In this episode of La Loupe, Xavier Yvon explains the challenges of the digital ecological transition with Valentin Ehkirch, Climate journalist at L’Express and Maxime Recoquillé, Tech journalist.
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The team: Xavier Yvon (presentation), Mathias Penguilly (writing), Ambre Rosala (editing), Jules Krot (directing) and Marion Galard (alternate).
Credits: France Televisions, Government, BFMTV
Music and dressing: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Picture credits: Stefan Puchner/DPA via AFP
Logo: Anne-Laure Chapelain/Benjamin Chazal
How to listen to a podcast? Follow the leader.
Xavier Yvon: To start this podcast, I’m going to give you a composite portrait of a young urban lambda. A 30-something who lives and works in a big city. He pays great attention to the environment on a daily basis and therefore to his way of consuming.
Finished the car: he only travels by public transport. Even to go on vacation, he prefers the train and forbids himself as much as possible to take the plane even if it means leaving less far. He also changed his eating habits, eating local, organic, reducing his meat consumption and buying products in bulk. He conscientiously sorts his waste, has installed a compost bin on his balcony. He is also trying to control his water and heating costs. Finally, he never crosses the threshold of a clothing store again (even during the sales). Anyway, he prefers the style of second-hand clothes.
In this description, you certainly recognize behaviors that resemble yours or those of your colleague, your neighbor or your cousin. These responsible practices to fight against global warming, our character applies them in all aspects of his daily life, except one.
When he takes the bus or the metro, he never leaves his mobile phone, a latest generation smartphone. He listens to podcasts, scrolls on TikTok, responds to his Tinder notifications. In his TGV towards the sea, he passes the time by watching series on his tablet, on Netflix or one of the three other streaming platforms to which he subscribes. He has an app for everything: to find out how to cook seasonal fruits and vegetables, to do his accounts, monitor his energy consumption… And for clothes, he spends a lot more time shopping on the Vinted app. than in thrift stores.
You’re starting to see where I’m coming from: our protagonist is very careful not to pollute too much, to reduce his carbon footprint, except for his screens. However, their manufacture and their use have many consequences on the environment and they worsen very quickly. Like him, can we still ignore the ecological impact of our digital uses? That’s the question we’re looking at today.
For further
PODCAST. Jean-Marc Jancovici, the Cartesian ecologist who whispers in the ears of the French (1/2)
Ecological transition: digital, a cumbersome ally
Energy transition: should France open lithium mines?
Murfy, Back Market, Spareka… The booming second life market