France will reduce its use of fossil fuels by 30 per cent by 2030 and by half by 2050, President François Hollande said on Friday when he opened a two-day conference on the environment in Paris on Friday, reports RFI.
Hollande is under pressure from his Green party allies to deliver on his promise to make France "the nation of environmental excellence" but faces resistance from business and the right.
"Fossil fuels still account for more than 70 per cent of our overall energy use," Hollande said. "Therefore I propose that we set a goal of reducing consumption of fossil energy by 30 percent by 2030."
Savings of 20-50 billion euros on the country's energy bill by 2030, he claimed, but added, in reference to the 2050 target, "Let's not be dogmatic about this, if we are little bit off the mark, it won't be disastrous."
Read more of this report from RFI.