Revenge of the Amish. Two years ago, the Citizen’s Convention for the Climate (CCC) presented the Minister for Ecological Transition at the time, Elisabeth Borne, with 149 measures to fight against global warming. (PDF). Sometimes mocked by the President of the Republic, often ignored and watered down by the government, the work of the 150 citizens drawn by lot sees its relevance renewed in the midst of the energy crisis. The question of sobriety, judged “incongruous” at the time by the power, according to one of the participants, will be the subject of an ad hoc plan, presented Thursday, October 6 by … Elisabeth Borne, who has become Prime Minister.
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“The government says that these measures must be imposed urgently. But the Citizens’ Convention project, on the contrary, was to prepare citizens to adopt more sober lifestyles.”
Agnès Catoire, former participantat franceinfo
“If we had acted then, the majority of people would now understand the need to make these changes. Instead, they are imposed, and therefore unfair”, continues Agnès Catoire. Guy Kulitza, another of the 150 citizens drawn, shares this feeling of a missed opportunity.
“They didn’t dare to take the bull by the horns and they waited for the pain to come.”
Guy Kulitza, former participantat franceinfo
Franceinfo returns to these measures which could have made it possible to reduce our consumption of electricity, gas or oil, in addition to fighting against global warming.
Accelerating energy renovation
What the Citizens’ Convention proposed. The energy renovation of buildings consists of better insulating them to reduce their energy consumption and increase their comfort in the event of a cold snap or heat wave. To speed up the pace of this crucial project, the 150 citizens drawn by lot proposed a series of measures to “force owner-occupiers and lessors to renovate their properties in a comprehensive way” : compulsory renovation of buildings F and G by 2030, E and D by 2040, blocking from 2021 of the increase in rents as long as the accommodation is not renovated, ban on renting thermal sieves in 2028, malus on the property tax for recalcitrant owners from 2028. The text also insisted on the need to encourage global renovations, which are more efficient, compared to those by gesture.
What the government did. Some of these measures are included in the Climate and Resilience Law, but with significant modifications. No obligation applies to owner-occupiers. No sanction via a malus on the property tax is planned. The rent increase freeze for thermal strainers came into effect in 2022 (not 2021). The ban on the rental of energy strainers has been brought forward to 2025 for G housing and maintained at 2028 for F housing. Aid must be increased, but the question of overall renovation does not appear.
“I don’t understand why it hasn’t been put in place more strongly”, laments William Aucant, another participant, who has since become a regional environmental adviser in the Pays de la Loire region. This project could not have been completed between 2020 and 2022, but “If we had started two years ago, we would have perhaps 800,000 homes that could reduce their energy consumption and there would have been less tension on the network”believes Grégoire Fraty, also a former participant and ex-LREM candidate for the regional in Normandy
“Emmanuel Macron can put on a turtleneck at the Elysée, but when you think of the families who will spend the winter in poorly insulated homes, it’s disturbing to see the government promoting small gestures.”
Eloise, former participantat franceinfo
Limit heating to 19°C
What the Citizens’ Convention proposed. Registered in the law, this limit of 19°C, which allows substantial energy savings in winter, is rarely applied. To solve this problem, the Citizen’s Climate Convention proposed an information and awareness campaign aimed at individuals and an obligation for public buildings and spaces, as well as offices, which “must make an effort to set an example”. Hospitals, nursing homes, medical practices and other similar establishments were exempt from this effort.
What the government did. The executive merely recalled that this proposal was already provided for by the Energy Code and put forward a call for projects for the financing of work in state buildings. It was only very recently that Emmanuel Macron, then Elisabeth Borne, began to hammer home this “rule”. A good thing, though “people are not children, they know to be careful”emphasizes Agnès Catoire. “We are not all equal in the face of this instruction”, recalls Claire Marcant, who cites the case of energy strainers. This instruction goes in the direction of the will of the “150” of “dramatically change behavior”.
Act on public spaces
What the Citizens’ Convention proposed. Avoiding heat loss and reducing energy consumption in housing, the tertiary sector and public spaces should make it possible to halve the greenhouse gas emissions of these sectors by 2030, then again by two or three. by 2040, predicted the Citizen’s Climate Convention, betting in parallel on the deployment of low-carbon energy sources. It recommended a ban on heating outdoor public spaces, the modulation of public lighting and a ban on the lighting of signs, shop windows and offices at night.
What the government did. In this package of measures cited by Olivier Fraty, “we proposed that we could no longer heat open doors, outdoor public spaces, heated terraces, etc. – which caused a lot of noise”, he recalls. This last measure had been included in the Climate Law, although postponed to April 2022. Acting on public spaces and the tertiary sector makes it possible to restore confidence by setting an example, notes Guy Kulitza: “You have to show that you are putting things in place.” Besides, “thermal renovation is also for institutions and industrialists. We have companies who complain about their skyrocketing bills and who until then thought they had time to spare”, he points. The latter, like the public authorities, are calling for help.
Reduce speed to 110 km/h
What the Citizens’ Convention proposed. In France, transport is the sector that emits the most greenhouse gases. For this reason, the Citizen’s Climate Convention wanted restrict highway speed 110km/h. This brake has several advantages: reducing CO2 emissions by an average of 20%, saving fuel – “1.4 euros per 100 km on average on the cost of fuel” – but also to lower the number of accidents and reduce traffic jams, listed the 150 citizens drawn by lot.
What the government did. Emmanuel Macron immediately dismissed this proposal, motivating this refusal by the bitter experience lived in July 2018, during the passage from 90 to 80 km / h on all secondary roads. Faced with the discontent, the rule had been relaxed in 2020. Since then, almost half of the departments have found “90” signs on all or part of their network. However, this drop in speed on the motorway seems “obvious at a time when it comes to saving fuel and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions”believes Agnès Catoire.
“It’s an easy measure to set up and free of charge.”
Agnès Catoire, former participantat franceinfo
Above all, it requires a major educational effort when, according to Ademe, 42% of French people were in favor of it in 2021. Within the “150”, she recalls, the deemed divisive measure had ended up convincing. However, pTo compensate for the rise in fuel prices, the government preferred a discount at the pump, rather than a drop in speed.
Regulate advertising
What the Citizens’ Convention proposed. For the participants, sobriety inevitably involves the fight against over-consumption. Changing lifestyles involves “changing consumer behavior”, via advertising regulation. The Citizens’ Convention proposed to ban advertising on the most polluting products from 2023, drawing inspiration from the Evin law, which banned the promotion of alcohol and tobacco. In addition, it proposed strict regulation of displays with a video screen, prohibited “in public spaces, public transport and at points of sale”.
What the government did. In 2021, the Climate and Resilience law tackled video screens, especially in store windows, by allowing local elected officials to define “extinguishing times” in particular. “I can’t wait for it to fall into place”rejoices William Aucant already. “We have obtained measures that lack ambition”, abounds Claire Marcant, another participant in the Citizens’ Convention. The risk of energy shortages, however, succeeded where the threat of global warming had failed: a future decree intends to harmonize the existing rules for extinguishing illuminated advertisements from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. and introduce fines of up to 1,500 euros per advertisement or per sign not extinguished.
Reduce nitrogen fertilizers
What the Citizens’ Convention proposed. Used by conventional agriculture to increase yields, nitrogen fertilizers are a source of greenhouse gases, which warm the climate, and pollutants for the air we breathe. Their cost jumped with the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, because they are produced with gas. In 2020, the Citizens’ Convention proposed to increase the general tax on polluting activities, to reduce the use of these fertilizers.
What the government did. In the Climate and Resilience Law, this tax increase is replaced by simple reduction targets in 2030. Any idea of constraint and obligation has disappeared: if these targets are not met two years in a row, the government “will consider” the establishment of a fee, “while ensuring that the economic viability of the agricultural sectors concerned is preserved”. For Guy Kulitza, this proposal was “put under the rug”. “Farmers will no longer be able to afford fertilizer. “It’s quite simply a human catastrophe, because we haven’t put in place the structures to allow this transition”he regrets.