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France set to start "green revolution" |
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President Nicolas Sarkozy has unveiled a mix of tax measures and investments that would put France at the forefront of the climate change battle. The proposed strategy includes a 120 g/km vehicle CO2 emissions target by 2012, and energy-neutral buildings by 2020.
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2007-10-26
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At the end of a two-day, high-profile environment conference, Sarkozy promised a “green revolution” for France, unveiling a package of tax measures and investment pledges that would help cut greenhouse gas emissions from different industry sectors substantially and help change attitudes to the environment. Saying that “France isn’t late but France wants now to be in the lead,” he announced investments to improve energy efficiency in buildings, and tax breaks to help sell “greener” vehicles.
Sarkoy also announced discounts on environmentally friendly products, and higher import taxes on products coming from countries that do not respect the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. While he supported the introduction of a general “carbon tax” on fossil fuels, he stopped short of any commitment to impose it. He backed instead the idea to examine all public projects in terms of their "climate costs".
EU Commission President Barroso and former U.S. President Al Gore, both attending the meeting in Paris, welcomed his plans. Gore, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2007, congratulated Sarkozy on the initiatives that would give a "tremendous boost" to global efforts to fight climate change.
Cutting car & buildings emissions
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As a key measure to cut GHG emissions, Sarkozy proposed to punish polluting vehicles while at the same time introducing discounts for buyers of fuel-efficient vehicles. On top of that, the proposed working plan foresees a 120 g/km CO2 emissions targets for new cars by 2012 through vehicle technology, 10 g less than the proposal currently discussed at the EU level. By 2020, the emissions level for all vehicles on the road (old & new) should be at 130 g/km.
By 2020, all new buildings should "produce more energy than they consume", Sarkozy said, without, however, specifying how this would be achieved. As an interim target, the plan proposes 20% energy savings from 2005 levels by 2010.
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Background & Next Steps
The so-called "Grenelle Environnement" project, named after a Paris district, is one of the highest profile green initiative ever launched in France. During the last four months, measures had been drafted jointly by business leaders, farmers, and the green lobby. Both environmentalists and politicians welcomed this unprecedented cooperation, with Al Gore calling for a "worldwide Grenelle".
France, lagging behind other European countries in promoting environmental innovation, will hold further consultations before year-end. The parliament is expected to vote on the proposals in the first half of 2008.
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More information:
 Grenelle Environnement - WG Energy & Climate Change - FRENCH (70 KB)
› Grenelle Environnement - website
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