The former French President, Jacques Chirac, was quoted as saying:

Soon will come a day when climate change escapes all control. We are on the verge of the irreversible. Faced with this emergency, the time is not for half-measures. The time is for a revolution: a revolution of our awareness, a revolution of the economy, a revolution of political action. - Jacques Chirac, French President, BBC

That revolution never transpired during Mr. Chirac's tenure, so the task now falls to his replacement.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy is keeping his pre-election pledge for a ‘green revolution’ in France. At least that’s one politician taking the threat of climate change seriously. Jean-Louis Borloo, the minister for the environment and sustainable development said: "We have no alternative but to radically change the rules and bring about an environmental revolution." The first stage of this green revolution was to bring together the major stakeholders to draw up a plan to reduce France’s carbon emissions. The government brought in expertise from environmental groups, trade unions, farmers, and big business to work out possible measures that could be implemented by the government. The next stage is a massive public consultation exercise using an internet questionnaire and public meetings around the country. The consultation process will not decide policy, but it will directly influence policy.

Some believe the moves are just public relations tactics

There are, of course, critics of the president that are calling this a publicity stunt, and some environmental groups believe he is not going far enough, but the fact is the president is doing something constructive and bringing the public into the process of reducing France’s carbon emissions. The public are basically being asked whether they want to save the planet. They are also being asked to voice their opinion on specific policies. Regardless of how the public vote, there are bound to be interest groups that will lobby against the policies. For example, the suggestion to reduce the speed limit by 10km/h (6mph) has been mooted before, but was dropped because of protests by motoring groups, even though this simple measure alone would save 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon emissions a year. The introduction of a system of penalties and bonuses depending on the fuel efficiency of a car to make smaller cars more attractive and big gas-guzzling cars less so was similarly abandoned because of protests by motorists. That was back in 2003, but a more recent study by the environment ministry showed people are far more concerned about the environment now, with 93% of respondents saying they were ready to make lifestyle changes.

The farmer's lobby is massive in France, and no French government can afford to get into a war with the farmers. Fortunately, by involving the farmers in the consultation process early on, any conflict may be averted. The issue of environmental pollution is an emotive one in France. The use of GM crops is unpopular with the public, but grain producers lobbied against an outright ban, instead a new authority is to be set up to carry out more research into GM crops and report to the government. 81% of the public, along with all the green groups in France, want a reduction in the use of pesticides. The farmers have agreed in principle to the idea, but they want viable alternatives to ensure their crops are protected before they agree in practice. The government is asking for growth in land set aside for organic farming to reach 20% in the next 13 years, but this will lead to higher food prices. For a country used to paying very little for fresh fruit and vegetables, will this be a step too far?

The idea of improving the existing housing stock to reduce energy use is good in theory, but will the public be happy to pay up to $28,000 each to insulate their homes? Making all new homes carbon-neutral by 2020 is another good idea, but will people pay the premium price house-builders will charge for this? The one issue the government is not prepared to negotiate is the use of nuclear power. France gets 80% of its electricity from nuclear power and this is something that will not change for the foreseeable future, much to the chagrin of environmental groups.

All in all, I think this is a good way to move forward in the battle to reduce climate change gas emissions. Involving all the major players means any policies agreed will not only be accepted readily, but will be economically and socially viable. This is a working model that can be adopted here in the UK and I’m sure in the USA too. All we need is the political will, which I know in the UK is lacking at the moment, and I suspect in the US too, given the Bush administration’s attitude to climate change. I think Jean-Louis Borloo summed it up perfectly when he told Le Monde newspaper "Our biggest challenge is to reorganize society before dwindling resources force us towards a society of restrictions." This is true in France, and it is true for the rest of the world. If we do not face up to the challenge of climate change now and deal with it on our terms, we will have to eventually face up to the devastating consequences of climate change.

Source: World Business Council for Sustainable Development