities and local authorities. Since 2006, over 50% of humanity has been living in cities and, in 2050, that percentage will have grown to over 70% (even 80% in OECD countries). The fight against climate change will thus, in very large part, play out on the very turf where new “low-carbon” societies are expected to emerge. This ability to re-invent energy systems, mobility and housing, in a Big Data environment, will be not only a decisive factor in the fight against climate change, but will prove the key angle for competing metropolises.