Network of Regional Governments
for Sustainable Development
for Sustainable Development
Due to its geographical location (coastal forests, mountains) and the diversity of human activities, Aquitaine is one of the most vulnerable regions in Europe to climate change. The Regional Council is committed to working proactively to ensure that its policies better reflect the challenges of sustainable development. It was the first French region to adopt a climate plan in 2007 and since 2008, it has reported on the status of sustainable development in the region. President Alain Rousset, wished to continue this momentum by formalising a sustainable development strategy to integrate these issues into the functioning and policies of the Regional Council. Particular emphasis was placed on the appropriation of these issues by all: the Region has to ask "how to train people into being energy efficient" and have a better understanding of sustainable development issues.
The region of Aquitaine, as part of the working groups set up by nrg4SD, has mainly focused on two themes:
The Regional Council voted in October 2011 a new report on the status of sustainable development that aims, through synthetic indicators, to measure progress and different purposes of sustainable development. Also, to be voted in December is the new climate action plan in the Aquitaine region called 'Climate Challenge': each department of the Regional Council will therefore have a roadmap to adopt new practices that will reduce emissions in both the internal operations and its territorial interventions. The impact of this plan in terms of carbon was calculated at at least 215,000 in teqCO2 at least annually from 2012. Accompanying it is a regional plan for sobriety, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Finally, the Region prepared a Regional Plan for Climate, Air and Energy, which should set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy development and energy efficiency improvement by 2020 and will be voted in early 2012.
The Region is currently developing a project to encourage voluntary carbon reforestation of the Landes forest, following the storm of 2009. This would be one of the first voluntary forestry projects in an industrialised country, especially on a huge scale. An association partnership was formed to work on a methodology and validate the medium term, carbon credits by a voluntary label.
A group of scientists from Aquitaine was brought together under "IPCC Aquitaine" which aims to achieve a synthesis of different jobs for the future impact of climate change on the climate of Aquitaine. It will mean the that by the end of 2012 there will be a report and a note for the attention of local decision makers, in order to overcome the lack of knowledge about the complex concepts of adaptation to climate change.
Many exemplary actions were taken in the context of sustainable development report and the climate plan. They relate in particular to the core competencies and training of the Region (integration of sustainable development modules in any training in Aquitaine), regional transport, economic development (developing and structuring renewable energy sectors, cross-compliance on certain aids) , high schools (low energy renovation of buildings) and the functioning of the institution (rationalization of movement, development of new tools).
In the framework of these projects, the Region has to work with a large number of partners: local authorities in its territory (for example through a network of official representatives in charge of the climate plan), other regions (Regions Assembly of France) , public and private actors related to the work on forest, clusters of firms and other European regions (Hesse, Emilia-Romagna, Navarre) and international regions (Quebec, Haiti)
