Global environment challenges

The goal is to incorporate into public policy the dynamic bonds between economic regulations and the emergence of technical domains. Originally involved in questions of energy/waste/transport/water/food, since 1988 CIRED has focused on global environmental issues (ozone, acid rain, climate change) and the precautionary principle.

Defining public policy

The connection between the short and long term is at the heart of the notion of sustainable development, the challenge being to prevent present action prejudicing the future through the deterioration of public goods such as the environment, security of resources or social fragmentation. Its research agenda is thus to improve long-term integration between public policy, economic regulation and the emergence of technical domains.

A forward-looking approach

Finally, this focus demands a constant dialogue between social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. CIRED reflects this requirement in the composition of its team and in the maintenance of synergies between integrated perspective modelling conceived as a space of interdisciplinary dialogue, normative public economics and institution analysis.
The fact is that a forward-looking approach is needed in order to effectively renew existing tools for modelling decisions, assessing environmental costs, applying the instrument of public economics and negotiating their introduction.

Within this framework, research at CIRED explores the overall links between the environment-resources and development with a focus on three critical fields: 

• energy
• urban and rural infrastructures (buildings, transport, water networks)
• farming and forestry activities.