French President Emmanuel Macron’s new “ecological plan” to tackle the climate crisis and reduce France’s dependence on fossil fuels has left party leaders disappointed.
On September 25, 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron called the Ecological Planning Council, established after his re-election, to present his new, 50-point “ecological plan” and announce an additional €7bn in next year’s investment compared to 2023.
The goal of “ecology à la Française,” as Macron described the plan, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and end the use of fossil fuels by 2030.
The French President highlighted his desire to ensure France remains competitive in the agricultural and industrial markets. Being aware of France’s dependence on coal, petrol, and gas, Macron stated that he aims to reduce this dependence from 60% to 40% by 2030.
His 50-point plan also addressed the companies most responsible for climate change, saying that the companies accountable for the fifty dirtiest industrial sites in France pledged to reduce their pollution levels by 45% by 2030.
Macron expressed his interest in safeguarding “territories and the people who are most fragile” for a smooth and just transition. “We want an ecology that is accessible and fair, an ecology that leaves no one without a solution,” he said.
One of the plan’s focuses is on electricity. “The priority that we have set is that by January 2027 we will have totally ended the use of coal for our electricity production,” said Macron.
Among the proposals regarding electricity, the French President also included accelerating electric car production and establishing several electric battery factories in northern France.
Finally, Macron proposed new projects for offshore wind farms, state-owned investments in the regional train network for €700 million, and a map of natural resources sites in France.
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Starting from October 2023, Macron stated that he would take back control of electricity prices. For this reason, he asked people to look for other solutions, such as turning to heat pumps — a greener alternative to fossil fuel heating systems.
Macron’s “ecological plan” falls within the context of the sustainable transition: Greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuels have detrimental impacts on our plan and are the main drivers of climate change. Reducing their consumption is fundamental to addressing the climate crisis.
Nous avons réduit nos émissions de CO2 deux fois plus vite qu'avant. Nous allons continuer, aller encore plus vite : sortir du charbon, électrifier le pays, convertir nos véhicules, réindustrialiser le pays par l'écologie. pic.twitter.com/sWYcWcwWpY
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 25, 2023
However, when the prime minister’s office, Élisabeth Borne, presented the plant to party leaders and ecological groups, many found it “disappointing.”
Marine Tondelier, the National Secretary of Europe Écologie Les Verts, said that “this ecological planning is the longest communication plan in history.”
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: Emmanuel Macron, December 2019. Featured Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
