KETU 3585 - Public decarbonization policies and polluting industries

FULL TITLE OF THE COURSE: Public decarbonization policies and polluting industries: is a sustainable development of the aeronautic

industry realistic?

This course aims to present, through a practical case study, how decisions made at the international and European level are implemented within states and how they impact the strategy of a polluting industry, taking the example of the aviation industry and notably Airbus.

Specifically, the course aims to identify how sustainable development goals, particularly carbon neutrality, imposed by public policies act as a driver for transforming the economic model of a polluting industry and require the mobilization and support of an ecosystem of actors.

Throughout the course, you will become familiar with the methods and tools necessary to analyze the stakes, identify relevant action levers, and design strategic orientations adapted to the aviation industry. The goal is to determine whether sustainable development of the aviation industry is realistic.

During the sessions, which will be conducted in various formats such as plenary or sub-groups, you will prepare and formalize analyses and recommendations, and present them as if in a committee of a strategic project. You will also become familiar with national and international sustainable development initiatives and policies and understand how decarbonization strategies are implemented in an industrial sector emitting large quantities of greenhouse gases.

The case study will address international, national, and local scales to highlight the different links between territories, industrial development, and public policies. You will conduct benchmarks to compare decarbonization policies and strategies in different regions of the world.

This course will provide you with a good understanding of the regulatory framework and issues related to decarbonization at the French, European, and global levels. To better understand these issues, you will also be sensitized to certifications and tools for assessing the environmental impact of an organization. You will then identify the levers for decarbonizing the aviation industry, including regulatory, technological, and behavioral levers.

In connection with these levers, you will analyze the coherence of the environmental strategies of actors in the aviation industry according to national and international sustainable development policies, including carbon, water, waste, and harmful substances. This course will also raise awareness of different carbon taxation/compensation mechanisms and European and French subsidies. A focus will be made on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), which is the main lever for decarbonizing the aviation industry in the short term.

Finally, you will understand the importance of ecosystemic work by analyzing public-private partnership strategies for decarbonization, issues related to intellectual property, and barriers to international collaboration on strategic issues.

In connection with the case study, you will structure for the last session the strategic axes for the development of the aviation industry: is a sustainable development realistic relying on public policies and international initiatives? You will present these strategic axes to a jury of professionals in ecological transition and aviation that you will have to convince of their relevance in light of the objectives pursued.

Prerequisites:

Minimum knowledge in sustainable development, for example, participation in the "Fresque du Climat" workshop

Required reading:

IPCC – AR6 Synthesis Report on Climate Change 2023 - Headline Statements – March 2023

European Council – Fit for 55

ISAE-SUPAERO – Aviation and climate, a literature review – Summary – September 2022

Each session will begin with an introduction and presentation of the issues addressed in the session (10 min), followed by oral presentations by two to four student subgroups of their work (2*10 min or 4*5 min).

A summary and new inputs will then be presented to the students (20 min), followed by in-depth exploration (30 to 45 min).

Reflections in subgroups and debates will also be organized in some sessions.

The end of the session will be devoted to presenting the objectives of the next session and the methodological elements enabling to respond to them (15 min).

Moodle will be used to collect works and share course supports.

Continuous evaluation of work during sessions (20%):

Evaluation of sub-group (2 to 4) work at each session

Final report and presentation evaluation (60%):

Detailed 15-page report per group

Evaluation of the presentation: executive summary support from each group + project pitch by the group

Individual evaluation (20%):

Individual evaluation during oral presentations in the context of course sessions and final presentation.

The interest of a case study lies in the important preparatory work (individual or collective) of the students between sessions and your engagement and participation during the sessions. For example, reading the case study file is mandatory before session 1.

This module is based on individual and collective preparatory work. At each session, students will prepare a short presentation in subgroups using the methodological contributions provided during the previous session.

At the end of the semester, each group will prepare a detailed report and an oral presentation, based on the work done during the module.