In response to the climate emergency and the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 that France has set itself, a number of foresight exercises have been undertaken in recent years in order to inform the debate on what ecological strategy is to be implemented. Several of these have been the subject of articles in Futuribles. Among these exercises, ADEME’s Transition(s) 2050 study, proposing four contrasting scenarios for reaching this carbon neutrality by2050, also gave rise to a number of separate instalments, all aimed at enhancing thinking on the subject. One of these was on the lifestyles and societal choices ensuing from the scenarios, and aimed to examine how these might be perceived by citizens.
Do they match up to their values and aspirations? What constraints are involved in the projection into a particular scenario? What conditions must be met for the transition to enjoy the support of the French population? In this article, taken from the ‘Lifestyles’ document, Sarah Thiriot presents the findings of a sociological survey that studied the reception of the scenarios by a qualitative sample of 31 French people. The survey goes some way to answering these questions and enables us to better grasp the notions of desirability and feasibility, as well as the conditions for realizing these scenarios. It also highlights the importance of including citizens in debates on the implementation of the ecological transition and shows the margins of manœuvre that exist in the management of that transition. This is essential information for the French prime minister, given her role in charge of ecological planning.
