A subject swept under the carpet in just one minute and 35 seconds, no mention of the consequences of global warming – notably the intensification of extreme weather events – and multiple omissions on key sectors of environmental planning. On Tuesday, January 14, François Bayrou delivered the weakest general policy speech on environmental issues of Emmanuel Macron's second term.
Even Gabriel Attal, also known for his lack of enthusiasm on these subjects, went one step further on January 30, 2024, asserting that "climate change is hitting us harder, stronger and more often." "We're stunned and a little shocked," said Nicolas Richard, vice-president of France Nature Environnement. "This speech reflects a 20th-century mindset in which environmentalism is not considered a crisis, as if awareness of what's happening disappeared at the highest level of government."
While the prime minister's office is in charge of environmental planning, which should enable
France to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, the prime minister was brief on this so-called "challenge of the century," an expression Macron himself used in 2022. "Environmentalism is not the problem, it's the solution," began the head of government, before briefly mentioning the transition. "It's an emergency and we must pursue it and amplify it: plan the transition by finalizing our low-carbon strategy; preserve our biodiversity; produce in a decarbonized way, thanks to new technologies." On the subject of energy, Bayrou mentioned only "nuclear power generation," hydrogen and "geothermal energy, the inexhaustible reservoir of free calories beneath our feet," one of his obsessions since the publication of a report on the subject during his tenure as High Commissioner for Planning.
'Pyramid of standards'
But the centrist prime minister failed to reassure whole sections of the environmental planning process, which are at a standstill due to the economic situation and political instability. While environmentalists were calling for a €7 billion increase in funding to kick-start the environmental transition, Bayrou made no mention of renewable energies, the electrification of transport – for which funding has been cut by €500 million – or the energy renovation of buildings.
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