"Ensemble pour la nature": a theme revealing the gap that resides/persists between human activities and respect for nature and its components.

We've come this far! To negotiate, to invite, to have to convince human consciences to take the same direction as nature, to preserve the ozone layer, safeguard the forests that are sources of oxygen, depollute the oceans, restore degraded land, feed ourselves sustainably, house ourselves properly, clothe ourselves responsibly.

The "Together for Nature" Forum brought together around the same table several players whose daily lives are made up of battles to live in harmony with Nature. Of all the issues raised at the meeting, the theme of habitat will have sparked debate at at least two round tables. Strong ideas were shared and possible solutions considered to deconstruct housing, which is costing nature an irreparable bill, and return to a more intelligent, sustainable and comfortable model. Because the natural and cultural riches of each community should be reflected in their living environment, the requirements of modernity and those linked to the traditions of each community were presented as the new foundation of sustainable habitat.

Where are we going to live tomorrow? What will our buildings be made of? Will they withstand the vagaries of the climate? Will they respond to meteorological inconstancies? Do they match available natural resources? Will they meet the needs of communities?

These are just some of the questions raised by the debate on the habitat of tomorrow. The answers provided by the various speakers enabled us to exchange ideas and share experiences on how to green tomorrow's habitat, but above all, to build a stronger case for the habitat we need for the future.

The meeting of ideas for tomorrow's habitat

It was not in a peremptory/imperious tone that yesterday's habitat was proposed as tomorrow's at the Algiers Forum. Rather, it was through the testimonies freely expressed by all the participants that we were able to retain that the predominant construction model was not in phase with nature on the one hand, and even worse with the real needs of its users on the other.

We were able to agree with experiences coming from both sides of Africa and Europe that the ancestral model abounded in useful knowledge and practices to satisfy humanity in terms of habitat. In Central Africa, as elsewhere, the practices of yesteryear, using earth and wood as raw materials, have retained all their importance in imagining the habitat of today and tomorrow. It's important to understand that when we talk about sustainable housing, we're not talking about sustainable architecture in terms of the solidity of buildings, but about architecture that is "sustainable" for the planet. Feriel Gasmi, architect, curator of the Franco-Algerian design biennial and moderator of the round table, took the example of southern Algeria, rich in earthen architecture "that has not all been preserved". The starting point was the observation that the use of cultural and traditional knowledge in architecture is declining, before turning to the question of energy in housing.

Cultural elements in tomorrow's housing

"The traditional building model must be defended with public authorities", defended Feriel Gasmi.

In fact, Africa is a continent that bears witness to an extraordinary architectural wealth. Over the millennia, traditional architecture has been shaped by the know-how of local populations in mastering the raw materials their environment offers: earth, wood, leaves, granite and so on. However, technological progress has led to the disappearance of ancient African cities. Since the 20th century, housing in Cameroon has undergone modernization, characterized by the destruction or abandonment of traditional construction methods. In the northern part of the country, the gradual abandonment of local materials has given way to concrete and aluminum sheeting, which make for real thermal discomfort in the dry season. We're seeing a standardization of housing based on the European model. Architecture in Cameroon is therefore a mix of two different cultures: "traditional" housing built with local materials, and "modern" housing modelled on European culture.
African environmental and social diversity still offers building possibilities deeply rooted in social tradition and traditional construction. These possibilities need to be explored, promoted and preserved.

All these visions shared by speakers and participants alike, led one and all to question their way of living, thinking and inhabiting the earth.

For Africa as for Europe, society will need to be built on new priorities, more sustainable resource management, better regulated relationships between habitat and the environment.

We have demonstrated in the course of the debate that 21st century construction can no longer ignore the physical limits of the planet, the social demands of growing urban populations, their expectations of safety and comfort, the importance of preserving built heritage in culture, and the strong constraints of the environment and the economy. However, defending yesterday's solutions does not mean rejecting those of today. And so, renewable energy combined with other technological innovations could offer an ecologically tenable, economically profitable and socially satisfying outcome for housing.

The question of energy in sustainable housing

Sustainable housing also raised questions related to renewable energy at the forum. The round table that preceded the habitat debates focused on energy-related issues and its role in preserving the environment. Indeed, thinking about housing from the perspective of sustainable development is one of the main challenges facing human societies as they move towards a more sustainable model, and the energy transition could enable us to move towards positive-energy buildings with a low carbon footprint. The European Parliament has adopted tougher targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 2050. In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the residential sector accounts for a significant 19% of GHG emissions and 27% of final energy consumption. It is therefore essential to produce buildings that consume less energy, with low or very low energy consumption. In Africa, almost all countries have a NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) that sets out a quantified target for their energy mix over a given period. Cameroon, for example, plans to increase the share of renewable energies in its energy mix to 25% by 2030.

For Fouzi Benkhelifa, Founder and Chairman of NEXQT and an expert in climate action, future scenarios point to an African population that will double over the next thirty years. 80% of this doubling will take place in cities. This means twice as many urban dwellers, a catch-up in living standards, and more equipment in the home. The demographic transition will be accompanied by an explosion in urbanization, and energy resources will be an increasing problem. According to the latter, we will reach the end of a fossil fuel consumption model, and the energy shock will be a threat to stability.

Beyond reducing energy consumption for everyday use, it was agreed to integrate the issue of building life cycle analysis and their overall ecological footprint to develop low-energy buildings. This analysis starts with the choice of materials in terms of the grey energy[1] they contain, and takes into consideration the end-of-life of the building, with its dismantling and the recovery of the materials of which it is made. It also incorporates bioclimatic architectural design[2].

Prospects after the forum

The continuation of the forum is lived in the collaboration born and to be pursued with speakers and participants sharing converging points of view on the future we want and are building.

The idea in the continuation is to:

- Diagnose African and European building policies in greater detail;

- Popularize traditional know-how in sustainable housing;

- Raise awareness among African and European communities of the short- and long-term benefits of a hybrid choice -modern and traditional- in building;

On a personal note, I associate the Algiers Forum with the category/rank of ''Fora d'action''. The grass-roots initiatives presented at this meeting have awakened, if not reawakened, the climate activism in which my battles/combats in environmental education and the harmonization of development policies with climate requirements fall. In order to make more favorable the echo of the voice of environmentalists committed to a real ecological transition in Africa and Europe, the Forum will have made it possible to take another step towards "Our Future"."

[1]Gray energy: the sum of all the energy required to design, produce, transport, use, recycle or end the life of a product or material.

[2] Bio climatism: a way of designing to achieve living conditions and comfort in the most natural way possible and making the most of the environment.