ALBERT

Note: CONTENTS COMPOSITION OF THE OFFICE CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. THE POLAR REGIONS: AN URGENT NEED FOR PROTECTION A. EXTREME BUT FRAGILE REGIONS 1. The Arctic Ocean 2. Antarctica B. FRANCE'S RESPONSIBILITY IN THE ANTARCTICA TREATY 1. The origins of the treaty and the Antarctic system 2. Mining a suspended issue 3. Tourism: a new peaceful threat? II. THE POLES: THEIR KEY ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE A. UNDERSTANDING PAST CLIMATES TO UNDERSTAND THE FUTURE CLIMATE 1. Recent ice cores from Greenland 2. lce cores from Antarctica 3. Ocean core samples: the transpolar link 4. The future of glacial core sampling B. THERMOHALINE CIRCULATION 1. The general circulation system 2. The importance of the creation of cold, deep waters 3. The Antarctic Ocean, a carbon sink C. THE POLAR REGIONS AT THE HEART OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE 1. Will the Arctic ice shelf disappear in the summer? 2. Will Greenland melt completely? 3. Can a diagnosis be made concerning the assessment of Antarctica's mass? III. FRANCE'S FIRST-CLASS BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH A. AN EXCEPTIONAL HERITAGE 1. A unique geographic situation 2. 40 to 50 years of continuous observations B. ADAPTING TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS 1. Adapting to climate change 2. Understanding the adaptation to extreme environments C. INNOVATIVE RESEARCH 1. The equipment of animals 2. Hormonal, molecular and genetic research 3. The implications for the organization of research IV. OBSERVING THE EARTH, OBSERVING THE UNIVERSE A. OBSERVATORIES FOR THE EARTH AND THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE 1. Seismology 2. Measuring gravity and terrestrial magnetism 3. Studying the stratosphere and monitoring the ozone layer '1. Observing the ionosphere B. ANTARCTIC ASTRONOMY: A NEW FIELD 1. Recognizing this fast-growing discipline 2. Concordia: the best site in the world/or astronomic observations? 3. Searching for meteorites in Antarctica 4. Measuring cosmic radiation V. PREPARING THE SPACE MISSIONS IN ANTARCTICA A. PREPARING AND VALIDATING THE SATELLITE MISSIONS 1. Space and the polar regions: preparation complementarity 2. Validating on the ground observations made from space B. PREPARING MANNED SPACE FLIGHTS AND MOON OR MARS-BASED STATIONS 1. Concordia - a unique research site 2. Studying behaviour in an extreme environment 3. Physiological studies C. TESTING EXPLORATION MATERIAL 1. American examples and projects 2. European perspectives VI. FRANCE'S PRESENCE IN THE POLAR REGIONS A. DEVELOPING FRANCE'S PRESENCE IN THE ARCTIC, STRENGTHENING ITS PRESENCE IN ANTARCTICA 1. Developing France's Arctic presence 2. Strengthening our presence in the southern regions B. IPEV (THE FRENCH PAUL-EMILE VICTOR INSTITUTE), AN AGENCY OF MEANS VII. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: A NECESSITY AND A GOAL A. HOW TO ENCOURAGE A EUROPEAN PROCESS? 1. The European Union: a sufficient framework? 2. The practical and political limitations of cooperation 3. Towards an Italian-German-French engine? B. WHAT INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR FRANCE ON THE EVE OF THE IPY? 1. Excellence, proximity and longevity: three key criteria for cooperation 2. Developing a network for the stations VIII. THE RAPPORTEUR'S CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS 1. Strategic regions 2. Regions to protect 3. Essential regions for understanding climate change 4. Life in the polar regions: of great value to humanity 5. The polar regions: an observatory for the Earth 6. Strongly support the development of astronomy at Concordia 7. Take advantage of the polar regions' complementarity with the space missions 8. Strengthen France's presence in the polar regions 9. Reorganize France's presence in the polar regions 10. Better coordinate polar research 11. Solve the problem of insufficient funding for polar-research logistics 12. Define a French strategy for European and international cooperation APPENDICES SPEAKERS PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1 MARCH 2007 SEMINAR: "OPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR IN FRANCE" PART ONE: LUNCH-DEBATE I. MR. HENRI REVOL, PRESIDENT OF THE OPECST II. MR. JEAN-LOUIS ETIENNE PART TWO: OFFICIAL OPENING SESSION I. INTRODUCTION A. MR. CHRISTIAN GAUDIN, SENATOR, RAPPORTEUR FOR THE OPECST B. MS. CATHERINE BRECHIGNAC, PRESIDENT OF THE CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (CNRS) C. MR. MICHEL JARRAUD, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION D. MR. CHRISTIAN COINTAT, SENATOR, PRESIDENT OF THE ANTARCTIC AND ARTIC STUDY GROUP II. OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR IN FRANCE BY MR. CHRISTIAN PONCELET, PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE III. THEMATIC DEBATE-THE POLES: INDICATORS AND EVIDENCE FOR MANKIND A. MS. NELLY OLIN, MINISTER OF ECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT B. MS. VALERIE MASSON-DELMOTTE, CLIMATOLOGIST, CEA C. MR. YVON LE MAHO, BIOLOGIST, CNRS D. MS. JOELLE ROBERT-LAMBLIN, ANTHROPOLOGIST, CNRS E. DEBATE IV. CLOSING SPEECHES A. MR. FRAN〈;:OIS GOULARD, MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH B. HIS SERENE HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT II OF MONACO APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: DOCUMENTS PRESENTED BY MS. VALERIE MASSONDELMOTTE, CLIMATOLOGIST - CEA APPENDIX 2: DOCUMENTS PRESENTED BY MS. JOELLE ROBERTLAMBLIN, ANTHROPOLOGIST - CNRS APPENDIX 3: DOCUMENTS PRESENTED BY MR. YVON LE MAHO, BIOLOGIST- CNRS