Transitions in debate - Water under stress: a subject of study at the crossroads of multiple research areas
To coincide with the publication of the 5th issue of Transitions, “L'eau sous contraintes: un objet d'étude à l'intersection de multiples recherches” (Water under stress: an object of study at the crossroads of multiple research projects), École nationale des ponts et chaussées is organizing a scientific day at the crossroads of applied sciences, human and social sciences and environmental sciences.
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Wednesday 26 Novembre 2025 - 9h-18h30
École nationale des ponts et chaussées
Water has a profound influence on our lives. It is central to human needs, uses, daily practices and activities. Withdrawn, consumed, domesticated, dammed, controlled, protected... In the face of anthropogenic pressures, water is more than ever at the crossroads of several challenges across the planet. As a result, it represents a technical, social, environmental and political challenge whose dimensions are inseparable, placing it at the heart of a wide range of fundamental and applied research.
Given its characteristics, and against a backdrop of climatic and environmental uncertainties, our researchers are seeking to shed light on, and even support, public and private players, in order to provide them with the tools they need to make particularly strategic decisions in the coming years, in terms of planning, infrastructure choices and the sharing and management of this vital resource.
This scientific day will shed further light on the contributions in this issue, which seek to highlight the extent to which water, this fundamental natural element, requires both in-depth disciplinary investigations and interdisciplinary approaches, in order to move beyond techno-solutionism alone and embark on transition trajectories in line with specific territorial characteristics.