“The policy that I will pursue in the next five years will be ecological or it will not be.” This is the promise made by Emmanuel Macron to 3,000 of his supporters, in the Pharo garden in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), on April 16, 2022. In the interval between the presidential election, the president pulled out all the stops to flirt with green voters and promise them a more ambitious policy. In particular, he assured that the new Prime Minister would be responsible for ecological planning.
As this second five-year term begins, what can we expect from the next five years? Decisions and votes of the presidential majority may suggest that there will be no revolution on the front of the fight against climate change but rather a double discourse between ambitious promises and minimal achievements, which the macronists defend themselves against. .
A vote by the European Parliament is a typical example. On Tuesday 3 May, MEPs considered an own-initiative report – whose vote is therefore non-binding – put forward by a MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats on the blue economy. One of the resolutions sought to ban trawling in all marine protected areas (MPAs). These areas, particularly remarkable for their biodiversity, are not precisely defined by European regulations. States, in their national legislation, have two types of MPA: simple (about 10% of European waters in total) and strictly protected.
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However, an amendment proposed by the Renew group (to which the MEPs of La République en Marche belong) entered into competition with the resolution of the report. Written by Pierre Karleskind, it proposes limiting the ban on trawl fishing to “strictly protected” areas – which represent only 1% of European waters – and on scientific advice. The deputies voted for it with 319 votes (280 against), effectively burying the examination of the resolution. However, from in February, researchers like Joachim Claudet advocated better supervision of these areas. “Until now, we have sought quantity, arriving at an astronomical number of marine protected areas. Now we are asking for quality, with ecosystems that are really protected”he defended on franceinfo during the One Ocean Summit, the one who works at the island research center and environmental observatory.
“We had an ambitious text and Renew sabotaged”, deplores the MEP La France insoumise (who sits with The Left) Leïla Chaibi. François Chartier, Oceans and Oil campaigner for Greenpeace, is just as furious. “It’s shameful. It empties the concept of marine protected area of its meaning”, he judges. Both denounce the “permanent doublespeak” Emmanuel Macron and La République en Marche on policies related to climate change.
“The display is positive, but if we put forward an ambitious figure and at the same time we do everything to ensure that the application is limited, we have a real problem.”
François Chartier, Oceans and Oil Campaigner at Greenpeaceat franceinfo
“It is representative of the double talk that they have held for five years and will continue to hold for five years”, he laments. Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, director of the energy center of the Jacques-Delors Institute, confirms: “There is a gap between words and actions” in the climate policies promoted by La République en Marche.
“The position proposed by the Greens was excessive in view of the socio-economic consequences” that it would have generated, defends Pierre Karleskind for his part. By prohibiting trawling in marine protected areas, “you put 40% of French fishing on the ground because 80% of the fish landed in France comes from trawling”, says the man who is also chairman of the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament. He defends his “oceanographer’s pragmatism” :
“There is a difference between limiting, regulating and prohibiting. We look at precisely where it is relevant to prohibit. You have to be able to move forward without destroying the economic fabric.”
Pierre Karleskind, Renew MEP and President of the Fisheries Committee in the European Parliamentat franceinfo
He also ensures that the ban on trawling will, in certain places, “no environmental impact”. The MEP also defends a form of political realism in this vote: “There would not have been a majority to vote for the environmental amendment and send a message to the European Commission”he says, arguing that between the Liberals and the Greens he had to find some form of compromise otherwise there would have been no text on the subject. “Fake”chokes Claire Nouvian, founder of the NGO Bloom, who led the charge against the Renew amendment on social networks. “The voting swings are done with Renew. It’s up to them to take responsibility.”
All agree on the other hand to say that the appointments for the climate are numerous at the dawn of this new quinquennium. Indeed, the European Commission must present measures for the management of the seas and the restoration of natural ecosystems by the summer. A treaty is also soon to be signed under the aegis of the United Nations (UN) on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. “The international political agenda on the issue is very important”, assures François Chartier. The national climate agenda also: “Emmanuel Macron will start his five-year term in the red”, alerted on franceinfo Thursday May 5 Isabelle Autissier, from WWF. France had just experienced its day of overshoot, that is to say that sIf all of humanity lived like the French, it would have consumed in 95 days all the resources that the planet can renew in a year. “He can hope to finish it in the green in five years.”
If this vote remains that of MEPs, therefore not automatically representing the position of La République en Marche and of the government on the ecological transition, other examples which marked the first five years in power of Emmanuel Macron allow, at the scale of France, to doubt the goodwill of the president for this new five-year term. Thus, a few days after the second round, a measure slipped into the changes of May 1: the reduction of part of the aid for energy renovation. Energy saving certificates (EEC) have in fact dropped by 26 to 58% depending on the work to be carried out. This financial aid is paid by the energy suppliers, thus obliged to contribute to operations to reduce energy consumption. Otherwise, they are liable to pay fines.
Other examples marked the first five-year term and damaged confidence in certain associations or NGOs. The fiasco of the Citizen’s Climate Convention, for example, quickly comes back to mind. “Most of the structuring measures of the Citizens’ Climate Convention have either been discarded or emptied of their substance”, remembers François Chartier of Greenpeace. “They have been doing very active destruction for five years”slides Claire Nouvian. “The citizens of the climate convention have arrived with the most ambitious package of proposals. It has gone through the government mill and there is almost nothing left”, regrets Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, director of the energy center of the Jacques-Delors Institute. Indeed, only ten measures had been included “without filter” in the Climate law, while the president had undertaken to take over all of them.
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Finally, we can add to the government slate the condemnation of the State for climate inaction because France had failed in its own climate commitments. On October 14, the administrative court of Paris condemned the State to repair the damage caused by its failures.
Under these conditions, it is difficult for some observers to hope for a “software change” as François Chartier says. “Emmanuel Macron had said that our vote obliged him but nothing has changed”plague Claire Nouvian, according to whom “the betrayal did not take long”in reference to the vote in the European Parliament on trawling. “It is always a policy at the service of lobbies and even against ecology.” At Greenpeace, it is estimated that“one can doubt” Emmanuel Macron’s will.
“He is very strong for the big summits, the big declarations and the big commitments but behind there is unraveling by the European Union or the administration”
François Chartier, Oceans and Oil Campaigner at Greenpeaceat franceinfo
He says to be “vigilant” at the start of the second five-year term: “There has been no strong signal on the environmental issue since the election.” Claire Nouvian also believes that we “will leave exactly as in 40”explaining that the president’s promises regarding ecology are a simple “opportunism, an electoral calculation”. Pierre Karleskind defends, here again, a form of pragmatism.
“Emmanuel Macron’s speech was not to say ‘We are going to sacrifice everything on the basis of an ecological will’.”
Pierre Karleskind, Renew MEPat franceinfo
So what can we expect from this second five-year term and from its Prime Minister responsible for ecological planning? “You need a significant politician who takes things to heart”, says Thomas Pellerin-Carlin. He believes that, in this case, “there is a real opportunity to make Macron’s five-year term an ecological one”. The most important thing will be, according to him, the structure that this ecological planning will take. “If we create a general secretariat like there is for defense or European affairs, that could change everything.”
Marine Braud, former adviser to Elisabeth Borne and Barbara Pompili at the Ministry of Ecological Transition and currently consultant in sustainable development, confirms Thursday May 5 on franceinfo: “This is a fundamentally cross-cutting issue for which a team dedicated to Matignon will be needed to support the Prime Minister.” The key lies mainly according to Thomas Pellerin-Carlin on the side of lobbyists and interdepartmental meetings, “key core of reduction of ambitions”. And to ask: “What will be the place of Emmanuel Macron in the history of France? Will he be the first President of the Republic who will be said to have really acted for ecology?”