Emmanuel Macron donned his greenest suit, the one reserved for international summits and United Nations climate conferences. From the moment he arrived at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, the French president delivered a series of impassioned statements on environmental issues, taking a combative stance against less active countries. None of the 2,300 scientists present in Nice would have disagreed with such remarks.

"Climate and biodiversity are not matters of opinion, they are matters of scientifically established facts," said the president on Monday, June 9, as he welcomed the 63 other heads of state and government on the French Riviera. As for the predatory ambitions of Donald Trump and other powers: "The abyss is not for sale, any more than Greenland is up for grabs, no more than Antarctica or the high seas are for sale," he said that same day. The United States' desire to drill the seabed? "Pure madness..."

This is a familiar position for Macron on the international stage. On June 1, 2017, he made a notable entrance into climate diplomacy with his "Make our planet great again" speech, delivered the night Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. Even though his image has been tarnished somewhat in recent years, he still delivers rousing addresses at climate conferences. "The top priority is for the most advanced countries to get out of fossil fuels," he insisted on December 1, 2023, at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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