Sketches and lessons of past and evicted ‘biogeochemical policies’ in twentieth century France

RESUMEAccording to the Stockholm Resilience Centre, cycles of biogenic elements (nitrogen, phosphorus) are massively disrupted. This disruption manifests the ‘metabolic rift’ between industrial society and its environment. Using a geohistorical approach, this paper explores French evicted socio-technical trajectories that can be considered as past ‘biogeochemical policies’ i.e., policies which can respond to this disruption of natural cycles: municipal composting, sewage farms, fish ponds, the use as fertiliser of urine and faecal matter. By outlining the factors of their disappearance, which constitute locks that have now to be overcome, it aims to reopen the future of both urban sanitation and agriculture.