“We have already entered the era of global warming, we must act strongly now”, declared Monday, June 6 on franceinfo Pascal Canfin, MEP, chairman of the environment committee of the European Parliament, while MEPs will vote by Wednesday, June 8 several texts on the climate. Farmers say they are “devastated” after violent storms destroyed their crops. Pascal Canfin pleads for better insurance for farmers, who “already suffer from climate risks”.
franceinfo: Are the bad weather this weekend further proof that we must act quickly in the fight against global warming?
Pascal Canfin: Sure. In 2021, we had an identical episode, yet exceptional on the scale of history. We must ensure that farmers who play the game of the fight against climate change are better covered against the climate risks they face. Farmers are undoubtedly the professional category that experiences the impact of climate change the most. We must therefore act alongside them to protect them in terms of insurance and to support them in their agricultural practices.
We have already entered the era of global warming. The question is no longer whether we can avoid it, the question is whether we can avoid the worst-case scenarios. And for that, we have to act strongly now, and that’s what we’re doing with the climate package that we’re going to vote on this week in the European Parliament.
This climate package consists of eight texts which will be voted on by Wednesday. Does this vote promise to be tight?
There are several quite historic elements in this package, since it is the set of texts on the climate which will change the rules of the game. First on the carbon tax at the borders. That is sure to pass. We all agree. We are discussing and we will vote on the precise modalities, but the principle is accepted. We will therefore be the first area in the world to set up such a system, which will ensure that those who import consumer goods to us will pay for the carbon. Today, our manufacturers are increasingly paying the carbon price, whereas when you produce in China or Turkey, you don’t pay. It is unfair and we are putting an end to this injustice.
What are the other elements of this climate package?
The second historical element, which is not at all the subject of consensus, is whether or not we will completely shift the European automotive industry towards zero emissions by 2035. This may seem distant, but thirteen years to totally transform the biggest industry in terms of jobs in Europe is obviously extremely fast. Do we adopt, yes or no, this binding rule for all manufacturers? We are talking about new cars. This means that everyone who will have a non-zero emission car by 2035 will obviously be able to continue to use it. And why in 2035? Quite simply because the objective that we have set ourselves to comply with the Paris climate agreements is to be carbon neutral, to no longer emit CO2 in 2050. However, a car drives in average on European roads for 15 years.
You speak of a “tsunami” of lobbies on these texts, that is to say?
This is the last chance for anti-climate industrialists to make their voices heard. This is manifested by hundreds of proposed amendments, arguments that deconstruct the arguments for the climate. It is legitimate to defend one’s interests, but the companies that say not to do such and such a thing on carbon, on cars or on buildings do not put proposals on the table that would have the same climate objective.
“If we add up all the lobbies, in the end, we no longer have any climate action and it’s irresponsible when we know the consequences of climate change.”
Pascal Canfin, MEPat franceinfo
The European Union has decided on an embargo on Russian oil. Some are considering using charcoal as an alternative.
The agreement that we all have provides for a very rapid reduction in our consumption and importation of coal, oil and Russian gas. But if it is to replace it with gas, oil or coal which is not Russian, but which emits just as much CO2, from a climate point of view, that obviously will not have changed anything. This is why we must both reduce our imports of Russian fossil fuels and replace them if necessary with a very small part of American gas or gas from Qatar.
But the essential must be gradually replaced by renewable energies. This is why the European Commission, again in the climate package I have just mentioned, has made a proposal to double the production capacity of renewable energy by 2030, that is to say seven years as much energy production as we have done in the last 40 years. It is absolutely considerable and it proves the acceleration in which we are engaged.