Academic Advice Note on Carbon Credits issued by the NATF Standing Committee on Energy and Climate Change, NATF, November 10, 2009

The so-called carbon market has demonstrated its capacity to change the behavioural pattern of certain economic actors in terms of their emission of GHGs. The so-called carbon market, measure decided at Kyoto, is a first step in this direction: the aim is to stop accumulation a “carbon debt” in terms of future generations. It primarily concerns major industry that burn fossil fuels.

The test period, 2005-2007, was followed by a period for applications, viz., the period 2008-2012. This gradual implementation of the measure allows us to vary the ceiling values of the quotas that would be assigned to European industrialists, in such a way as to attain a rather yet relatively stable low operational price (15 € per tonne CO₂). It is not surprising, in the context of the recent financial crisis, that there has been an impact on carbon credit markets.

An analysis conducted by the Fellows of NATF led to drafting 3 recommendations, viz.:

1) 80 % of the carbon credit exchanges take place on the European markets and 20% on the Kyoto market-place, using the so-called MDP mechanisms.

The clean development mechanism (CDM) used the price of carbon to encourage developing countries to accept within their frontiers those projects that offer lowered carbon emissions. The countries in question are those situated particularly in the poorest parts of the world where the attribution of carbon credits should help participate in the fight against poverty and the pursuit of the objectives set out at the Johannesburg Summit in 2002. CDM must not only prove that intergenerational solidarity exists, but that today there is a degree of solidarity among members of our present generation. NATF is in favour of seeing the CDM generalised.

2) The sheer complexity and bureaucratic strings attached to the assignment processes of carbon credits favours those industrialist who are capable of preparing huge files (calling on assistance where needed from consultants and lobbyists (in chemistry, petroleum, gas, steel, cement … ). In particular, the so-called “additionality” factor of a given project, i.e., the fact that the carbon credit is used to set an emission savings policy in motion, call for a real degree of experience of the assessment criteria used and applied to the case. This tends to create a gift horse effect that naturally should not become a permanent source of gain. The majority of the “carbon income” therefore accrues to these major industrialists.

In contradistinction, so-called diffuse projects, whether in the energy sector or agricultural (methane) find it excessively difficult (and at too high a cost) to have access to carbon credits.

Certain excellent example do exist, in, for example fermentation biomass processes or combustion of residues of cotton or rice harvesting that allows you to provide energy to rural homes in South India, the purpose being to avoid local, excessive burning of wood: the reasons for this lack of profitability obviously lie in the too low price that the carbon credit market shows.

It is necessary to encourage integrator bodies (generally speaking the NGOs) that enable the actors to group smaller projects together and to provide admin. and legal support to help access the markets. It is also and especially important to decide on a credit quota from the CDM and allocate the credits to the component small-sized projects. In this way, there would, in essence, be a carbon market set aside for small-scale diffuse projects. A quota of say 1% for the poor countries concerned would prove significant, but the low price tag on CO₂ will nonetheless remain a handicap.

The CDM can and should encourage diffuse solutions that, in the long term, will prove to be more efficient when it comes to limiting carbon emissions. Such diffuse solutions would often be applied to rural areas, whatever the country. They can also be applied in urban areas.

The Copenhagen Summit will decide whether or not to extend the system as it stands. Whatever the format of this extension, it is primordial that the procedures be coherent, that the assessment agencies have the means necessary to act rapidly and efficiently and that they themselves be subject to critical inspection.

NATF (the French National Academy of Technologies) ISSUES A RECOMMENDATION IN RESPECT TO RECRUITING AND TRAINING OF TEACHERS FOR FRANCE’S ‘PROFESSIONAL LYCEES

The National Academy of Technologies of France wishes to draw public attention to the current situation in French ‘Professional’ Lycées that NATF is following closely.

NATF strongly recommends that the majority of the teacher recruitment be carried out in the professional sectors, especially in those areas where the skill or trade does not have an academic or university base, inasmuch as the skills and know-how are acquired “hands on”.

Arrangements should be made so that highly qualified and skilled professionals can find attractive and lasting careers prospects in this field, as is the case in all neighbouring developed countries.

What is at stake is no less than the industrial and economic future of France.

The French Government has undertaken a broad reform of the training procedures for school teachers that essentially will be entrusted to the Universities. This programme covers the training of all secondary level, ‘lycée’ teachers including those who will be teaching in so-called ‘professional’ lycées.

NATF expresses its concern as to the preparation of the recruitment programmes at various levels, supposedly taking the new reform arrangements into account.

By making the French Master’s Degree an obligatory prerequisite in order to be qualified to teach in professional lycées will lead to a disastrous situation for these courses that are aimed at over one third of any age class. And, if France clearly needs highly qualified engineers and research workers, it also needs, to a large extent, high quality training schemes for all those jobs that involve “hands-on intelligence” (or manual skills).

In order to ensure recruiting quality, it will obviously be necessary to draft and enforce specific rules, allowing on one hand to judge the technical level, the associate cultural and professional acumen acquired by the trainees, by value adding from their personal experience and motivation. Rules set at a national level, sectorially branch by branch, will hopefully allow us to avoid the main pitfalls that the Academy sees as possible.

The NATF therefore proposes to assist Government to study appropriately the application of these rules and is ready to participate in implementation of the same.

Created in 2000, and currently presided over by Prof. Alain POMPOIDOU is a reference institution and a privileged partner between the S&T research world and the socio-economic actors, in all issues that involve technological questions. The latter are analysed in a transverse and prospective manner, taking into account the question of risks, of impacts on the environment and health, and likewise economic and societal issues.

NATF at present has 255 elected Fellows, or very varied origins – research workers, engineers, industrialists, company CEOs … it is a locus of experience and a focus point for peer-to-peer interdisciplinary debates on ongoing technology induced change and on major issues that Society faces today and will face tomorrow.

NATF Recommandation The full text, in French, can be consulted at this site.

Inter Academic Position Paper

Reducing exposure to radiation from relay antennae is not scientifically justified

The French National Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Technologies of France set up a group of experts with the remit to issue an Advice Note on the risks to health of exposure to radiofrequency radiation. The experts based their findings on a collective expertise conducted by the Afsset (French National Agency for Sanitary Safety questions related to the Environment and to the Work-place], the conclusions of which are agreed to by the French OPECST (Parliamentary Office for assessment of scientific and technological policy decisions) and the ICNIRP (International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection). This academic expert group approves the conclusions reached but denounces the allegations that, without verifiable reasons, worried public opinion by having the public believe that there are sanitary risks whereas the collective expert reports cited above are unanimous in their conclusion that such risks are not proven today. The three French Academies consequently throw light on the reported distortions that underpin the allegations and which they deem as prejudicial to not only founded scientific expertise but also to public health in this matter.

Position Paper
Working Party
11 studies
Glossary

To learn more, the Internaut can usefully consult (in French)...

Afsset report on radiofréquences - 15 Oct. 2009,  communiqué,

Possible effects of mobile phone emissions on health (report)n° 84 tome I (2009-2010) - November 4, 2009 :  M. Alain GEST, membe of French Parliament, for the OECST (Office parlementaire d'évaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques)