La Lettre de l'IddriThe Newsletter n°25 The UN conference on climate change took place in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 9 December 2011, in the face of a jittery global economy. The accords agreed, after two days of overtime, can form the basis of long-term ambitious cooperation and could allow increased ambition in the short-term, where possible. Yet, Durban achieved little in terms of emissions reduction. Even if all countries fulfil their international emissions reduction pledges, it will be impossible to limit global warming to 2 degrees. However, parties have entered into a process to increase the transparency of these objectives and increase their ambition. However, the path dependency of infrastructure and historic choices reduce the capacity to increase the level of ambition in the short term (by 2020),… The Newsletter n°24 Climate policies give rise to contradictory ambitions, as they are both criticised for their negative impacts on competitiveness and employment, and presented as a key element of a new economic model based on a resource-efficient service economy. Recent debates in France on the carbon tax have shown, for example, that it was presented alternately as the core element of a redeployment of taxes from salaries to pollution and energy consumption, and as an additional burden for agricultural and industrial sectors that have been given a rough ride by globalisation. Estimates of the number of jobs created by the implementation of climate mitigation policies are available, but they lack coherence, meaning that no consensus has emerged on the costs or benefits for employment of the fight against greenhouse… The Newsletter n°23 Areas located beyond any national jurisdiction i.e. high seas, which are further than 200 nautical miles from coastlines, and deep seas which lie beyond the limits of the continental shelves of states, represent nearly two-thirds of the total sea and ocean area and are home to a rich biodiversity that is still little known and insufficiently protected. The creation of marine protected areas (MPAs) is considered as a particularly appropriate tool to provide the necessary protection. The international community recently confirmed the importance of this type of instrument when in 2010 in Nagoya it adopted a Strategic Plan, the objective 11 of which provides for the creation of a network of MPAs by 2020, to cover a minimum of 10% of coastal zones and oceans. However, in areas located beyond… The Newsletter n°22 The upcoming international climate negotiations that will be held in early December in Durban, South Africa, look set to be thorny once again. Some progress is expected on the technical points of the negotiations, such as the measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions, technology transfer from developed to developing countries, or the creation of the Green Climate Fund, which was agreed upon in Cancún in 2010. However, the issue of a legally binding framework to follow on from or replace the Kyoto Protocol remains unresolved and means the outcome of this summit is again uncertain. Furthermore, both developed and developing countries are still reluctant to make commitments before the international community. This is mainly down to a lack of knowledge… The Newsletter n°21  Over half the world’s population now lives in cities, which are both actors in climate change (40% of total greenhouse gas emissions) and particularly vulnerable to its impacts (extreme weather events, fragility of urban coastal zones, difficulties providing water, etc.). It is therefore necessary to rethink the development of cities and their infrastructure from a long-term, sustainable perspective. This is what is advocated by the report entitled Climate Change and Cities: First Assessment Report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network, published by Cambridge University Press. Through a detailed analysis of climate trends and forecasts for 12 cities (Athens, Dakar, New Delhi,… The Newsletter n°20  Since 2007, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) and the French Development Agency (AFD) have been working together to produce A Planet for Life, an annual publication on sustainable development, published by Teri Press. Every year, A Planet for Life deciphers the complex processes involved in sustainable development and reveals its full value. In addition to an overview of the international negotiations and policies conducted over the past year in the field of sustainable development, the publication also explores a specific subject. Previous editions have thus focused on issues concerning energy choices in the… The Newsletter n°19 The year 2010 ended on an ambivalent note, with a clear sense of relief in international negotiations relating to biodiversity and climate on the one hand, and renewed mobilisation of environmental sceptics on the other. On the positive side, the 10th Convention on Biological Diversity met its three major objectives: the adoption of the protocol on the sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources; a new strategic plan for 2020 focusing on the economic and social factors of biodiversity loss; and a resource mobilisation strategy aimed at increasing official development assistance to support biodiversity. As the culmination of the International Year of Biodiversity, Nagoya showed that the United Nations’ multilateral environmental system, subject to much criticism over the past year,… The-Newsletter-n-18 The 10th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Nagoya from 18 to 29 October, was the culmination of an International Year of Biodiversity with a very busy agenda. The issues at stake were clear: for the 193 Parties, the aim was to monitor and guide the implementation of the Convention, which has a particularly vast programme of work. It was therefore no “big night for biodiversity”, although two elements did make this COP a special moment in the life of the Convention: first, negotiations on a new international treaty, in the form of a Protocol on access and benefit-sharing (ABS), were to be finalised; second, a new strategic plan for the 2011-2020 period was to be adopted. It was said that this… The-Newsletter-n-17 The current trend in environmental matters is unquestionably to give a growing role to economic science. Two complementary tools are proposed: the development of incentive mechanisms that are potentially more efficient than binding regulations (for example taxation); and the design of analytical frameworks for decision making (for example cost-benefit analyses). Furthermore, following the example of the study entitled "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity", led by Pavan Sukhdev, the use of economic environmental assessments is becoming increasingly common. In this context, there is particular interest in a mechanism functioning on the principle of voluntary, contractual payments between the beneficiary of a service and the provider of this service (who controls the resource at the origin of the service). This type of intervention… The-Newsletter-n-16 On 20-22 September 2010, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Ban Ki Moon will hold a high-level plenary session on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The United Nations Secretary-General is convening this meeting ten years after the eight MDG objectives were adopted, in order to take stock of the situation five years ahead of the 2015 deadline and to give a new thrust to the process. The MDGs, together with their related indicators, constitute a shared framework that enables governments and donors to evaluate the effectiveness of the poverty reduction policies, beyond the funds mobilised in the North or the financial inputs received by the South. The MDGs act as a political reminder of the responsibilities of each of the public and… The-Newsletter-n-15 Created in 2001 in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (2002), the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts and Islands is the most important informal forum for discussion on marine and coastal issues. From 3 to 7 May this year, the fifth edition of the Forum, held in Paris, brought together over 800 participants from 80 different countries. The theme chosen for this edition — Oceans, Climate and Biodiversity: from Copenhagen 2009 to Nagoya 2010 — provided the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues, from the fight against marine pollution to the impact of climate change on ecosystems, and from the challenges of protecting the high seas to issues concerning financing adaptation in coastal areas. Scientists and representatives of international organisations, national administrations,… The-Newsletter-n-14
Since 2007, IDDRI and the French Development Agency (AFD) have been working in partnership to produce a French annual publication on sustainable development with the Sciences Po University Press. This 2010 edition led to the publication of a book in English by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), entitled CITIES: steering towards sustainability (A Planet for Life series). The book has three objectives: taking stock of international negotiations and policies conducted in the field of sustainable development over the past year, providing a series of facts and figures on these trends, and exploring a specific subject. The previous editions thus examined the issues of energy choices in the face of climate change (2007), biodiversity… The-Newsletter-n-13 Without a doubt, 2009 was the year of the climate with the high point being the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The IDDRI was closely involved in this event, which you were able to follow primarily on our blog. What was learned during these two weeks of high emotion, setbacks and disappointments? The IDDRI gives you its ‘off-the-cuff’ analysis of these two weeks and the Copenhagen deal: What happened? Who won and who lost? What should we make of this declaration? And most importantly, what do we do next? [Download this publication] 2010 is the… The-Newsletter-n-12 Today, the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opens in Copenhagen (Denmark), and will run from 7-18 December. The stakes are high for the international community: it must reach an ambitious, fair and effective agreement to ensure a massive, rapid and global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, while adhering fully to the principles of the Rio Declaration (1992), especially that of common but differentiated responsibilities. Since this round of negotiations was launched at the Bali Conference in December 2007, IDDRI has been actively involved as both observer and actor in these negotiations and is striving to identify the room for manoeuvre available and to foster the emergence of points of convergence. For the last two… The-Newsletter-n-11
On 7 December 2009, the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will open in Copenhagen (Denmark). As a key stage in the adoption of a new international climate regime to replace the Kyoto Protocol (1997-2012), the Copenhagen conference will conclude the round of negotiations launched by the Bali conference in December 2007. The priority and the challenge for the international community is to reach an ambitious, fair and effective agreement to ensure a massive, rapid and collective reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet less than two months before the Copenhagen meeting, its outcome is causing a great deal of concern due to the lack of political consensus on some key points of the negotiation. Although the main obstacle on the… The-Newsletter-n-10 At the heart of international concerns, the issue of climate change and its consequences in terms of vulnerability and adaptation is approached by IDDRI particularly from the perspective of the Mediterranean basin, which is both a priority region for adaptation and a testing ground for what could be achieved elsewhere in the world. IDDRI is developing this research as part of the European CIRCE project (Climate Change and Impact Research: the Mediterranean Environment, www.circeproject.eu), which involves over 60 partners on the three shores of the Mediterranean. Laurence Tubiana is coordinating the economic and social sciences aspects of the whole project, and four of IDDRI’s researchers are also involved: first on the issue of adaptation policies (review, challenges, methods and opportunities for regional… The-Newsletter-n-09
Teaching has provided an essential entry point. For several years Sciences Po has been actively pursuing an international policy that aimed to position the institution on the same level as the world’s best universities. As a result of this policy, students from all over the world were received by Sciences Po, while French students were able to stay for long periods in foreign universities or international institutions. Through its close… The-Newsletter-n-08 2009 : A year toward a Green New Deal? The Newsletter n°07 * Headline: Climate Change: Poznan Conference The Newsletter n°06 * Headlines : Natural Resources: Toward the creation of an Intergovernmental panel of biodiversity? The Newsletter n°05 * Headlines : Climate Change: Sectoral approaches. The Newsletter n°04 * Headlines : Climate negociations : IDDRI mobilizes stakeholders The Newsletter n°03 * Headlines : International Conference, What governance for high seas biodiversity? The Newsletter n°02 * Headlines: 2008, Year of the Climate The Newsletter n°01 * A la une : Changement climatique : La Conférence de Bali |
To celebrate a year of integration with Sciences Po, IDDRI is pleased to introduce its new logo! 
