D-c Environmental projects
Le Grand Paris project is often linked to a simple transport
project, nevertheless this idea is false. Indeed, even if the government does
not already taken official decisions for Paris Ile-de-France in order to reduce
the ecological impact.
Indeed, the government wants to create a Paris Ile-de-France
eco-friendly. According to Jean-Robert Mazaud, a sustainable city is an urban
area able to recycle its wastes in order to aliment its agricultural
productions, and also creates some energy. A sustainable city is also able to
reabsorb its CO2 emissions, and use all its spatial territory with
efficiency129.
126 Saurav Dev Bhatta, Matthew P. Drennan, «The Economic
Benefits of Public investment in Transportation», P.P.293
127 Haughwout, «Regional fiscal cooperation in metropolitan
areas: an explanation», journal of policy Analysis and management 18,
1999, P.P. 579-600
128 Nadiri, Manumeas, «The effects of public infrastructure
and R&D capital on the cost structure and performance of U.S. manufacturing
industries»,The review of Economics and Statistics n°76, 1994,
P.P22-37.
129 Michèle Leloup, Marion Bertone, « Le Grand Paris,
les coulisses de la consultation », 2009, P.P 57
One «simple» project has been presented by MVRDV,
which consists to create a new forest of 1 million trees dispatched on 2500
hectares in Roissy. This would impact the noise generated by the airport and
will reduce the CO2 impact of the planes130. The agency also
proposed to cover the ring of Paris, to create an urban park, which would
reduce the disparity between Paris and the suburbs.
The agency also thought to develop solar panels on the
buildings' roofs of Paris, or use the Seine natural flow to produce
electricity. Another idea from MVRDV to produce sustainable energy for Paris
would also be to place some windmills around the territory
borders131. If these ideas are applied, the region could stand-alone
in order to produce all the energy needed for the good functioning of the
territory.
LIN agency promoted the urban agriculture as part of its
program for Le Grand Paris. According to Joseph Hanimann, the goal of this
proposition is not to create an economic growth, but more to have a primordial
symbol, and establish a spirit in the city132.
By investing in different projects, the government should
create a city more eco-friendly with a new economic opportunities. Indeed
behind this project to ensure a Green city, we can imagine the new regional
positioning as explained by porter133 that the government wants to
provide to the region.
Indeed, Green investments bring economic growth with an
innovative way. Development of new business (creation of new jobs), reduction
of CO2 and improvement of the quality of life should be the results expected by
these new policies.
Hypothesis 3: The Greater Paris project is not a generator for
the green economy
As we have previously seen, the French government wants to
create a Green impact through Grand Paris project. Indeed, the creation of a
sustainable economy should be the final result expected by the Greater Paris.
But we are now trying to demonstrate that the actual decisions taken by the La
Société du Grand Paris are not sufficient, and not in the good
direction to reach this objective.
Mathew Forstater has summarized the conditions needed to
establish a sustainable economy. Indeed,
five points have been made in order
to be able to respond to the ecological challenges, and to
130 MVRDV, Le Grand Pari(s), Consultation internationale sur
l'avenir de la métropole Parisienne, P.P 125
131 Michèle Leloup, Marion Bertone, « Le Grand Paris,
les coulisses de la consultation », 2009, P.P 177-178
132 Michèle Leloup, Marion Bertone, « Le Grand Paris,
les coulisses de la consultation », 2009, P.P 160
133 Porter M. E. et Stern S. « Innovation: Location
Matters», MIT Sloan Management Review n° 4, 2001, P.P. 28 to 37
understand better the relation between the economy and the
environment. In this research Mathew Forstater uses the term «biophysical
conditions» which are necessary for a sustainable
economy134.
1- The composition of waste (from production) must be able to
be reused into a harmless (or beneficial) product, unless the recycling process
needs more resources than it saves. This is represented by W = A
where W is a vector of quantity distinguished wastes and A is a vector of
distinguished assimilative capacities.
2- The utilization rate of renewable resources has to be
equal or less than the level of renewal, and for the level of stock renewable,
it should be between the minimum and maximum level. These two factors (strock
level and rate of utilization) should correspond to the maximum sustainable
yield. The author defined the source function of the ecosphere for stock
renewable resources as «Usr = Ysr: where U is
the rate of utilization or harvest, Y is the yield or rate of renewal
and sr denotes stock renewable resources»135.
3- The third condition referred by the author is the
importance that companies have to replace there exhaustible resources by
renewable sources. Indeed, any use will decrease the total amount of these
resources availability (exhaustible resources will reach the zero level at some
point). The author defined it by Usr + Unr = Ysr,
where nr represents the nonrenewable natural resources (sr
still represents stock of renewable resources). This shows that the rate of
utilization of renewable and nonrenewable resources must be equal or inferior
to the yield of renewable. The decline of exhaustible resources will be
compensated by the coordinated increase of renewable resources. It is also
really important to precisely define the productivity and the efficiency of all
resources.
4- In order to obtain an higher productivity and efficiency
of all resources, it is important to maintain a high level of technological
innovation. Indeed in order to achieve the point 3, it is necessary to increase
the productivity and efficiency of exhaustible. The technological improvements
should permit to «increase regeneration rates, improved resource
extraction techniques, improved pollution abatement, increased assimilative
capacities, and cultivation of renewable resources stocks. And again, maximum
recycling is a must (also reuse, reduce, and repair)»136.
134 Mathew Forstater, «Public employment and environmental
sustainability», Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Vol. 25, N°3,
2003, P.P. 387
135 Mathew Forstater, «Public employment and environmental
sustainability», Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Vol. 25, N°3,
2003, P.P. 388
136 Ibid, 2003, P.P 388.
5- The last point to achieve a sustainable activity must be that
the level and composition of the production should not have thermal effects,
and should preserve the biodiversity.
We can see a contradiction here, between the Greater Paris
structure and its objectives. We assume that the Greater Paris is a Keynesian
application model and one of its objectives is to create a green cluster to
have a sustainable city and improve the economic situation. Nevertheless still
according to Mathew Forstater, «traditional approaches to both
unemployment and environmental degradation are insufficient to achieve either
full employment or ecological sustainability»137.
Indeed, even if Keynesian demand management could achieve full
employment, the company competition is still based on price efficiency.
Regarding this competition, we can assume that the Keynesian (or liberal) model
can be environmentally destructive, as there are too many barriers for
companies to reach the demand generated with a Keynesian
stimulus138.
After the reading of this article, we can realize the limits
of our economic systems regarding the world sustainability. Indeed, how a
government can generate a green environment, when there are too many barriers
to adopt a green economic system?
Laura Albareda et al. have worked on the role of European
governments on the Corporate Social responsibility, with a focus on
environmental issues. Indeed the research aimed to focus on the interrelation,
collaboration and partnership between governments, businesses and civil society
stake holders139.
The authors have illustrated the relationships between these
three economic actors, due to a map. This map shows that governments interfere
in CSR policies by showing the good examples. These governments' examples have
to show the positive impact of these policies on businesses to encourage
companies to adopt them. It aims also to give awareness to the civil society
(stake holders) about the benefits of these politics. The overall benefits of
the CSR policies on these three actors will improve the collaboration between
governments, businesses and civil society140.
137 Ibid, 2003, P.P 390
138 Mathew Forstater, «Public employment and environmental
sustainability», Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Vol. 25, N°3,
2003, P.P. 391
139 Laura Albareda, Josep M. Lozano, Tamyko Ysa, «The Role
of governments in Europe», Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 74, No. 4,
(Sep., 2007), pp. 395.
140 Ibid, 2007, P.P.395
141Figure 14: Relational model for CSR
public policy analysis
The authors have analyzed different European governmental
action to have an influence on CSR. Indeed, the authors have analyzed four
different models to explain actions which are driven by governments in order to
improve the CSR situation142:
-Partnership model: Governments shares investment with
actors to face the socio-employment problems. This strategy has been observed
in Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden.
-Business in the community: The government applies soft
intervention policies to encourage the businesses to develop a green
environment. This system has been observed in Ireland and the United
.Kingdom.
- Sustainability and citizenship: This system implies
the upgrade by the governments of the version of existing social agreement by
focusing on sustainable development. Authors have located this approach in
France Germany, Austrian Belgium and Luxembourg.
141 Laura Albareda, Josep M. Lozano, Tamyko Ysa, «Public
Policies on Corporate Social Responsibility : The Role of
governments in Europe», Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 74, No. 4, (Sep.,
2007), pp. 395.
142 Ibid, 2007, P.P. 401
-Agora: Creation of groups to discuss on the different
social actors to create a public consensus on CSR. This is mainly applies in
Italy, Spain and Portugal.
Even with the critics of Mathew Forstater regarding the
impossible application of a Green environment because of the Keynesian system,
we can still analyze what would be the impact of the Government through the
Greater Paris to install and improve the Green Business.
Indeed as mentioned in the article «The role of
governments in Europe», the French government uses a sustainability and
citizenship model. The authors attribute a special focus to France
«Among the countries included under this model, France deserves
special attention. In France, CSR is well-established in government-supported
activities focusing on sustainable development So much so that, at times, such
activities appear to be directed by the govern ment, revealing a more
regulatory approach, in line with the apparently more centralist orientation of
the French state.143».
These points of view of the authors confirm the general
approach of the French government to increase the green businesses: By
investing in a project (Greater Paris), the government invest and forecast on a
development of the Green Business by showing its interests and benefits (public
debate of the Greater Paris).
Nevertheless, except the creation of a forest of one million
trees, there are not others projects decided yet. Is this strategy to open a
debate, and insisting on «Green communication» will be enough to
develop a real Green Business in Paris Ile-de-France? The real question is to
know if the Greater can create a R&D centre important enough to support a
Green development, but also an IT development.
To conclude the hypothesis 3: Yes, we cannot see a real green
cluster creation through the project of the Greater Paris. Indeed, as mention
by the author Mathew Forstater, the economic model does not permit a real Green
cluster enforcement of Paris Ile-de-France. In previous part we mentioned the
fact that Paris is the most important city concerning green R&D. But these
infrastructures were existing before the creation of the Greater Paris idea.
Also as we said, Paris has the will to become the worldwide reference in term
of sustainability, but unfortunately it has not been really considered so far
as primordial in the Greater Paris construction. We could not see direct law to
enhance a Green cluster, and the actual good positioning of Parisian research
centers in this area do not result of the Grand Paris decisions, but rather
from the general expansion of the «green» trend.
143 Laura Albareda, Josep M. Lozano, Tamyko Ysa, «Public
Policies on Corporate Social Responsibility : The Role of governments in
Europe», Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 74, No. 4, (Sep., 2007), pp.
403
| 
