THE words “Monaco” and “sustainable development” are not often found in the same sentence. The tiny principality, as any James Bond fan knows, is synonymous with fast cars, high rollers, and luxury yachts. The plutocrats who call it home must have some of the biggest carbon footprints on the planet.
And yet the reigning monarch, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, will tell you that by some measures Monaco is a green place. Offshore marine parks dot its tiny coastline. It houses an oceanographic institute set up by Jacques Cousteau, a celebrated marine biologist and filmmaker. It levies a hefty environmental tax on the exhibitors at its annual yacht show. And last year, Monaco signed the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations’ treaty on climate change....MORE
