Najib Mahfoudhi, Interministerial coordinator of the water plan – French overseas departments, Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion (testimonial from “The Explore2 project, hydrological projections to adapt water resource management” dossier – 2024)
“I’m in charge of the French overseas departments’ water plan, which aims to support the local authorities there in managing water and sanitation. I rely on an interministerial team and a project team based in the DEALs. In the Water and Biodiversity Directorate (DEB), I deal with biodiversity issues across the board. As pillars for these public policies, hydroclimatic projections are very important to us. Overseas France is faced with both hazards and climate change, which has a major impact on the alternation between dry and wet seasons. It has therefore been decided, in conjunction with OiEau and INRAE, to set up a working group in each territory, bringing together those involved in water and climate change, in order to gain a better understanding of the data available, the projects already carried out or underway, and to identify the scientific obstacles to overcome. The medium-term objective is to carry out an Explore2-type exercise in the French overseas territories. The project leader for each territory, OiEau, INRAE and the DEB are organising meetings to discuss needs so that we have a trajectory for each territory to launch the process.”
Testimonial from our thematic dossier
Thematic dossier
The Explore2 project: hydrological projections to adapt water resource management
The Explore2 project, carried out between 2021 and 2024, aimed to describe the climate and water resources for the whole of the 21st century in mainland France, while ensuring that they are properly used. It produced a set of unprecedented projections in terms of the wealth of models applied and their spatial and temporal resolution, with no equivalent in Europe, thanks to a community of forty or so scientists from different organisations who were mobilised and united around the challenges of climate change. Around a hundred representatives of potential users of Explore2 results have also contributed to the project. Together, and under the guidance of INRAE and IOWater, they have devised useful information that can be mobilised by water managers in their territories. To provide a better understanding of the uncertainties associated with the projections, the scientists have proposed four climate narratives that illustrate the diversity of possible futures. Following the example of the IPCC, they have also drawn up a summary of the main conclusions at the level of mainland France for a set of descriptive variables in the water cycle, while specifying the degree of confidence in these results and the limits of knowledge. All the results of this project, which will have a major impact on water policy in France, are available online.
