“Emmanuel Macron’s contradictions on ecological planning risk leading us to failure”

2023-09-26 20:30:11

Emmanuel Macron repeated it at the end of the highly anticipated ecological planning council: France must go “two and a half times faster” in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. However, at the same time, it refuses to initiate a real transformation of transport, even though this sector is the largest emitter in France. In the state of the announced planning, the contradictions of the President of the Republic risk leading us to failure, while we will be confronted with the increasingly violent impacts of climate change and subjected to the volatility of the price of fossil fuels. .

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The head of state spoke of an ecology “accessible and fair”. This objective is all the more essential in the current context of high fuel prices and when transport is still too dependent on imported fossil fuels. But the president remained vague on the concrete means to allow all households, especially the most modest, to have access to less polluting mobility.

His campaign promise, social leasing at 100 euros per month for an electric vehicle, will not be implemented before 2024 and will be limited this first year. As for access to other modes of transport, the train, public transport or the bicycle, it was little mentioned. The only announcement in this area: a financial contribution from the State of 700 million euros to develop metropolitan RERs, but without visibility on the completion of the total budget estimated at 10 billion euros.

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Concrete solutions for everyone

However, the stakes are high. The “yellow vest” movement began in 2018 because no alternative was offered to low-income households in the face of rising fuel prices, in areas where it is difficult to travel without a car. Without concrete solutions for everyone, the acceleration of the transition will not happen.

Emmanuel Macron has, moreover, advocated a “measured sobriety”, without specifying this new notion. Should we reduce consumption, but not too much? However, it is the most effective and rapid way to reduce the impact of our production and consumption patterns on the climate and biodiversity. Obviously, sobriety is primarily aimed at those who consume the most, not at people who deprive themselves of meals or heating, who absolutely must be supported more.

In the automobile industry, the search for higher margins has led car manufacturers to go against the grain of sobriety, increasing the number of SUVs on offer, these cars being heavy and consuming more fuel. Result: the average price of a new car has jumped and there is practically no supply of small, affordable electric vehicles that would nevertheless meet the needs of the majority of French people.

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