Challenges

• Understand and monitor global changes;
• Seek alternative solutions to the exploitation of fossil resources;
• Evaluate the impact of global changes on people, the Earth and societies.

This Hub tackles the challenges linked to the harmful changes observed at the planetary level including all the ecosystems through an original, integrated vision, which in turn makes it possible to curb, mitigate or even reverse them.
The ambition is to position the Target Institution as an international leader in: (1) understanding and monitoring the dynamics of climate change, pollution and biodiversity, taking into account the associated societal dimension and its impacts, and (2) in the field of bioeconomy in a context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the absolute necessity for adapting to global change. Thus, it is developing the use of sustainable raw materials issued from vegetal resources and their valorization in value chains based on biorefineries, while promoting a more rational and economical use of conventional resources.

Understanding and monitoring global changes:

By combining fundamental laboratory studies with atmospheric observations carried out at different spatial and temporal scales, the Labex CaPPA researchers provide data made available to the entire scientific community (European project ACTRIS) in order to understand, evaluate and above all predict the evolution of atmospheric processes linked to climate change but also to new industrial and agricultural practices moving towards carbon neutrality and a better respect of biodiversity. By combining know-how in theoretical chemistry with international expertise in the field of chemistry and of materials used in the nuclear industry, the OVERSEE cluster project is developing a unique activity in France on the atmospheric fate of radionuclides.

Propose alternative solutions to the exploitation of fossil resources:

One of the major goals is to position our institution as the world’s first fully integrated TRL 1 to 9 center for the production of biomass-derived products, using remarkable and unique facilities such as REALCAT or HT-SMART-FORMU (high throughput catalytic screening and high-throughput formulation, respectively), or UPCAT for a smoother transposition of laboratory processes toward a larger scale with ultimately an industrial implementation supported by Eura Industry Innov’. Moreover, low temperature geothermal energy could also be one of the alternative solutions for our region.

Assessing the impact of global changes on Man, Earth and Societies:

Our research involves both the study of the abiotic environment (air, water, soil and subsoil), as for example in the Start-Airr Depolchrome project, and the dynamics of biodiversity at different spatial and time scales, considering different degrees of urbanization. The strategy developed covers both direct observations (field, mesocosms) and indirect observations (molecular data), as well as modelling approaches, notably in evolutionary genomics (ERC NOVEL).

Research clusters

• OVERSEE – Innovative modelling of radionuclide aerosols oversee
• RECABIO – Catalytic resources and the bio-economy
• TEM-Aster – a technological innovation for the study of sensitive and asteroidal materials at the atomic scale

Graduate Programme

News

Coordinator : Coralie SCHOEMAECKER (PC2A)