Of Paul-Emile Victor’s cabin, isolated in Disko Bay, west of Greenland, all that remains is a hut of planks and rust, worn out by storms. In the 1950s, the French explorer and scientist, father of polar expeditions, made it the starting point for his wanderings in the Far North. This small three-room refuge, from which six summer ice cap campaigns and two winterings were launched, still bears witness to the vast scientific ambitions of the time. But today, the faded red and the worm-eaten boards are above all the symbols of polar research in search of a second wind. As if the icy winds had ended up freezing our scientific ambitions in the region forever.
It is certain that the organizers of the One Planet – Polar Summit, the first summit dedicated to glaciers and the poles which will be held in Paris from November 8 to 10, will not fail to recall this story of a France, a pioneer of exploration and then research on the poles. From the first discoveries of the southern lands in 1772 by the Breton navigator Yves Joseph de Kerguelen to the first steps in Antarctica by Jules Dumont d’Urville in 1840, the tradition of French explorers has given the country a leading position among the polar nations. It also preceded the advent of solid scientific research dedicated to icy universes: a number of French research works are still authoritative. Knowledge on the effects of carbon dioxide of human origin on the warming of the atmosphere comes from the intuition of glaciologist Claude Lorius, who was interested in the Antarctic ice cores which trap the atmosphere of the past over hundreds of thousands of years.
Since these first discoveries, the urgency has only increased for the polar regions. At the crossroads of the challenges of the century, the issues that confront them stretch between climate risk and growing geopolitical tensions. Regularly presented as a watchdog in terms of climate, Antarctica is one of the regions where warming is most active. Twice as fast as in the rest of the world, its magnitude is also 20 to 50% greater than predicted by climate models, according to a Franco-German study published in the journal Nature Climate Change early September. Worrying figures to which is now added an increasingly strong political destabilization. “There is an over-representation of the great powers in the polar regions, and international cooperation is difficult to function. Three new marine areas in Antarctica have not been able to see the light of day due to blockages from China and Russia “, recalls the Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu.
“Science is a diplomatic tool”
An alarm signal for the scientific world which alerts us to the need to preserve the area and maintain research there. “These are the last spaces to have been relatively removed from the human influences of greed and exploitation. So obviously, the more scientifically influential we are, the better our posture is to influence international decisions in order to preserve them,” notes Bruno David, former director of the Natural History Museum (2015-2023). In this “intertwining of interests, science is a diplomatic tool”, agrees Laurent Mayet, president of the think tank Le Cerclepolar and former right-hand man of Michel Rocard on the question of the poles.
France has long capitalized on this history of major scientific expeditions. The former Prime Minister, as ambassador for the poles, was the last major political figure to take up the subject in an attempt to establish the country’s influence in polar bodies. Except that the momentum was lost and the funding did not follow. “We have been living on the inertia of this initiative for thirty years and the means are no longer up to par,” laments Jérôme Chappellaz, research director at the CNRS and professor at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne.
At the head of the French Polar Institute (IPEV) between March 2018 and 2022, the glaciologist was a direct witness to this lethargy, and to the chronic underfunding of the institution: only 16 million euros annually to play the role of logistics operator for French research in areas difficult to access and in extreme conditions. “Either the equivalent of the budget of Perros-Guirec or a little less than 1.5 Leclerc tanks”, quipped Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, the current ambassador of the poles, in 2021. A very thin endowment while the German neighbor has a budget three times higher, and up to five times for the Australian institute… “The budget allocated to Ipev is not up to the level of its functioning”, concedes climatologist Catherine Ritz, president of the group of public interest (GIP) of the institute. The health crisis then the surge in hydrocarbon prices due to the war in Ukraine further weakened its financial position. So much so that it was preparing, at the end of 2022, to reduce its activities due to a hole of 3.7 million euros in its coffers. The State came to the rescue at the last minute with exceptional aid. “It just made it possible not to be in deficit, but the financing has not changed and the situation will happen again this year,” predicts Catherine Ritz.
Antarctica under surveillance.
© / CARTOGRAPHY LEGENDS
“D’Urville Can”
Added to Ipev’s budgetary difficulties are increasingly aging infrastructures. Its resources are largely dedicated to two scientific stations in Antarctica: Dumont d’Urville and Concordia, co-managed with Italy. However, they both deserve urgent work. Especially the first, opened in 1956 and sometimes renamed “Bidon d’Urville” by scientists. “We sleep there saying to ourselves: ‘I hope it’s not going to fall on us during the night’,” describes Laurent Mayet. The station, whose renovation is estimated at 150 million euros, would no longer even be able to respect the environmental standards established during the Madrid Protocol in 1991. Australia is also preparing an inspection mission there. “The conclusions risk being unpleasant,” slips Jérôme Chappellaz. The upgrade of Concordia is estimated at 30 million euros, to be shared equally with Italy. The latter has already voted for the budget in question, but France is dragging on…
The lack of funding therefore forces scientists to look for other solutions to carry out their project. If cooperation has always been the norm, “the political choice of disinvestment means that the French have become increasingly dependent on resources offered by other nations”, analyzes Bruno David. The spirit of excellence remains among scientists, but this underinvestment carries with it a fear: that of downgrading. “We are never a leader when we take folding seats,” remarks Catherine Ritz, who regrets a French shortcoming compared to the other G7 countries: the absence of a scientific icebreaker. France does have The Astrolabe, but this ship mainly has a logistical purpose. This situation therefore makes the use of sometimes controversial “campaigns of opportunity” more and more common. Like the partnerships carried out with the cruise line Ponant and its Commander Charcot. The company, which takes tourists to the frozen waters of Antarctica, has offered to take four scientists on board. “As many jacuzzis as researchers”, criticized MP Mickaël Bouloux (PS) in an information report published in June. THE CNRS ethics committee also expressed “deep reservation” with regard to this offer. At the same time, the great powers are moving forward. China should have a third scientific icebreaker by 2025 and a fifth base is under construction on the southern continent, bringing the number of its scientists present there to nearly 600.
A new envelope
Through successive alerts and in the face of investments from other nations, researchers finally seem to have found the ear of the government. In 2022, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor unveiled his polar strategy. The document, entitled “Balancing the Extremes”, outlines a clear roadmap for the return of French influence in the poles and support for research by 2030. It notably provides for the strengthening of the number of researchers in the bases, but also support for public-private partnerships. The polar station projects of the Tara Océan foundation, or the Polar Pod of explorer Jean-Louis Etienne, in collaboration with the CNRS and Ipev, must therefore complement public systems.
The financial translation of this strategy should be (finally) announced by Emmanuel Macron during the Paris summit, which will unveil a new and large envelope. The amount should, according to our information, exceed the 449.4 million euros recorded in the bill – transpartisan – polar programming for the years 2024 to 2030, tabled in July. The president should also confirm the acquisition of a ship with ice capacity – and not an icebreaker – and validate the renovations of the Antarctic stations: that of Dumont d’Urville from the start of 2026 and over several years, in 2030 for Concordia.
Enough to solidify the scientific influence, and at the same time diplomatic influence, of the country in these remote areas. “Polar research has historically enabled international connections, perhaps it will still have this role in the years to come,” insists MP Mickaël Bouloux. A sign that it remains a privileged space for discussion, the very agitated international geopolitical situation “has not prevented the Antarctic Treaty meetings from being held over the last two years”, testifies Anne Choquet, president of the French National Committee of Arctic and Antarctic research and research professor at the European University Institute of the Sea. Russia, China and the United States were all around the table. And even Ukraine in 2022. A strong symbol of the importance of the poles.
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