The executive is preparing to unveil the main principles of its roadmap to the parties on Monday September 18. Several important announcements have already been made during the summer.
It is the plan of plans, the backbone on which all policies to address the climate crisis will be anchored. The government brings together the political parties on Monday, September 18, to present to them the principles of its ecological planning. This meeting will be followed by a Planning Board to decide the final arbitrations on a date which remains to be determined, before the examination of the budget in October.
>> What is ecological planning, advocated by Emmanuel Macron before his re-election to the Elysée?
The challenge is titanic: France must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990 by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to comply with the objectives set by the EU and limit global warming. If certain issues are already underway, significant investments will be necessary to carry them out, in addition to long-term political support. Seven billion euros are planned in the 2024 budget. Franceinfo takes stock of seven flagship projects of this “project of the century”.
1Put an end to thermal cars and encourage alternatives
With 66 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted in 2021, in France, private vehicles are the main source of greenhouse gas emissions, as shown by the General Secretariat for Ecological Planning (SGPE) (PDF link). With a view to banning the sale of thermal vehicles in the EU in 2035, despite certain exceptions for synthetic fuels, France is aiming for an objective of “15% of 100% electric vehicles driving in 2030, compared to only 1% today”, continues the SGPE.
What was launched. To accelerate the transition, the government has already put in place an ecological bonus, amounting to 5,000 to 7,000 euros, which must be increased for low-income households on January 1, 2024.
What remains to be done. The SGPE is banking on tougher “penalties” on the heaviest and most polluting vehicles. It is also banking on social leasing: a long-term rental offer for electric cars with an option to purchase for 100 euros per month, aimed at the most modest households.
The SGPE also mentions other avenues, such as the development of cycling, public transport, teleworking. On the other hand, “the tax advantages available to aviation compared to trains, such as the absence of taxation on kerosene, are not addressed”, relieving from franceinfo Emeline Notari, responsible for climate policies within the Climate Action Network.
2 Renovate energy sieves and change oil and gas boilers
According to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, buildings represent around 25% of greenhouse gas emissions, including 18% linked to the operation of these buildings. (PDF link), largely due to heating.
What was launched. Since July 2022, it has been prohibited to install new oil boilers, which are particularly polluting. The government has also raised the possibility of banning the sale of gas boilers. A proposal contested by the UFC-Que Choisir, which fears an increase in the bill as long as housing is not better insulated: currently, the French housing stock has 5.2 million thermal strainers, according to the National Observatory of energy renovation.
Because it is above all the renovation of buildings that makes it possible to reduce energy consumption. In June, the government announced an envelope of 300 million euros to finance 200,000 large-scale renovations in 2024. And support aid for households will increase from 1,200 to 2,000 euros.
What remains to be done. From January 1, 2025, it will be prohibited to rent housing classified G, the worst category in the energy performance diagnosis. The decree published this summer, however, specifies certain exceptions on a case-by-case basis for co-ownerships, historic monuments or if the work risks weakening the structure of the building. It also sets the rest of the calendar: in 2028, it will be the turn of housing classified F. The rental of housing classified E will be prohibited from 2034.
3Promote a more plant-based and more local diet
The IPCC is categorical: “Reducing excessive meat consumption is one of the most effective measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.” One solution is to replace part of the meat with plant proteins.
What was launched. In May, the government announced a “crisis package” of 60 million euros to help organic producers. This amount is considered insufficient by the National Federation of Organic Agriculture (Fnab), questioned by Release. Especially since the SGPE is banking on a doubling of the area cultivated in organic agriculture (from 10.3% today to 21% in 2030), despite the difficulties in the sector.
What remains to be done. Starting from the observation that half of the fruits and vegetables consumed in France are imported,The government wishes gain ten points of sovereignty in this area by 2035. It announced that it would mobilize 200 million euros for the sector from 2023. The SGPE also encourages the growth of legume crops (soybeans, peas, beans, etc.) and the transition to breeding “more sustainable”without specifying concrete measures.
4Decarbonize the most polluting industrial sites
The SGPE aims to reduce industry emissions by almost half (44%) by 2030.
What is launched. In the spring, the government assured that 1.2 billion euros in aid had already been invested as part of the France Relance plan, initiated after the health crisis, and that 5.6 billion more will be devoted to it with France 2030 , another plan announced by the president in October 2021.
What remains to be done. The SGPE is also banking on technologies that are not entirely mature, such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, in addition to a drop in energy consumption of 17% by 2030 and the growth alternatives to fossil fuels. On the program: install solar panels, wind turbines on land and at sea as well as at least six new nuclear reactors between 2035 and 2050. These questions will be examined more closely within the framework of the programming law on energy and climate (LPEC), the examination of which is planned by the end of the year.
>> Here are the 50 industrial sites which alone concentrate 10% of CO2 emissions in France
5Protect soils, forests, biodiversity and our water resources
Biodiversity is in decline, in particular because of pesticides and the destruction of natural environments. In France, between 20,000 and 30,000 hectares (or approximately two to three times the surface area of the city of Paris) are artificialized each year, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
>> LARGE FORMAT. Biodiversity: which species are threatened near you?
What is launched. The “Zero net artificialization” law was promulgated on July 20. The objective: to ensure that by 2050, each time land is urbanized, an equivalent area is decimated and revegetated elsewhere. But many exceptions are planned, for example for projects considered to be of “major interest” (transport, industry, etc.).
What remains to be done. Protecting biodiversity and human health requires reducing dependence on pesticides. However, their use has started to increase again since 2019, according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture, despite a significant decline over the previous two years. A new plan called “Ecophyto” is expected to help farmers find alternatives.
Forests are another point of vigilance. When they are in good condition, they act as carbon sinks, that is to say they store CO2. But some are so degraded that they now emit them. The State’s response is to plant a billion trees by 2032. On this subject, 600 scientists, associations and professionals have alerted early 2022, in The JDD, on the importance of preserving existing forests.
With droughts becoming more and more frequent, another major challenge is preserving our water resources. While nearly 200 municipalities are still deprived of drinking water in mid-September, a plan announced in the spring aims in particular to increase to 10% of treated wastewater reused by 2030, compared to 1% currently, and help farmers equip themselves with more economical irrigation systems.
6Encourage responsible purchasing
What is launched. After the Nutri-score, an equivalent will be mandatory to display the environmental impact of clothing from 2025, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. State and local administrations must set an example with the implementation of the National Sustainable Purchasing Plan, to better guide public procurement.
What remains to be done. The SGPE would like to extend this display to other products, such as cosmetics or furniture, and develop bulk sales.
7Find 60 billion euros to finance planning
What is launched. In July, Elisabeth Borne promised that 60 billion euros would be mobilized to finance ecological planning, including 7 billion euros committed by the State, as part of its budget for the year 2024.
What remains to be done. For the rest, the government will need to succeed in mobilizing local authorities, the Caisse des Dépôts, the armed arm of the State in terms of strategic investments, businesses and households. “Communities will have to make a significant effort”, notes Damien Demailly, deputy director general of the Institute of Economics for Climate (I4CE), to franceinfo. According to him, a “multi-year vision of state investments” will be necessary to bring individuals and economic players on board.