Bernard Barraqué

The second installment of this article on California’s water supply starts by pointing out that it is impossible to go on overusing water drawn from the Colorado River and the Northwest coast. Much of the law that the state passed in 1996 for more flexibly distributing water deals with the environmental impact on the river basins that supply water and with the conflicts with third parties that arise due to the exchange of water between farmers and public services. The debate between Californian and European experts brings to light the fact that water markets are not developed there and, furthermore, are not actually possible. Ultimately, calls for a water market have yielded to much more efficient policies based on saving water, adjusting rates for this resource and providing information and incentives so as to “free” a supply that costs less than the water resold by farmers… all this in the context of a growing population.
 

Dividing the emission of carbon dioxide by four in France

Pierre Radanne

The question of greenhouse gases has reshuffled the cards in the energy game. This has caused quite different attitudes, as always happens when a new question emerges. A first attitude was to minimize the danger in order to defend interests and preserve strategies; then there was the boost given to industries that emitted little or no CO2 so as to increase the competitive advantage. More recently, this debate has been used to justify new techniques that will presumably bring salvation. Given that the energy sector differs with regard to its common interest and to its ideas about economic decisions and the conditions for world peace, we should avoid turning the greenhouse effect into an additional issue to be disputed. What is important is to organize a democratic debate and develop a real capacity for collective action. Herein, no preference is expressed for any side in this debate; instead, the possible strategies are impartially described. On the basis of projections of greenhouse emission in 2050, possible approaches are identified, including those leading to a dead end; and technical solutions are ranked.

Richard Armand

A solid understanding of their own interests is the major incentive for making savings in firms that consume huge amounts of energy. The fight against greenhouse gases and the scale of the efforts needed to reduce the consumption of energy by a coefficient of four or five is leading companies to review their strategies: their policies for installing plants, the use of new economic tools and, above all, new partnerships and joint efforts to create the conditions for radical innovations.
 
 

Studies of the impact on health, a tool for managing environment-related health risks

William Dab

The last decade has witnessed a rise in nationwide health crises due to pollution (dioxin and other PVCs, relay stations for cellular phones, the Erika shipwreck, etc.). Protecting public health is not just a matter of managing crises. Whether decisions are made under pressure or not, society demands that the impact on health be anticipated. Fatalism is no longer acceptable. Given this, tools have been developed in France for quantitatively assessing environment-related health risks. This assessment is now a full part in environmental impact studies. After describing the contents of this approach as well as its legal and administrative framework, examples are provided. The conclusion focuses on the difficulties and value of these tools.
 

Christian Garnier

Since Johannesburg, there has been a never-ending stream of demonstrations and declarations by persons and organizations who claim to be marching under the banner of sustainable development. This concept has definitely become a political and commercial issue. For sceptics, all this amounts to flag-waving; and for the more critical among them, this issue is a Trojan horse for a gigantic fraud. It is, therefore, worthwhile to try to point out a few key concepts. This issue takes on significance in the heated debate under way at the highest level of the French state about constitutional reform. As in several other lands, the constitution should soon include the right, which underlies the notion of sustainable development, to a quality environment for present and future generations. This debate sheds light on the resistance put up by certain groups representing economic or social interests. What is the current state of this debate ? How to diagnose the French case ?