“This five-year term will be ecological or it won’t be!” This promise was that of Emmanuel Macron during the presidential campaign. To embody the government’s voluntarism in climate matters, the executive has appointed Christophe Béchu to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion. The former mayor of Angers, close to Edouard Philippe, has no less than five secretaries of state. But since entering government on July 4, the minister has remained relatively silent as France experiences climate change head-on.
Monday, July 18, 63 municipalities broke their absolute temperature record while fires qualified as historic started again in Gironde. More than 20,000 hectares of forest burned in the department in one week and some 36,000 people had to be evacuated. Faced with this situation, Christophe Béchu split from a few tweets on the fires, traveled to Angers to meet people at risk in the face of the heat wave or closely followed the evacuation of the Arcachon basin zoo.
The minister also met with associations of elected officials and discussed, Tuesday, July 19 lor questions to the government at the National Assemblya “climate change adaptation plan from 2023, which will be submitted and presented to all parliamentarians”. But he did not go to the field nor did he give an interview on the subject in the media.
A discretion that gives grain to grind to objections. “He seems to show great energy sobriety on the subject”ironically Alexis Corbière, LFI deputy, who spins the metaphor: “He even seems to practice degrowth.” The elected representative of Seine-Saint-Denis is joined by another deputy from his group, Gabriel Amard, who evokes on Twitter a minister “to absent subscribers”. “He is not on the front. I have not heard of any particular mobilization on his part”also criticizes Julien Bayou, the boss of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts.
“Given the lack of interest he has shown for ecology in the past, I did not expect anything from him, and yet he still manages to disappoint.”
Julien Bayou, ecologist MPat franceinfo
Some associations are also worried about this silence. “Indeed, we don’t see it and we don’t hear it a lot”, judge Anne Bringault, program coordinator for the Réseau Action Climat. Even within the majority, we are beginning to ask ourselves some questions. “He will not be able to stay on his reserve for very long. He will have to take the measure of his position, there is no reason why he should not do it”tries to reassure a MoDem deputy. “I think we see a lot of Darmanin, because there is a firefighters and security axis [au sujet de la lutte contre les incendies], but it lacks the prevention pendant that must be worn by Christophe Béchu. We need more presence on the subject. Let’s hope this evolves quickly”remarks a Renaissance deputy.
Indeed, it is the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, who took the leadership within the government on the fires in Gironde, communicating a lot on these historic fires and going on the spot. Proof of the seriousness of the situation: Emmanuel Macron also goes to the department himself on Wednesday. For many, the preponderance of the Beauvau tenant is completely normal. “The minister in charge is Gérald Darmanin. We are in an emergency, not in ecological planning”, believes a Renaissance deputy. Even in the opposition, this opinion is partly shared. “Honestly, I am not suspected of complacency towards the government but it is a little early to demand to hear its voice”, assures Boris Vallaud, the president of the socialist group in the Assembly.
“It’s time for crisis management and therefore for the Minister of the Interior. Tomorrow, we will have to question ourselves and make proposals. There, he will have to respond present.”
Boris Vallaud, socialist deputyat franceinfo
For a framework of the majority, the strategy of Christophe Béchu is even the most judicious. “It’s very smart to be withdrawn, she says. I’m not sure he has any interest in being on the front line on the news. There are more hits to take. It’s good that he takes the time to get used to his subjects, which are major.”
However, in recent days, a face has appeared on the front line in the team of the former mayor of Angers. Still little known to the general public, Bérangère Couillard, Secretary of State for Ecology and Member of Parliament for Gironde, communicates extensively on the fires that hit her department. She thus went to Landiras, where more than 13,000 hectares were burned.
#Forest fires I was at the Landiras command post on Saturday to support those who face the flames and protect our fellow citizens from #Gironde. Still no casualties this evening, but the situation remains critical and the fires continue to progress. pic.twitter.com/IlEczA1MOv
— Bérangère Couillard (@BCouillard33) July 18, 2022
The Secretary of State has already mentioned the aftermath, namely “the restoration of this forest lung”. Her visit on Saturday was also decided at the last moment when she was in Charente-Maritime for a trip with the Minister of Agriculture.
On the side of the entourage of the Minister for Ecological Transition, on the contrary, we defend ourselves from not having gone into the field, ensuring that he cannot impose his presence in Gironde when “the emergency is to put out the fires”. More generally, his entourage praises the Béchu method, based on exchanges. “It is not in his conception to arrive with a pre-established plan and to say: ‘This is how we are going to do it’ without consultation and making media noise”, we describe. When the time comes, Christophe Béchu will talk about “his method and fires, and how we adapt our society to climate change”. Extensive program.