2008, Year of the Climate

The team at IDDRI joins me in wishing you a very happy and prosperous new year.

Over the years, our commitments have become increasingly important. We have convinced, we have worked and we have gained ground at a time when awareness of sustainable development is growing on a daily basis.

In 2007, action focused more specifically on climate matters, with a considerable increase in awareness of climate issues among political decision-makers and the general public. This was reflected in the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize 2007 and the Bali Conference in December, into which the team at IDDRI put a good deal of work. Climate change will continue to be a key element of international negotiations in view of the schedule for post-Kyoto negotiations (the Conference of the Parties in Poznan in December 2008 and Copenhagen in 2009) and given the implications of these climate issues in other international negotiations (trade, aid, etc.). IDDRI is therefore pleased to open its doors to the vice-president of the UNFCCC working group on long-term cooperation, Michael Zammit Cutajar, who will receive the full support of the climate team. IDDRI will also be involved in the different climate negotiation processes through its contribution to the work of the Club of Madrid (made up of former heads of state).

The year 2008 will also be marked by the French presidency of the European Union and will be the opportunity to reflect on the evolution of foreign policy in France and the European Union in order to meet the challenges of globalization governance.

The year 2008 therefore promises to mark a turning point for all those involved in the sustainable development and international relations adventure. A number of events lie ahead. The activities of a think tank like IDDRI will play a greater part than ever in international negotiations, and its role of providing expertise to public and private decision-makers will be reinforced by this.

The challenges posed by sustainable development are difficult to overcome, yet exciting, and IDDRI is working alongside other actors to analyze these sometimes contradictory positions, to guide the debate and to shed light on these complex issues. Two new strategic partnerships were finalized in 2007 to help IDDRI face these challenges: the first, with Sciences Po, materialized at the beginning of the year when our team moved to the Sciences Po premises at 13 rue de l’Université; the second, as part of an initiative supported by the State and AFD, will make it possible to connect with the FERDI (Foundation for studies and research on international development) in order to foster our activities in the field of development and global governance.

Let this year be the opportunity to build upon our discussions and exchanges,

Laurence Tubiana

Publications – Bali special edition

Following the 13th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Bali in December 2007, IDDRI circulated several publications in order to share its analysis of the progress made in negotiations and to shed light on some of the major topics discussed there.

* The Bali Action Plan: the first step towards a global climate agreement? L. Tubiana and M. Wemaëre.

This article presents the main conclusions and progress made during the conference on climate change. The Bali Action Plan was hailed a success, but it remains a weak agreement with no quantified medium- or long-term commitments. Considerable work thus remains to be done within both the United Nations framework and parallel initiatives in order to reach a global climate agreement by 2009, with a view to the post-Kyoto period.

Download Idées pour le débat 11/2007

* Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries (REDD). Insights from the UNFCCC COP-13 in Bali. Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff.

This text by Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff analyzes the different debates held during the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (which the author attended) on the issue of avoided deforestation. In particular, IDDRI organized a side event on this subject during the Bali Conference entitled “Can one size fit all? Accommodating national circumstances in an international REDD regime”.

Download Idées pour le débat 12/2007

* Bringing “REDD” into a new deal for the global climate. L.Tubiana, Matthieu Wemaëre and Sheila Wertz- Kanounnikoff.

This summary goes back over the differences that inform the debate on reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) and more specifically on its financing, its institutional framework and the way in which the broad range of “national circumstances” are taken into account.

Download Synthèses 05/2007 (also available in French)

All IDDRI’s publications

Observatory for Sustainable Development

A selection of sustainable development highlights by IDDRI and the Courrier de la Planète, with the support of AFD as part of their partnership for the yearly edition of Regards sur la terre.

Find the whole of this selection in the “Observatory” section, currently available on IDDRI’s web site. Every month you can read about the highlights that have marked sustainable development around the world. This section thus aims to shed light on the events related to IDDRI’s research areas.

* Kyoto: Australia ratifies the Protocol.

3 December 2007 / The Australian prime minister signed the Kyoto Protocol, which will enter into force in his country 90 days later. The labor head of government, elected on 24 November, had promised this during the campaign against the conservatives, in power for 11 years and opposed to the Protocol since its creation in 1997. Following the decision made by Australia, the United States is now the only developed country that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

* After Bali: what is the outlook?

15 December 2007 / 187 members of the United Nations committed to starting a round of negotiations within the next two years in order to draw up a new treaty and to massively reduce the carbon emissions responsible for global warming. The “roadmap” adopted should lead its signatories during the next Conference of the Parties, to be held in Copenhagen in 2009, to adopt a treaty following on from the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

* UN: an agreement on international forest protection natural resources.

17 December 2007 / The United Nations General Assembly adopted an agreement on international forest protection, the result of 15 years of negotiations. Entitled the “Non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests”, the text sets standards of good forest management in order to guarantee their conservation and the efficient and sustainable use of their resources, as well as to combat deforestation. It thus creates an international legal reference in the field. The rights of the 1.2 billion people dependent on forests for their survival are also asserted.

*Europe: bringing airlines into the emissions quotas system.

20 December 2007 / The Council of European Ministers decided to include airlines in the CO2 emissions quotas system from 2011, a year earlier than planned. According to the European Commission, airlines are responsible for 3% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the Union, twice as much as in 1990. If these emissions are not limited, they could double again before 2020. The United States, opposed to this idea, has already threatened to take legal action.

All the highlights of the last few months