The Transistion Institute 1.5 : 2026 TTI.5 Award for the best study of an environmental controversy
TTI.5 Award for the best study carried out as part of the course
‘Description of Controversies’
on an environmental controversy
At the close of the 4th TTI.5 Forum, “Environment, Science, and Technology in Foreign Policy Making: Which Science Diplomacy?” The Transition Institute 1.5° will present the TTI.5 Award for the best study of an environmental controversy conducted by Civil Engineering students at Mines Paris-PSL as part of the “Description of Controversies” course.
Friday, April 10, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
École des Mines de Paris, 60 Bd Saint-Michel
Henri Poincaré Amphitheater
Open to the public upon registration
Controversy description projects at Mines Paris – PSL
The course Description of Controversies is part of the curriculum for third-year students in the Civil Engineering program at Mines Paris-PSL. This course aims to educate engineering students about the evolution of their professional and civic context. The aim is to introduce them to the uncertain world of scientific and technical research by describing an object: a socio-technical controversy.
The topics proposed to the students have the following characteristics: an ongoing controversy, on a targeted subject (for example: not “GMOs” but “the problems raised by the authorization of the cultivation of a transgenic potato plant which is controversial in a specific period and in a specific territory”), involving a diversity of protagonists (scientists, experts, jurists, institutions, members of parliament, associations, etc.), for which various sources of information are available (general press, scientific press, professional press, discussion forums, blogs, websites, parliamentary reports, etc.).
The controversy study consists in a case study. A group of students follows a controversy in real time to discover its complexity and singularity. A team of sociologists specializing in the analysis of science and technology supervise the students in the development of a pragmatic and argued empirical point of view.
The three projects nominated
“No Net Land Take: A Realistic and Appropriate Goal?”
In 2021, the Climate and Resilience Act set a No Net Land Take (NNLT) target for 2050 following the Citizens’ Climate Convention. Indeed, land use change prevents carbon sequestration, reduces biodiversity, and increases flood risks in a context of increasing extreme weather events. However, the act’s implementation raises questions and debates, particularly regarding the definition and measurement of land conversion, the policy’s compatibility with economic development and housing construction amid tension, and the legitimacy of a measure that disregards regional specifics. Associations, local elected officials, National Assembly and Senate members, planners, surveyors, and researchers… are all mobilizing to make their views heard.
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“How should greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming be accounted for?”
The agricultural sector is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, and livestock farming is a significant component of this contribution. Livestock primarily emit methane, a gas with a strong greenhouse effect yet short atmospheric lifespan. A new method for standardizing greenhouse gases, the Global Warming Potential (GWP), has recently been proposed to better account for differences in the timescales of greenhouse gases. However, climate scientists have raised concerns about its use in New Zealand and Ireland to advocate for “no additional warming” methane reduction targets, which would exempt the livestock sector from emission reduction efforts. These debates are taking place against the backdrop of international commitments to reduce methane, including the 2021 Global Methane Pledge, as well as tensions surrounding scientific research on the climate impacts of livestock farming. How should the impact of livestock farming on the climate be measured? Which greenhouse gases should be prioritized for reduction? What are the challenges and implications of the various greenhouse gas accounting methods?
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The 2030 Winter Olympics: An Absurdity or a Windfall for the Green Transition?
As the chapter on the Paris 2024 Olympics winds down, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) selection of France’s bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics has sparked reactions and controversy. Opponents of the project criticize the lack of public consultation and express concern about the financial impact of the Games. Above all, however, the environmental issue lies at the heart of the debate, particularly the question of artificial snowmaking. Are these games an ecological aberration, or do they present an opportunity to finance the transition of mountain regions?
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