Paris

Sciences Po
In addition to the regular academic and executive training programs at IFPEN, this year’s visit included a half-day lecture at Sciences Po (more formally the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris), one of France’s elite universities. They offer a joint Executive Master’s degree with IFPEN in Energy and Globalization, and my lecture covered the development of emissions trading markets, the status of today’s carbon market, and some discussion about recent work in China.


Alchemy at Notre Dame?

I was reading Graham Robb’s book Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris on this visit, a book which has gotten mixed reviews on amazon.com — but I really enjoyed it. One chapter has a rather strange story about alchemy, the transmutation of matter by nuclear physicists, and Notre Dame Cathedral. I’m not even going to try to summarize it, but it sent me over to the cathedral looking for supposedly alchemical carvings – and I found them on the front portals, as described in the text.

Allee Pierre LotiI also had dinner with my good friend and colleague Li Shaoyi, who has now moved to Paris from Bangkok, to work for the UN Environment Programme. Given the restaurant that he chose and the wine selection, it is apparent that Shaoyi has learned the Parisian lifestyle very, very quickly — and Paris is never too hard to take! I walked through the Champ de Mars by the Eiffel Tower on the way over to our meeting point in the 16th arrondissement, including a nice stroll along the Allée Pierre Loti (whom you might remember from the July 2006 Istanbul posting).