Determination and humility. The Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, presented, Friday, October 21, her “ecological planning method”. “We must undertake radical changes in our ways of producing, consuming and acting”, hammered the tenant of Matignon, while emphasizing that “The ecological transition has no miracle solution”. Umpteenth attempt to tackle the subject, or real turning point?
“What we have seen so far are photos. But it lacks the script of the film, a shared narrative. We set ourselves ambitious and necessary long-term objectives, and when, five years later, we have not achieved them, we set new ones.valued Benoît Leguet, director general of the economic institute for the climate (I4CE), a think tank on the economy of ecological transition founded by the Caisse des dépôts and the French Development Agency. The subject does not only concern France: the European Commission’s climate plan last year set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% (compared to 1990) “when we didn’t already know exactly how to reach 40%”pointe M. Leguet.
The proliferation of crises in recent years does not help politicians to project themselves towards this horizon. “We had illusions about possible planning in the face of the energy crisis. Instead, we have a sum of actions, not necessarily coordinated, and of which the State tries to manage the side effects.underlines Xavier Ragot, president of the French Observatory of economic conditions.
Beyond, “Incorporating climate issues into our public policies is a considerable challenge, because it involves worrying about future generations, who do not vote”sums up Jean Pisani-Ferry, professor of economics at Sciences Po and adviser to Emmanuel Macron during the 2017 campaign. The latter no longer wonder about what will happen to future generations, but to themselves and their children.
Long list of shots
This entry into the political atmosphere of climate concerns has not escaped those in power. “It is the first time in the history of the country that the Prime Minister is in charge of ecological planning”, recalls Matignon. But for what concrete effects?
The list of climate plans that France has already adopted is making you dizzy: national low-carbon strategy, national plan for adaptation to climate change, and soon climate energy programming law… The initiatives follow one another, without overall music . “The national low-carbon strategy is developed within the Ministry of Ecological Transition, but absolutely not shared by the government. We stay at a level of techno, constate M. Leguet. “Until now, climate issues were not on the horizon of the administrations. These were sectoral subjects, carried by one or two ministries”confirms M. Pisani-Ferry.
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