The Cern project fuels the fears and discontent of climate defenders. The Confederation has also called the institution to order on the implementation of certain scenarios described as “impossible”.
The tunnel is huge to house Cern’s new particle accelerator. It will take 90.7 km to make way for the collider of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, called FCC-ee, which should wake up, if all goes well, in 2040. The slate is estimated at 15 billion, spread over 15 years. Next will come a new machine, called FCC-hh, which will slide into the same tunnel.
Once the foundations have been mentioned, you still have to start the project. That’s where it gets stuck. On April 21, RTS raised the concerns of local residents regarding the project currently under study. To counter reluctance, Cern organized a public information and discussion meeting on April 24. A meeting to convince, which was sold out and sparked a lively debate.
Faced with questions regarding energy demand and future developments, in addition to the loss of agricultural land, discontent is growing. The weather obtained documents sent by the French State and the Confederation on the prospective work carried out by CERN.
A huge circle between France and Switzerland
As the Geneva-based daily points out, the majority of the circuit designed by Cern is in France. But Switzerland is also concerned by this large circle: Dardagny, Russin, Satigny, Meyrin, Pregny-Chambésy, then under Lake Geneva and towards Choulex, Meinier and Presinge.
The outline (in bold) of the project.Image: screenshot
France and Switzerland are also not very happy with the plans presented by CERN, as highlighted in the report reviewed by The weather. Feasibility is lacking. The daily comments as follows: “scenarios” were based on hypotheses which have not been verified by the local authorities. Worse, some are even “impossible to achieve”, it is written in the Swiss report.
The concerns, as the RTS report highlighted, are especially ecological – the water table and the outlet to be found for the storage of the immense volumes of excavated material.
Agricultural surface area is also at the center of debates. On Swiss territory, Cern has identified two four-hectare spaces to build its FCC. Problem: this portion of land is classified as an agricultural zone and should therefore be declassified. To compensate, Cern offers to heat the surrounding villages. The State Secretariat for Training, Research and Innovation (Sefri) has little taste for this idea: “We would like to remind Cern that this is not a legal compensation option”reports The weather. To compensate, the scientific organization should offer an equivalent quality surface.
The climate crisis is not helping the laboratory’s affairs. A Geneva association, Noé21, simply said that this project should be abandoned. In question? The gigantic consumption announced for Cern’s new baby – between construction site and operation – a factor which makes the members of the association jump. The latter requires a clear study of the project on the environmental impact and the climate. Still according to the calculations of Timethese are nearly 80 to 100 million tonnes of CO2 which will be manufactured from 2030 until the end of the century.
To defend itself, Cern assures that this is only the first stage of the project aimed at its feasibility. “It is submitted to the States so that we can take their comments into account for the future,” retorts Arnaud Marsollier, spokesperson for the research center.
Piano piano seems to brandish Arnaud Marsollier. Because the outcome is not for tomorrow. It will only be in 2028 that member states will give their approval. Except that time is running out, because in 2025, the institution will have to sketch out the feasibility of its final project. Cern is playing for time, but there is no time to lose. (please)
