Publications @en

October 2021 Just transitions for the coal sector are going mainstream, but policies also need to strengthened Oliver Sartor

The transition from coal is gathering momentum As of late 2018, 30 national governments, 22 sub-national governments and 28 businesses had committed to phase out coal by 2030, under the Powering Past Coal Alliance. Nonetheless, a common critique was that these governments only accounted for about 3% of global coal consumption. But, in the last […]

October 2021 Next stop: Nairobi. Taking stock of preparations for biodiversity COP15 (2020, China) Aleksandar Rankovic

For context, why will COP15’s results be important? What are the stakes? Basile van Havre (BvH): A period of commitments is ending, an international framework is reaching its conclusion. It is therefore necessary to renew this framework, for the organisation of international cooperation on biodiversity. Contrary to what might sometimes be believed, most biodiversity issues […]

October 2021 Keeping an Eye on the High Seas Klaudija Cremers, Glen Wright, Julien Rochette

Key Messages Effective monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) is a prerequisite for the success of area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), and can play a key role in many aspects of a future high seas treaty.   The ongoing treaty negotiations present an opportunity to strengthen and bring greater coherence to MCS […]

October 2021 UNSG Climate Summit: the race is on Lola Vallejo, Yann Robiou du Pont

Increasing the ambition of countries’ climate pledges is undoubtedly the main challenge of the UN agenda on climate this year and until the COP26 to be hosted by the United Kingdom in Glasgow. Under the Paris Agreement on climate change, countries must, by the end of 2020, increase the ambition of their climate commitments (known […]

October 2021 Financing sustainable development: what challenges in the light of the promises of the 2030 Agenda ? Damien Barchiche

Financing more, and better The most important gaps concern developing countries. What assistance is provided to help them achieve their own Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? To date, no one knows: there are no international statistical standards to measure and monitor these resources. To fill this gap, several initiatives are emerging, such as the Total Official […]

October 2021 The EU-Mercosur trade agreement: can a trade treaty be greened? Yann Laurans

EU-Mercosur Agreement and European trade policy: what potential impact(s)? Since the initiation of discussions on the EU-Mercosur agreement in 1999, and even more so in the last six months, the political and economic context has changed significantly. Europe’s trade policy will necessarily be a key element in the search for economic recovery, in a Brussels […]

October 2021 Increasing climate ambition: the challenge of the year Lola Vallejo, David Levaï

2020: a major deadline to put ambition back on track According to the Paris Agreement on Climate, by the end of 2020 countries must renew or step up their climate commitments (known as “nationally determined contributions”, or NDCs) submitted in 2015. These must represent a progression compared to previous contributions, and reflect the “highest possible ambition” […]

October 2021 West Africa is mobilising to protect the marine environment Julien Rochette, Romain Schumm, Dr. Abdoulaye …

The coasts of West Africa are home to large marine ecosystems (the Canary Islands, Guinea and Benguela currents), mangroves, wetlands and several hundred species of fish. With more than a third of the region’s population living along the coast, these natural assets allow several million people to live off the resources of fishing, aquaculture and […]

October 2021 How can developing countries reduce methane emissions? Benoît Blanc

Methane, a greenhouse gas forgotten in the fight against climate change? For the last 10 years, each year, 10 Mt of methane2 have been emitted more than the chemical reactions in the atmosphere can degrade, and the atmospheric concentration of this pollutant has increased,3 placing it on a warming trajectory at 4°C. It is therefore […]

October 2021 What to expect from the first SDG Summit? Elisabeth Hege, Damien Barchiche

Are the SDGs delivering on their initial promises? The world is not on track to achieve the SDGs. Although the extreme poverty rate continues to fall, this positive trend has slowed down. At its current rate, 6% of the world population will live in extreme poverty in 2030, missing the eradication of poverty target.1 In the […]