Is the fight against global warming taking the turn so apprehended by many, namely an attack on individual freedoms? A docu-fiction titled “2050: open our eyes”, broadcast Monday November 14 on BFMTV, evokes the establishment of a “carbon permit” in France and presents it as “one of the keys to success in the face of climate change”. A concept that does not fail to upset, even stir up certain fears.
In a passage of this docu-fiction, the presenter explains the concept of this “carbon permit”. She cites the example of a Swedish startup, at the origin of a credit card which calculates the carbon footprint with each purchase and informs consumers. A model from which France should draw inspiration, to refer to this documentary.
How would this pass work? In addition to their bank account and credit card, each citizen is assigned a “CO2” account. With each purchase, in addition to the price of the product or service, the consumer should also pay the carbon quota generated for the production of this product or for the performance of this service.
The BFM TV presenter thus recalled, by way of example, that a baguette would cost 150 grams of CO2, that a 250 gram steak would cost 6 kg of CO2, that a 50 L tank of petrol would cost 50 kg of CO2 and that a return flight from Paris to New York would cost 6 tons of CO2. Thus, she explains, this “long-haul trip could cost half of the annual quota” granted to a citizen.
The objective of this “carbon permit”: “reduce our environmental footprint to achieve our greenhouse gas reduction targets and limit the extent of global warming in the decades to come”. Concretely, it could be a magnetic card which would total the remaining CO2 stock, which the consumer must present with each purchase in order to “pay” his carbon cost.
A “conspiracy theory” about to become reality?
The approach already has its followers, even its defenders, such as economists, environmental activists, NGOs or even elected officials. One of them, the Renaissance deputy for Deux-Sèvres, Jean-Marie Fiévet, believes that he “we must achieve carbon neutrality” by 2050 according to the Paris agreements “and there are not many ways to get there”. He claims that the “carbon account” would allow “to achieve this both collectively and individually”.
The carbon “account” recommended by this elected official does not content itself with informing the consumer about the quantity of CO2 generated by his purchase, in an awareness-raising approach. This approach has also been adopted by an Australian bank, CommBank (Australia’s Commonwealth Bank), which has introduced a feature on its e-banking platform that links its customers’ purchases to their carbon footprint.
In the docu-fiction “2050: let’s open our eyes”, it is clearly mentioned that each citizen must not exceed his carbon quota over one year. This quota would decrease every year, in order to encourage citizens to consume “differently” and reduce “collectively and progressively” greenhouse gas emissions. The model of the Swedish startup from which France intends to draw inspiration even mentioned the possibility of “blocking” expenditure as soon as a “maximum carbon” reached.
Such a practice fatally undermines individual freedom, since consumers could be deprived of making purchases. “It was conspiratorial six months ago. It is preached publicly today”, commented lecturer and essayist Idriss Abderkane on Twitter.
It was conspiratorial six months ago
It is preached publicly today. #LeurParoleNeVautRien https://t.co/QYde5S9UTX
— Idriss J. Aberkane Ph.D, Ph.D & Ph.D (@idrissaberkane) November 15, 2022