Climate law: can Macron correct the shooting on ecology?
French President Emmanuel Macron during the One Planet Summit at the Élysée Palace in Paris on January 11, 2021. AP - 111341 + 0000
Text by: RFI Follow
5 mins
It is the translation into law of part of the 149 recommendations of the Citizen's Climate Convention.
The text "Climate and resilience" arrives on Wednesday February 10 on the table of the Council of Ministers.
Through 65 articles, the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili tackles thermal strainers, domestic flights, the artificialization of soils, or even advertising for polluting products.
But already citizens of the Convention, environmental associations or the left denounce a text watered down in relation to the ambitions of the Convention while others point to new constraints.
On the contrary, the government defends the progress of the text and hopes to green its image.
Not so easy.
Publicity
Read more
With
Agnès Rougier,
from the Science department of RFI and
Anthony Lattier,
from the Political department of RFI
In order to meet the commitment of the Paris Climate Agreement, the 150 participants in the Citizen's Climate Convention, brought together in 2019 by Emmanuel Macron, proposed 149 measures intended to "
reduce by at least 40 % of France's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990, in a spirit of social justice
”.
The “climate and resilience” bill contains 65 articles, broken down into six main headings, stemming from the proposals of the Convention: Getting around, housing, consuming, producing and working, eating and strengthening the legal protection of the 'environment.
For Grégoire Fraty, member of the Convention and founder of the association "Les 150", the climate law is not up to the citizens' proposals.
“
In fact, all our measures are well included in this climate law, but often they are a little planed, a little unraveled,
deplores Grégoire Fraty.
We have changed temporalities, we have changed a 2025 which becomes 2030. So obviously, we are happy to see the measure on the table, but ultimately, will this meet the expectations of the climate emergency?
This is a question we ask ourselves.
In fact, the text raises good levers but with a lack of ambition.
We have the impression that we are always a little afraid of going quickly, and it is this fear that we must succeed in lifting with parliamentarians because the right levers are good to have on the table, but in the climate emergency, there is the word "emergency", we must go quickly!
You have to do things now, not do them tomorrow.
This is where we have our disappointment: we have the impression that the government wants to change things, but tomorrow, when things must be done today.
"
The bill should be studied by the National Assembly from the end of March.
"The 150" intend to meet with deputies, to convince them to make it more effective.
►
See also: France: a “climate law” on track, but incomplete
Stuck between two radicalities
Within Macronie, we recognize it: “
The battle of opinion promises to be very tough.
As often, the president and his government are caught between two fires: those for whom the law is too restrictive and those for whom it lacks ambition - those who are heard the loudest.
“
We are stuck between two radicalities, that of the conservatives and those of the green radicals!
But it is not our electorate,
”reassures a minister in private.
However, many - including the head of state - are annoyed with repeated trials in climate inaction just over a year before the presidential election.
For a framework of the majority, this law is therefore an opportunity to demonstrate that the Macron five-year term "
is greener than it appears
".
A member of the government concedes: “
For the moment, we have not managed to score points on ecology.
We need a symbolic victory, for the Citizens' Convention to lead to something concrete.
"
At the Ministry of Ecological Transition, we are convinced that the unprecedented initiative of the Citizens' Convention and the resulting law will be a milestone.
Some are more pessimistic: "
Whatever we do, we will not be credible on ecology and we will not reverse the trend between now and the presidential election
"
,
sighs a walking deputy, who adds: "
It is not not why we must not move forward!
"
►
To read also: Fight against climate change: France condemned by justice
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