The Geographical Scope of the EU's Climate Change Responsibilities

It is increasingly common for the EU to include extraterritorial GHG emissions within controversial and on more than one occasion the EU has been forced to back down. With this in mind, this paper asks how far the EU’s climate change responsibilities ought to extend geographically. In answering this question, the paper draws a distinction between first-order and second-order climate responsibilities, acknowledges the importance of the internationally agreed ‘system boundary’ guidelines adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and seeks to learn lessons from the consequentialist approach that was favoured by the EU in giving broad geographical scope to its decision to include extraterritorial aviation emissions within the scope of its emissions trading scheme

Quantum technology: single-photon source

This report is a synthesis of my master thesis internship at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Tokyo, Japan, that lasted during the summer of year 2012. I worked in the Quantum Information Science Theory (QIST) group under supervision of Prof. Kae Nemoto and Dr. Simon Devitt. This group works on theoretical and experimental implementations of quantum information science. The aim of my project was to study and improve quantum optical systems. I first studied different fields and systems of quantum information science. Then I focused my research on single-photon sources, entangled photon sources and interferometric photonic switches. Finally, I found some strategies to design an efficient and optimized single-photon source that could be built with today's technologies. This report describes in details the created and optimized design of a single-photon source based on time and space multiplexing of Spontaneous Parametric Downconversion (SPDC) sources.Comment: Research extract of Master thesis report. Defended in September 2012. Declassified by the NII in February 201

Cycle classes and the syntomic regulator

Let $V=Spec(R)$ and $R$ be a complete discrete valuation ring of mixed characteristic $(0,p)$. For any flat $R$-scheme $X$ we prove the compatibility of the de Rham fundamental class of the generic fiber and the rigid fundamental class of the special fiber. We use this result to construct a syntomic regulator map $r:CH^i(X/V,2i-n)\to H^n_{syn}(X,i)$, when $X$ is smooth over $V$, with values on the syntomic cohomology defined by A. Besser. Motivated by the previous result we also prove some of the Bloch-Ogus axioms for the syntomic cohomology theory, but viewed as an absolute cohomology theory.Comment: 23 pages, improved expositio

Sharing the Burden of Adaptation Financing: An Assessment of the Contributions of Countries

Climate change may cause most harm to countries that contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions. This paper identifies deontology, solidarity and consequentialism as the principles that can serve as a basis for a fair international burden sharing scheme of adaptation costs. We translate these principles into criteria that can be applied in assigning contributions of individual countries, namely historical responsibility, equality and capacity to pay. Specific political and scientific choices are discussed, highlighting implications for international burden-sharing. Combining historical responsibility and capacity to pay seems a promising starting point for international negotiations on the design of burden-sharing schemes. From the numerical assessment, it is clear that UNFCCC Annex I countries carry the greatest burden under most scenarios, but contributions differ substantially subject to the choice of an indicator for capacity to pay. The total financial contribution by the Annex I countries could be in the range of $55-68 billion annually.Adaptation Financing, Burden-Sharing, Historical Responsibility

Carbon border adjustement, trade and climate governance : issues for OPEC economies

The relation between the climate regulation and the multilateral trade regime is a rising issue in the field of international governance. This article presents the options available to OPEC economies related to this. It analyses the option of introducing a carbon tax or border adjustment measures in the core of the WTO regime. It demonstrates that this option is not sustainable for both institutional and political economy reasons. This is why the article argues that the way to build a climate-compatible trade regulation which takes into account oil exporting countries' interests is to elaborate a cross-institutional cooperation between the WTO and the UNFCCCWorld Trade Organization ; multilateral trade regime ; climate governance

Distributing the burdens of climate change

Global climate change raises many questions for environmental political theorists. This article focuses on the question of identifying the agents that should bear the financial burden of preventing dangerous climate change. Identifying in a fair way the agents that should take the lead in climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as the precise burdens that these parties must bear, will be a key aspect of the next generation of global climate policies. After a critical review of a number of rival approaches to burden sharing, the paper argues that only a principled and philosophically robust reconciliation of three approaches to burden sharing (‘contribution to problem’, ‘ability to pay’ and ‘beneficiary pays’) can generate a satisfactory mix of theoretical coherence and practical application

CHINA’S PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS

In the paper we discuss China's participation in both the 2009 Copenhagen negotiations on a post-Kyoto global climate change regime currently under way and out beyond Copenhagen in further negotiations likely to follow. China is now both the largest and most rapidly growing carbon emitter, and has much higher emission intensity relative to GDP than OECD countries. In the Copenhagen negotiation, there will be strong pressure on China to take on emissions reduction commitments and China's concern will be to do so in ways that allow continuation of a high growth rate and fast development. Central to this will be maintaining access to OECD markets for manufactured exports in face of potential environmental protectionism. Thus the broad approach seems likely to be to take on environmental commitments in part in return for stronger guarantees of access to export markets abroad. This involves directly linked trade and environmental commitments although how linkage can be made explicit is a major issue. More narrowly, the issues that seem likely to dominate the climate change negotiating agenda from China's viewpoint are the interpretation of the common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) principle adopted in Kyoto, the choice of negotiating instruments and form of emission commitments, and the size (and form) of accompanying financial funds for adaptation and innovation. We suggest that a possible interpretation of CBDR reflecting China's desire to leave room to grow when undertaking emission reduction commitments might be for China to take on emission intensity commitments while OECD countries take on emission level commitments. Larger funds and flexibility in their use will also raise China's willingness to make commitments.post-Kyoto, emissions reduction, Copenhagen negotiation, China

The Quest for Price Stability in Central America and the Dominican Republic

Why hasn’t inflation converged to price stability in Central America and the Dominican Republic? Why is it currently still high by Latin American standards? This paper addresses these questions, and finds that despite the institutional strengthening of monetary policy, important flaws remain in most central banks, in particular the lack of a clear policy mandate and little political autonomy, which are hurting the consistency of policy implementation. Empirical analysis reveals that all central banks raise interest rates to curtail inflation, but only some of them make large enough increases to effectively tackle inflation pressures. It also shows that some central banks care simultaneously about exchange rate stability. The potential policy conflict arising from a dual central bank mandate and the unpredictable policy response is probably undermining market confidence in central banks’ commitment to price stability, thereby perpetuating an inflation bias.