The concerns of people living along the route of CERN's future collider

In Geneva and neighbouring France, the gigantic project for CERN's new particle accelerator, planned for 2045, is the subject of debate. Currently under study, its environmental impact is already causing concern among the local population. The small French commune of Charvonnex, 35 kilometres south of Geneva, is still an unspoilt place: one road surrounded by forests and fields. This rural setting will soon be a thing of the past. The municipality lies on the route of the future CERN Collider (FCC). This is where one of the FCC's eight surface sites will be located, covering an area of five hectares. The tunnel, meanwhile, will be dug to a depth of 200 metres and will be 91 kilometres long. An ecological contradiction? "It's an area that's already saturated with construction work and concrete. I'm afraid that the CERN project will cause a rebellion on top of it", says Benjamin Joyeux, a native of Fillinges in Haute-Savoie. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional councillor fears the ...