Claude Allègre died this Saturday January 4 at the age of 87. This renowned geochemist and former socialist minister has never been afraid to shock, displaying his desire to “ degrease the mammoth » of National Education and directly calling into question the scientific truths about climate change.
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A shadowy character with small glasses and a round silhouette, endowed with the high words of a born juggernaut, Claude Allègre was a media figure, known to the general public since his time in government between 1997 and 2000. Member of the Socialist Party since 1973, friend long-time advisor and Lionel Jospinthe scientist became his Minister of National Education, Research and Technology. A minister determined to reform.
But one of his first outbursts, the one where he proclaims his ambition to “ degrease the mammoth “, immediately alienates the teachers. An opposition which will continue to grow and will force him to surrender his portfolio in March 2000. Claude Allègre, born on March 31, 1937 to a father who was a biology professor and a mother who was a schoolteacher, had difficulty digesting this forced departure, then taking to the teachers’ union, the SNES, described as ” Stalinist “.
From Jospin to Sarkozy
This specialist in Earth sciences, former director of the Physical Institute of the Globe of Paris (1976-1986) and chairman of the board of directors of the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (1992-1997), subsequently continued to encourage controversies, both political and scientific. Lionel Jospin, Laurent Fabius, Ségolène Royal… This disappointed socialist multiplies the invectives aimed at his former left-wing comrades. With Lionel Jospin, “ they were very close, accomplices, they had a fairly close relationship “, but ” It got worse when my father firmly believed that we had to stand up to the unions » in 2000, his son Laurent told AFP.
In 2007, the break was complete, and the man nicknamed “Vulcano” by some close friends turned to the right-wing candidate. Nicolas Sarkozywhich he will support again during the presidential election in 2012. If he rallied behind Sarkozy, it was because he saw that there was someone who really wanted to change things », underlines his son. “ Deep down, he had a naive side. He wanted to change people’s lives. He believed in Man and thought we could change him », he adds.
Climate skeptic figure
In 2009, Claude Allègre was cited to enter the government, but was deprived of a job, probably because of his controversial positions on climate change. The geochemist, member of the Academy of Sciences and full of French and international recognition (CNRS gold medal, Crafoord prize in 1986), is then the leading figure in France of climate skepticismthis movement which calls into question the conclusions of the IPCC climate specialists.
Ulcerated by the attacks relayed by the ex-minister in his best-seller, The climate imposturemore than 600 climatologists wrote in the spring of 2010 to their supervisory minister to denounce “denigration” and “false accusations” uttered by a non-climate scientist. The Academy of Sciences, after tense debates behind closed doors, will refute Claude Allègre’s theses at the end of 2010.
Bayrou greets “ an original spirit ” And ” someone with integrity »
This does not prevent the man with his ever-alert words from returning to the field of ecology only a year later by launching a foundation. This organization certainly refrained from openly addressing the climate issue but promoted technological innovation and “ scientific ecology » with the support of several Nobel Prize winners, such as the physicist Albert Fert or the immunologist Jules Hoffmann. Loving nothing less than swimming against the tide, the man, who had already distinguished himself in the past by questioning the danger of asbestos, is also not afraid to defend the nuclear just after theFukushima accident in 2011saying to himself “ scandalized by the propaganda made from » of this event.
In 2013, Claude Allègre suffered a heart attack while participating in a scientific conference in Chile. On X, the Prime Minister François Bayrou paid tribute to “ an original mind, great scientist, man of combat, who did not fear ”one against all” “. “ Even if he was wrong about the climate, he was someone with integrity », underlines his son who hopes that he “ not only that will remain of him “. “ The problem is that he was very stubborn, he was not in the consensus, on the agreed side », he emphasizes to conclude.