Future generations will experience climate change whose intensity will depend on the sacrifices we make to face up to our responsibilities. The time for action is now! Of course, but given the myriad of climate actions, which ones should we rationally implement, at what cost, at what intensity, and when? If it's clear that up to now we've given priority to "the end of the month", how far should we go in taking greater account of the very long-term impacts of our efforts, and their sustainability? How far can we go in relying on economic and scientific growth to solve our cumulative ills? In this inaugural session of the Avenir Commun Durable chair, I will seek to answer these questions by discussing two operational tools that determine which climate actions will, or will not, be implemented: the discount rate and the value of carbon.
Opening lecture