This
                      exceptional event will take place on 7 November
                      2011 from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm in the hemicycle of
                      the Île-de-France Regional Council (57, rue de
                      Babylone, 
The concept of ecological debt,
                    initially invented by NGOs in the South, has become
                    an ever more present concern in discussions in the
                    North. For the last 20 years the concept has
                    essentially been carried forward by NGOs, but caught
                    the attention of the scientific and political
                    spheres, as the Belgian government’s particular
                    interest in the subject in the 2000’s demonstrated.
                    What is the history behind this concept and what are
                    its various definitions? What is its scientific
                    relevance and validity? To what extent can the
                    concept of ecological debt be a policy principle and
                    what are its practical implications, especially for
                    private and public actors in the North?  
To explore these questions, this
                    symposium will offer various sessions on the main
                    issues:
The symposium
                    will conclude with a round table in which elected
                    representatives of the Île-de-France region will
                    discuss the advantages of including the concept of
                    ecological debt in their policies.
At the invitation of Jean-Paul
                    Huchon, President of the
                    Île-de-France Region, and Philippe Kaltenbach,
                    Vice-President for International and European
                    Affairs of the Île-de-France Region and senator of
                    the Hauts-de-Seine, this symposium will bring
                    together the best international and French experts
                    on the subject, including William Bourdon
                    (Sherpa), Olivier Deleuze (Belgian
                    federal MP), Jean Gadrey
                    (Université Lille 1), José Gaillou
                    (Regional councillor, French Guiana), 
Registration is required, before
                      November 2: www.iddri.org
Registration for the parallel
                    workshops will take place on the day of the
                    symposium, when participants sign in, starting at
                    8:30, and is subject 
                    to the number of seats available.