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Our volunteers :
The Shifters

Who they are, what they do

The Shift Project is supported by a volunteer association: The Shifters

The Shifters is an association under the French law of 1901, created in 2014 to provide voluntary support to the think tank The Shift Project, which works to decarbonise the economy. Initially conceived as a structure to welcome anyone wishing to help The Shift with research, relay or support work, the Shifters are carrying out more and more independent work, but always with one objective: to make an effective contribution to the exit from fossil fuels on a French and European scale.

Whether you’re a lawyer, translator, teacher, jobseeker, stay-at-home dad, artist, engineer or writer, doctor or gardener, antique dealer or market gardener, all talents are welcome as we work together to meet the challenges of climate change and the energy transition!

 

How can I join the Shifters?

1. Registration: fill in the short form to join the Shifters

Registering on the online form ensures that Shifters share the values of the association. It also allows you to receive communications from the Shifters. So don’t hesitate, join the Shifters!

2. Membership: contribute to The Shifters by paying on HelloAsso

Joining the Shifters means :

  • formally joining The Shifters, an association under the law of 1901
  • supporting the work of The Shifters through my presence and participation
  • taking part in The Shifters’ decarbonisation projects
  • access all the content reserved for subscribers (training, events, conferences and content)
  • join a dynamic and caring community that shares my goals.

What’s more, the membership fee is free (on average around €30), with no obligation and secure. So don’t hesitate, join now!

 

A collective, a vision, a mission, values

The aim of the Shifters is to welcome anyone interested in climate change and its consequences, and wishing to take part in a collective effort to decarbonise our economy.

We are a group of citizens with :

  • a Vision, shared without reservation, that of the Shift Project, on the reality of anthropogenic climate change, the inevitable depletion of fossil resources and the need for a carbon transition in our economy
  • a Mission, guiding our work, to support the Shift Project by making its skills and work available, to train and inform ourselves on energy-climate issues, and to disseminate the work of the Shift Project and the Shifters in order to strengthen public interest in decarbonisation
  • Values, inspired by the spirit of the Shift Project, guaranteeing scientific and technical rigour in all our work, openness to everyone, whatever their background, impartiality, which guarantees our political independence, professionalism in our behaviour and our work and, lastly, conviviality, which is useful when dealing collectively with issues that are as serious as they are complex.

These 3 founding pillars (vision, mission, values) guide the life of the association and ensure our coherence. They are our common DNA, whatever our differences on other issues: we are all first and foremost at the service of decarbonisation because we consider all other issues to be subsidiary to it.

Vision

The Shifters unreservedly share the vision of the Shift Project. They take for granted the reality of climate disruption caused by our greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the depletion of our fossil fuel resources in the short to medium term. With this in mind, they want to work towards a carbon transition for the economy, to free us from the dual constraints of climate change and dependence on fossil fuels.

They believe that an approach that is both objective and pragmatic, yet ambitious and innovative, based on the rigorous use of scientific and technical knowledge, will provide political and economic decision-makers throughout Europe with realistic solutions that help to limit the extent and effects of climate change, as well as anticipating our societies’ exit from the fossil fuel era.

Mission

The Shifters’ network is made up of professionals with a wide range of backgrounds, experience and skills who are interested in the carbon transition of the economy, whether or not they are already active in this field, and who wish to :

  • support the Shift Project in its work, by making their labour or skills available to the Shift team on an ad hoc basis
  • be informed, debate and learn about the decarbonisation of the economy, from a scientific, technical and political perspective, as well as in terms of the issues, players, solutions and current events involved
  • disseminate the ideas and work of the Shift Project within their own networks and develop new networks in the field of decarbonising the economy.

Values 

Scientific and technical requirements

On climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels, the Shifters believe that serious treatment of these issues is only possible through detailed study and assimilation of scientific and technical knowledge on these subjects. They place particular emphasis on the limits imposed by the laws of physics, which the economy must take into account. Similarly, a clear, factual and objective approach is needed to examine the various solutions available to us for the carbon transition, analysing their advantages and disadvantages and their technical, economic and social feasibilit

Open-mindedness

Given the complexity and importance of the issues surrounding climate change and the organisation of our independence from fossil fuels, the Shifters will show humility and remain open to any serious, well-argued proposal, formulated constructively, in a spirit of tolerance, respect and dialogue. The Shifters also believe that the scale of the challenge represented by the carbon transition makes it necessary to devise original, innovative and ambitious solutions, and in particular to take an interest in the way in which the transition is thought out and implemented in other countries, particularly within the European Union. Finally, the Shifters are keen to involve as many people as possible in the carbon transition. They are keen to be understood by those who are new to the subject, and to educate those who are less well-informed.

Impartiality

The Shifters are a pluralist organisation, independent of any political party, ideological movement or economic pressure group. Shifters have their own backgrounds, thoughts and personalities, but they are aware that their role within the association is not to serve their own personal interests, but rather the general interest.

Professionalism

The Shifters seek to acquire or enhance a certain expertise on issues relating to the energy transition. They take care to remain concrete, pragmatic and efficient, both in the study of these issues and in the running of the association.

Conviviality

Although they are interested in serious issues, the Shifters see energy and climate change as a challenge rather than a threat. In fact, they make it a point of honour to ensure that their activities take place in an atmosphere of good humour and conviviality.

 

Committed and diverse citizens

The Shifters form a network of tens of thousands of people and several thousand paid-up members. Of all ages, educational backgrounds and social levels, they work together for decarbonisation. There are also several hundred members who are actively involved in the life of the association and the management of its projects, whether they be time-limited or multi-year assignments, in-house or external, in the production of technical work, the organisation of events or the running of the association. There are almost a hundred projects underway, led by independent project managers. Last but not least, there are dozens of volunteers supervising these activities and ensuring the administrative management of our collective.

The Shifters are students, retired people, professionals and amateurs, women and men, fathers and mothers, who have decided to work together to help society take the necessary step away from fossil fuels.

The Shifters are local groups where you can meet other like-minded members near you, and themed circles where you can work together on complex subjects.

The Shifters are volunteer speakers, trainers, editors, videographers, podcasters, aeronautical and agricultural engineers, energy and accounting experts and farmers.

Above all, the Shifters are citizens who, through their actions, their network and their knowledge, want to play an active part in ensuring that the decarbonisation of the economy is at the heart of all the issues facing society in the future.

 

Examples of missions carried out by Shifters:

  • Organisation of conferences and events to raise public awareness of the solutions available to meet the challenge of climate change : conference@theshifters.org ;
  • Organisation of UniverShifté, the Shifters’ summer university : https://univershifte.fr/about/
  • Launch of a podcast : Time to shift
  • Organisation of a film festival : Projection Transition
  • Creation of a weekly newsletter on climate-related legal news : La Gazette du carbone
  • Launch of the Shift Your Job website with the aim of reconciling employment and climate change : shiftyourjob.org
  • Launch of a collaborative workshop to raise awareness of the carbon challenges of personal mobility, inspired by the Fresque du climat (Climate Fresco) : La Fresque de la Mobilité
  • Translation of the energy-climate elements of the German coalition agreement, a European report on energy renovation, Shift reports, etc. ;
  • Contribution to the drafting of several sheets of the Manifesto to Decarbonise Europe;
  • Contribution to several working groups of the Plan for the Transformation of the French Economy;
  • Contribution to various Shift projects on the link between GDP and energy and on corporate climate reporting;
  • Monitoring the energy-climate proposals of the presidential candidates;
  • And dozens more…

The Shifters is a dynamic community of several thousand members that is also developing through numerous Local Groups in France (metropolitan and overseas) and abroad. At the beginning of 2021, the Shifters had more than 30 Local Groups in many different parts of the world. These are organised around monthly meetings that enable them to develop their activities.

Don’t hesitate to join them and contribute if you too want to take action to decarbonize our economy !