On 11 and 12 June 2025, the ThermEcoWat project team participated in the symposium “Shared knowledge and collective actions to project the territories of tomorrow“, organised by the Centre d’Innovations Sociales Clermont Auvergne (CISCA). It was an opportunity to share an in-depth reflection on the contribution of the social sciences to the climate adaptation of spa resorts and on the modalities of co-construction of territorial solutions.
A symposium to cross-reference knowledge and strengthen cooperation
In a context of ecological, economic and democratic transformations, this symposium brought together researchers, elected officials, SSE actors and professionals in scientific mediation. The discussions focused on:
- The co-construction of knowledge between the academic world and civil society.
- Participatory action research methods.
- The conditions for cooperation between various disciplines and professional cultures.
It is in this context that our team proposed an oral communication to present the approaches carried out in Auvergne as part of the ThermEcoWat project, which explores the possible responses to climate change for spa resorts.
Social sciences: a methodology in action
During the conference, Sylvia Becerra, sociologist at the CNRS, presented our sociological methodological framework which includes:
- Individual semi-structured interviews
- Focus groups in 2025 structured around 3 axes:
- Perceiving climate change in the territory,
- Anticipate the adaptation capacities of the resorts,
- Contribute to the collective management of water as a common good.
- Participant observation
- Collective intelligence workshops (star debate, stakeholder mapping, collective SWOT, etc.)
This approach is based on the observation that water is an unthought common good in the thermal sector and aims to bring out a shared vision of vulnerabilities and levers for action, based on lived experiences and local representations.
A contribution fully in line with the objectives of the conference
Our participation resonated directly with several themes of the conference:
- How can committed research be reconciled with scientific rigour?
- How can we cooperate when we don’t understand each other (yet)?
- What place for research in citizen participation mechanisms?
By sharing our approach to the co-construction of knowledge between social sciences, environmental sciences and local actors, we have contributed to nurturing exchanges on the articulation between knowledge, collective action and territorial transformation.
Towards resilient thermal territories and agents of change
ThermEcoWat shows that spa resorts, often forgotten in climate debates, nevertheless have a role to play in the dynamics of transition. However, the conditions for an open and structured dialogue between stakeholders must be created.
The CISCA conference offered a valuable platform to advance this ambition, by highlighting the importance of accessible science, rooted in the territories, and co-produced with the actors concerned.
