Climate and development policies

For developing countries, climate and development are inseparable. Emerging countries, which are currently responsible for most of the world’s growth in GHG emissions, will only commit to quantified emissions objectives if it can be assured that development priorities will converge with environmental concerns. IDDRI’s work in this field is guided by the need to better understand the
national policy options in these countries, and an acknowledgment of the importance of acting upstream of lowcarbon urban infrastructure choices – at a time when these countries are experiencing very rapid urbanisation.

A thesis, co-financed by ADEME and IDDRI, has evaluated the relevance of tightening energy efficiency regulations in China’s residential sector and analysed the public policy instruments that could accompany these stricter standards. A study has also been conducted on energy efficiency policies in the residential sector in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. A contribution to the dialogue between European and Indian public societies on the issue of energy and climate security has made it possible to highlight the opportunities for cooperation in this field.

Energy efficiency and urban development are also at the heart of a task force launched in 2008 under the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), which was jointly organised by Laurence Tubiana and Professor Jiang Yi of Tsinghua University. This task force includes teams from Tsinghua University, the Academy of Transportation Sciences and
several international experts. Its aim is to make political recommendations to the Chinese government with a view to reducing energy consumption in Chinese cities.