pressed for time, Macron refines the calendar of ecological planning

by time news


LFrance must “double” its “rate of effort” to reduce its carbon emissions if it wants to achieve its objectives in 2030, President Emmanuel Macron admitted on Saturday, drawing a calendar – from February to June – of the deadlines to be met. by sector of activity (transport, agriculture, etc.).

“Today, we’re not there. And if we don’t change things, we won’t get there,” he explains in a video posted on social networks, two days after bringing together a discreet “ecological planning council” at the Élysée.

“If we want to reach our 2030 target, we must go to 270 million tonnes of CO2 emitted”, against 410 million tonnes in 2022, recalls the Head of State, “which means that we need between now and 2030 drop by 140 million tons (…) which means that we simply have to double the rate of effort compared to what we have done in the last five years”.

Anne Bringault, of the Climate Action Network, which brings together 27 NGOs including Greenpeace, welcomes this observation: the president “finally assumes the delay in meeting France’s climate objectives and the need to greatly accelerate action”, says- her to AFP.

But the “concrete measures are still awaited”, she regrets, “only a schedule of decisions is proposed”.

In fact, the President recalled the CO2 emissions by major sector contributing to warming the atmosphere, from transport – the leading source of emissions in France with 30% – to waste (3%), via agriculture (19 %), industry (19%), building (18%) and energy (10%).

In transport, “we have not succeeded in reducing”, he acknowledged, advocating “to intensify” the current policy: electrify the fleet of private vehicles with a conversion bonus, an ecological bonus, and above all production cars in France.

A strategy deemed insufficient by the Climate Action Network for which the electric vehicle is only part of the solution.

“Emmanuel Macron had announced an electric vehicle leasing at 100 euros, but it is impossible to set up without subsidizing foreign cars because French manufacturers do not make affordable small cars, you would have to twist their arm,” says Ms. Bringault .

The announcement scheduled for February by Elisabeth Borne of measures to “improve public transport infrastructure” will be a “key moment”, according to her: “It will be the first marker of a real change of course”.

For agriculture, “we must go much further, much harder to reduce our emissions”, urged the president, who intends to have a finalized plan “in June”. This will have to be articulated with a future law in favor of the installation of young farmers.

Linking agriculture and energy, Mr. Macron seems to indicate that aid for the installation of young farmers could be conditional on objectives in terms of energy production, biomass, or an improvement in carbon storage.

“A Billion Trees”

By “March-April”, the president also intends to “finalize the forestry strategy” for replanting “one billion trees” to improve the carbon sink. The absorption of CO2 by vegetation has collapsed in France since 2013 under the effect of droughts and fires.

On the building side, no announcement, while many voices are calling for a massive energy renovation plan for housing and public buildings, hospitals, schools, etc.

The president simply underlines the opening of a “consultation” in “February” and indicates that he is looking for “a slightly more innovative way of organizing the effort”.

In industry, after having brought together the representatives of the 50 most polluting sites at the Elysee Palace in November, he recalls the appointment set “at the end of May” to assess their “decarbonization strategy”.

In energy, he announces by “February-March” a new “sobriety plan”, the Prime Minister being responsible for announcing a “planning” by “May-June”.

Saturday’s Official Journal details the operation of the new regional energy committees, piloted in dual command by the prefects and presidents of the region, and responsible for organizing the production of renewable electricity, heat recovery networks or cold , in the territories.

“I do not hide from you that there is a lot, a lot, a lot of work”, concluded Emmanuel Macron. “We are getting into the hard (…) It will take public money but it also takes private money”.

In the Journal du Dimanche, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire figures at “60 to 70 billion additional euros per year” the cost of the effort necessary to make the energy transition a success.

29/01/2023 00:03:25 – Paris (AFP) – © 2023 AFP

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