Director of publications
Laurence Tubiana

Editor
Pierre Barthélemy

Translation
Anna Kiff

PUBLICATIONS

Establishing an Emissions Trading System in China under the Twelfth Five-Year Plan Policy Considerations.

Ji Feng Li, Ya Xiong Zhang, Cai Songfeng. Policy Briefs N°02/2012. 

In this paper written within the framework of the Learning Platform initiative, in a first step, the authors present the concept of emission trading schemes (ETS) and their importance to China, as affirmed in the 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015). They then set out 10 key recommendations aimed at the effective implementation and operation of this system in China. [Find out more]

Mitigation targets and actions in China up to 2020. Progress towards the 2020 carbon intensity target, allocation of provincial targets, design of carbon market pilots, and links with broader socio economic objectives. 
E. Guérin, X. Wang. Working Papers N°01/2012. 

In this article, the authors describe the objectives of the Chinese climate policies as defined by the 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015), and analyse the measures implemented within this framework, particularly in terms of carbon intensity measurement; lastly, they underline the importance of structural changes to the Chinese economy that are necessary to achieve these objectives. [Find out more]

Biopiracy and the Role of Private International Law under the Nagoya Protocol. 
C. Chiarolla. Working Papers N°02/2012. 

An article on the emergence, since the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol in late 2010, of private international law in matters of access to genetic resources and equitable sharing of benefits (ABS), including cases of biopiracy. [Find out more]

FEVRIER 2012N° 26

Environmental migrations

Through the consideration of migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change, IDDRI is engaged in a broader analysis of the governance of migration linked to environmental degradation. Today, approximately 210 million people live in a country that is not their original birthplace. This represents approximately 3% of the world population, a figure that has more than doubled over the past 25 years. In addition, many people migrate within their own national borders: at the last count, this number stood at 740 million. This means that around one in seven people now live in an area other than that in which they were born. 

Migration is a complex phenomenon that is determined by many factors. Some individuals leave to find work, to improve their education or to seek a better life. Others leave for reasons of family reunification or to earn money to send back to their families at home. However, many migrants do not leave through choice, instead they are forcibly uprooted from their homelands by war, violence and - increasingly - environmental degradation, which results from natural disasters or climate change impacts. Still, there remains a scarcity of data and detailed case studies on migration induced by sudden natural disasters or from the more gradual impacts of environmental change. To address this deficiency, IDDRI has collaborated with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to launch a publication, which is intended to become annual, designed to take stock of environment-related migration across the world. Published in December 2011, The State of Environmental Migration analyses eight case studies in an attempt to describe and understand the complex relationships between environmental change and migratory flows. 

Nevertheless, migration remains a poorly understood phenomenon, the management of which is still largely based on unfounded fears and ideological prejudices. Even though the issue can essentially be regarded as a global phenomenon, international cooperation efforts are still in their infancy, and most states, both North and South, continue to strengthen their immigration controls. While migration is still largely viewed as a problem, or even a threat to national identity and national security, IDDRI strives to inform the debate by fostering a detailed understanding of the driving forces of migration and, in particular, new factors such as environmental degradation, and also by analysing the governance issues posed by a phenomenon that can only increase in future.

With this in mind, IDDRI forged a strategic partnership with IOMin 2011 [find out more] that addresses environmental hazards, climate change, vulnerability and migration, within a context of sustainable development. As an international leader in the field of migration, IOM is active in over 100 countries and has a membership of 146 states. The partnership represents the formalisation of a long-established cooperation, especially in the study of environmental migration. In this context, IDDRI and IOM will thus prepare a scoping paper (Issue Brief) on migration for the Rio+20 summit in June, and will participate in several international networks on the links between climate change adaptation and migration.

In 2012, IDDRI will continue in its endeavours to promote the idea that migration can be of benefit to all, provided that it is better planned and coordinated. Accordingly, IDDRI in cooperation with the French Development Agency and the World Bank, will organise an international conference entitled "Migration, Environment and Development in the Mediterranean and the Middle East", to be held on 13th and 14th June 2012; and will also host the annual COST network meeting "Climate Change and Migration" on 1st, 2nd and 3rd October 2012 [find out more]. 

>> Related Publications:

- Migrations et déplacements de populations dans un monde à +4°C - Scénarios d’évolution et options politiques
P. Brücker, F. Gemenne. Policy Briefs, N°04/11. 

- The State of Environmental Migration 2010
F. Gemenne, P. Brücker, J. Glasser. Studies, N°07/11.

EVENTS

"Coral islands facing climate change", a session of the Sustainable Development and Environmental Economics (SDDEE) seminar, led byAlexandre Magnan and Virginie Duvat. 
Tuesday 20 March, Reid Hall (Paris).

Coral islands, which rise only slightly above sea level, are on the frontline against climate change impacts. These islands are already experiencing population movements related to natural disasters, movements which, for the most part, remain within the island territories, with some islands being "evacuated" to others. In these islands, there are studies, for example, on the possibility of land elevation work, which due to the vast scale of such projects and their consequences on the environment, illustrate the global will to develop geo-engineering projects in the future. Research by Virginie Duvat and Alexandre Magnan (including the work developed in their book, Islands that could disappear, published on 10th February 2012) provides an original perspective on the possible forms of climate change adaptation.[Find out more]

"Energy: Saving for Sharing", a round table organised and led by IDDRI, as part of the 5th edition of the Produrable fair. 
Thursday 29 March, Paris. 

Between climate change, energy security issues in Europe and the Fukushima disaster in Japan, energy issues are at the heart of debates on the reorientation of our economic model to meet both social and environmental challenges. It is necessary to invest in the transformation of our economies to prepare the next industrial revolution, which is essential if we are to end our reliance on coal and build a resource-efficient growth model. In this context, energy efficiency becomes a necessity for States, and implies a collective challenge to foster access to energy for all, a renewal of the role of public actors and policy-makers, and the adoption of new economic models by the private sector. [Find out more]

"Science and Sustainable Development: 20 years after Rio, what are the prospects?", a conference organised jointly by the CNRS Institute of Ecology and Environment (InEE) and IDDRI, as part of the Sustainable Development Week which runs from 1st to 7th April 2012. 
Wednesday 4 April, Paris. 

This conference is aimed at those with an interest in sustainable development, the questions raised by the issue and the debates surrounding its implementation. The objective is to re-examine the "concept" in preparation for the Rio+20 conference in June 2012. Several roundtables will allow scientists and stakeholders to engage in a dialogue on the contribution of science to the concept of sustainable development vis-à-vis the multiple issues it raises for socio-ecosystems, resources and territories. [Find out more]

"The end of hunger in 2050? A discussion without taboos or restrictions", an international conference organised by Universcience, in partnership with the Academy of Sciences, AgroParisTech AgroParisTech Alumni, CIRAD, Condorcet Campus, INRA and IDDRI. 
Friday 11 May and Saturday 12 May 2012, Paris.

Since November 2011, four student groups have met regularly in working sessions to develop recommendations in the field of food security on the themes of consumption, economy, environment and local or international politics. In the form of round table discussions, experts will respond to the presentation of their recommendations and will also host plenary sessions on: The scale of the international challenge - What if the solution derives from the markets and consumers? What are the environmental limits and how can governance be adapted? We build the future today: observations, syntheses and perspectives from experts and decision makers. [Find out more]

VIDEOS

"The impacts of energy policies on economic growth and employment", a session of the Seminar on Sustainable Development and Environmental Economics (SDDEE), led by Gaël Callonnec. 
Tuesday 24 January.

When we consider the impacts of environmental and energy policies, especially on variables as essential as employment and greenhouse gas emissions, we can say just about anything if we are not working with an adequate model. Gaël Callonnec will show what it is in fact possible to do with such a model (the 3ME model, whose results are significant), as well as the limitations that must be recognised. [Watch the video of the conference] 

"Sustainable development enters into city legislation", a session of the Sustainable Development and Environmental Economics seminar, led by Yves Jegouzo. 
Tuesday 7 February 

Planning legislation is a branch of law that should enable the resolution of major conflicts, the consequences of which we experience directly. These are often sustainable, in the primary sense of the term, as well as in the sense of sustainability in the framework of sustainable development issues. This question, with multiple ramifications, is raised during this session by Professor Yves Jégouzo, a prominent specialist in the field. [Watch the video of the conference]

LIFE AT IDDRI


IDDRI is pleased to welcome several trainees: 

- Eléonore Anger, who works for the VulneraReproject (“Trajectories of vulnerability for the Reunion Island coastlines”) on the risk management of natural hazards related to the sea, in particular the tools, actors and different forms of management.

- Pascale Ricard, who works within the Biodiversity programme on the governance of high seas biodiversity. 

- Maud Saggiante, who is responsible for analysing the COP RW simulation experiment (June 2011, Sciences Po) for the benefit of research into international negotiations.

- Océane Peiffer-Smadja, who works within the Urban Fabric programme on the meta-study "Measuring and enhancing value creation" conducted within the framework of the Club Ville; this study aims to analyse methods for the enhancement (not only the monetization) of externalities associated with urban production, that enable the link between costs and benefits to be restored in a comprehensive, long term and sustainable perspective. 


 

Director of publications 
Laurence Tubiana 
Editor 
Pierre Barthélemy 
Translation 
Jim Johnson

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