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What impact has the crisis had on inter- national momentum towards sustai- nable development? The Covid-19 crisis has disrupted the timetable of international events, delay- ing many of the meetings that will be crucial for a successful implementation of the ecological transition at all levels.

A whole set of questions will have to wait until the conferences of the parties (COP) can be held at the end of 2021. Have the Paris Agreement signatory countries ful- filled their 2015 commitments have they implemented ambitious climate policies, and are they still increasing their targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Will countries be able to set themselves a new framework of 2030 targets for biodiversity, and will they define the resources needed to effectively halt the factors driving biodiversity loss?

Is the international community capable of reaching agreement about the deploy- ment of concrete measures to protect marine ecosystems despite the geopo- litical tensions around sea areas?

This year s delay has the advantage of giving countries more time to negotiate the terms of their cooperation despite the political and commercial tensions, and to demonstrate their individual commit- ment. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 crisis

Analysis by Sébastien Treyer, Executive Director of IDDRI -

continues to inflict serious socioeconomic damage almost everywhere, shifting the priority to social rescue packages.

The world has also shown its fragmen- tation and its inability to cooperate at the very time when the pandemic was clearly demonstrating how closely interwoven our economies are, through both the cir- culation of microorganisms and our sup- ply chains.

What are our chances of achieving strong, convincing results in these inter- national forums in 2021?

In autumn 2020, the chain of events that saw major advanced economies (China, Japan and South Korea, following the European Union in 2019) announcing long-term carbon neutrality goals demonstrated the effectiveness of the Paris Agreement in enabling and accel- erating this convergence, despite uncer- tainties about the American elections and the socioeconomic crisis.

This indicates a sense of history , but it still needs to be given concrete form, including the actual deployment of recov- ery plans or the Chinese five-year plan. Recovery plans have generally focused too much on fossil fuels, even if invest- ment in the ecological transition has also often been a significant component.

The race for carbon neutrality, even though it is still too half-hearted, has definitely begun: we must now ensure that the international framework, par- ticular in terms of trade, balances the straightforward competition for green technologies with a spirit of inspiration and cooperation to achieve a transforma- tion towards low-carbon economies with a positive impact on nature

International cooperation for sustainable

development: despite the Covid-19 crisis, the race for carbon

neutrality has begun!

BIO IN BRIEF With a doctorate in environmental management, Sébastien Treyer,

Executive Director of IDDRI (the French Institute of Sustainable Development

and International Relations), specialises in forecasting to help shape public

policy and international negotiations on sustainable development.

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