Christophe BUFFET

Christophe Buffet is currently a research fellow on adaptation, loss and damage, and habitability in the research department at AFD. He has also been a lecturer in the Environmental Policy master's program at Sciences Po Paris since 2022 and in the International Affairs master's program at the University of Rennes since 2016. 

He joined AFD in 2016 as an adaptation expert in the Climate Division. From 2019 to 2024, he is responsible for the AdaptAction program, which supports adaptation processes in several partner countries (Africa, LDCs, small Island states, Mediterranean basin). The second phase of this project, in 2021, is an opportunity to structure it around the triptych "understand, plan, invest" and two cross-cutting components (gender and social inclusion; knowledge management). 

Before joining AFD, Christophe Buffet worked for humanitarian NGOs, notably in Afghanistan and Pakistan as administrator and then head of mission for Médecins du Monde.

His thesis at EHESS (2015) focused on  « Adaptation to climate change: construction, frameworks and actors, from global negotiation arenas to vulnerable populations in Bangladesh  ». Christophe Buffet has retained his desire to understand the challenges of adaptation at different levels, from COPs to locally-led projects, through the humanities and social sciences. He also holds a master's degree in International Relations (IRIS, 2008) and a business school diploma (Audencia, 1998).

Articles and book chapters

• « The value of structured expert judgment to help assess climate adaptation », A. Magnan, J. Li, A. Tanguy, S. Hallegatte, C. Buffet, Climate Risk Management, vol. 47, (2025)
• « UN Institutions doing Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation: UNISDR, UNFCCC, and IPCC », C. Buffet & S. Revet, in : I. Kelman, J. Mercer, J.C. Gaillard (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Disaster Risk Reduction including Climate Change Adaptation, Routledge, pp. 306-316 (2017)
• « Climate change, a new buzzword for the perpetual present of Development Aid? », by A. Viard-Crétat & C. Buffet, in : Aykut, S., Foyer, J., Morena, E. (Eds.), Climatizing the world, globalizing climate, Routledge, pp. 135-152 (2017)
• « Vers une nouvelle géographie de l’expertise climatique ? BCAS et ICCCAD, des expertises « locales » au Bangladesh », by C. Buffet, Pollution Atmosphérique, n°227 spécial COP21 (2015)
• « NGOs in COP: outsiders of climate policy? », by C. Buffet and S. Ollitraut, Pollution Atmosphérique, n°227 spécial COP21 (2015)
• « L'impératif d'adaptation, pierre d'achoppement de la COP 21 ? », by C. Buffet, Cités, 63, Presses Universitaires de France (PUF), pp. 185-193 (2015)
• « De l'urgence à la résilience : changement de cadrage », by C. Buffet, dans « Au défi de l'anthropocène : la nécessaire alliance des humanitaires et des environnementalistes ? » edited by Martin, B., Buffet, C., Ramel, P., Revue humanitaire n°38, pp. 70-77 (2014)
• « Humanitaires, Verts, et Alters ? », by C. Buffet, Revue humanitaire, 24, pp. 74-79 (2010)
• « Les humanitaires sont-ils prêts à relever le défi du changement climatique ? », by C. Buffet, Revue humanitaire, 23, pp. 60-65 (2009)

Research reports 

• « Plateforme de Durban : quelle crédibilité accorder encore au processus des négociations climatiques ? », by A. Dahan, M. Armatte, C. Buffet, and A. Viard-Crétat, Centre Alexandre Koyré, Paris (March 2012)
• « Le compromis de Cancun : vertu du pragmatisme ou masque de l'immobilisme ? », by A. Dahan, C. Buffet and A. Viard-Crétat, Centre Alexandre Koyré, Paris (February 2011)
• « Les leçons politiques de Copenhague : faut-il repenser le régime climatique ? », by A. Dahan, S. Aykut, C. Buffet and A. Viard-Crétat, Centre Alexandre Koyré, Paris (February 2010)

• « Changement climatique: anticiper pour s'adapter », émission C'est pas du vent, RFI (2020)
• « Harvey, Irma, José : quelles leçons pour le climat ? », La Croix (October 13, 2017)