France is falling behind on tackling the climate emergency despite ambitious promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a new report has found, saying Paris is worryingly far from delivering its goals, reports The Guardian.
The stark warning from France’s independent advisory council on climate comes at a key moment, as the eurozone’s second-biggest economy attempts to present itself as a world leader on the climate emergency.
The centrist president, Emmanuel Macron, who sought to counter Donald Trump by promising to “make our planet great again”, has tried to encourage other European nations to aim for neutral carbon dioxide emissions across the EU by 2050.
Opinion polls have showed the climate emergency is a growing priority for French voters, who increased the Green party’s score in European elections last month.
But the report handed to the prime minister, Édouard Philippe, on Tuesday night suggests that everyday life in France does not match the political promises. France needs to seriously strengthen its climate policies – particularly on transport, car use and building renovation – if it is to meet its commitments under the Paris climate agreement, the experts said.
Crucially the report comes just as its authors described “a new era in the long-running rivalry between France and Britain: who will decarbonise the fastest”.