Describe a day in the life of a character of your choice in a carbon-neutral society in 2050? This was the unique exercise proposed to 2nd-year students of the Grande Ecole Program (PGE) and 3rd-year international students of the Global Management Program at the Bachelor in International Business (BIB) to better understand the challenges of climate change. The Energy for Society Chair publishes a selection in an ebook and invites you to dive into their imagination!
As part of the "Technological and Social Innovation to Transform the Energy Sector" course for 2nd-year PGE students and the "International Contemporary Issues" course for 3rd-year BIB students at GEM, the students were asked to write an essay and imagine a day in the life of a character of their choice in a carbon-neutral society in 2050.
A unique exercise to understand climate challenges and issues
Similar to the "fabrique des récits" co-founded by Ademe, the exercise encourages students to unleash their imaginations. Utopia or dystopia, individual or collective sobriety, unrestrained or frugal technological innovation, each story reflects the anger, hope, and expectations of students facing a challenge that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on their lives. Most of these essays were written before the start of the energy crisis.
"We proposed this unique exercise to the students because transitioning to a carbon-neutral society will require renewing our collective imagination and, with it, our relationship with energy and nature," explains Anne-Lorène Vernay, associate professor and member of the Energy for Society Chair.
An initiative highlighted in an ebook by the Energy for Society Chair
The GEM Energy for Society Chair supported this initiative by publishing a selection of the best essays in an ebook.
"What better exercise than to ask our students, the decision-makers of tomorrow, to imagine the future to better understand their mindset regarding climate challenges and how they integrate and appropriate the fundamentals presented by the Professors in class," says Carine Sebi, associate professor and coordinator of the Energy for Society Chair.
In this first ebook, five essays have been selected: "Letter from on Old Friend"; "My Diary 2050 – The Climate Generation"; "The more we cooperate, the less we sacrifice"; "Visionnage 2052 – I plant, I sow, I water, I cherish, I harvest, I sell, I plow, I prune, and it starts all over again"; "2050 – An ideal lifestyle in Switzerland."
This collection has existed since 2022 and aims to select the best student works each year based on predefined criteria.
Download the 2023 digital version : in French | in English
Download the 2022 digital version in French
The Energy for Society Chair aims to test the effectiveness of new measures to reconcile business attractiveness and citizen adherence. In parallel, the Chair produces and disseminates knowledge through conferences, round tables, publications, media interventions, etc.
