Lhe solidity of an independent institution requires at least two prerequisites: having the necessary means to carry out its mission and adopting modes of operation that do not lend themselves to criticism, so as not to undermine its credibility. The High Council for the Climate (HCC), responsible for evaluating public policies in this area, has struggled in recent months to meet these two conditions.
The structure set up in 2018 by Emmanuel Macron under the authority of the Prime Minister had however succeeded in its beginnings by establishing itself as a major player in public debate. Its reports are regularly taken up by the courts, parliamentarians and NGOs. His aura even enabled him to co-chair the international network of climate advisory councils and inspired the creation of a European equivalent. But the recent dysfunctions it is experiencing cast doubt on its ability to fulfill its objectives.
When its last annual report was published in June 2022, its reputation was tarnished, and internal confidence was shaken. Some members were moved by subjects “dismissed or watered down”. Many of them had also rejected a first version of his summary, considered too “complacent” towards the government and “orthogonal” as to its content. Members still regretted, after its publication, a “worrying depoliticization” of the document and a “your more withdrawn than in previous years”.
Management has done everything to defuse the crisis, arguing for normal operation where the first draft is improved at the rate of successive versions. Above all, to justify a report written and completed quickly, she pointed to chronic understaffing problems. In fact, from the outset, the HCC has had insufficient means to assess an ecological transition, the urgency of which continues to grow.
This lack of resources has seriously disrupted the publication rhythm of the organization. Its recommendations on food systems, daily mobility or even the government’s sobriety plan could not be completed on time, for lack of experts.
Tensions remain high
The 2023 budget provides for the financing of a vast recruitment project, which it is to be hoped will be completed quickly. Currently, the HCC secretariat no longer has any analysts, a function that is essential for the preparation of reports. All left at the end of 2022, either voluntarily or because their contracts were not renewed. The HCC thus suffered a profound disorganization, which revealed situations of suffering at work and led to the opening of an administrative investigation. This ended in clearing the management, but tensions remain high. The institution must prove that it is able to overcome them.
Beyond that, the management will have to ensure that the HCC still has the means to assess not only the trajectory of France’s greenhouse gas emissions – at this stage insufficient to achieve the climate objectives –, but also the consequences of the transition, whether in terms of mobility, agriculture, health or tourism. It is at this price that it will be able to encourage the acceleration of public policies. For this, the institution must be able to say independently what is going in the right direction, as in the wrong direction. An independent authority is neither an NGO nor a power transmission belt. It is from this fragile balance that the HCC will draw all its legitimacy and public utility.