
Environmental transition: The two faces of Emmanuel Macron
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.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
AI-powered disinformation spreads online amid Los Angeles protests
Since June 6, Los Angeles has been rocked by protests and clashes with law enforcement, after more than 40 migrants were arrested downtown by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The events have escalated into a confrontation between Donald Trump and the California leaders after the US President deployed National Guard troops against protestors on June 7, overriding the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom. In this context, several internet users have circulated misleading or erroneous content using artificial intelligence tools. AI-generated selfie video of National Guard soldier On June 9, an alleged National Guard soldier, who identified himself as Bob, posted a selfie video on TikTok that garnered more than 770,000 views. The 'soldier' is seen smiling and offering a 'behind-the-scenes' look at troops preparing for deployment to 'gas' protesters. The second scene of the video features 'Bob' during the clashes, decrying the throwing of 'oil-filled balloons' at law enforcement. It turns out that the video is fake. There are several indications that it was generated using artificial intelligence. For instance, in the video's first scene, one of the badges that should display the soldier's rank shows nonsensical characters. AI still struggles with creating coherent text. Another inconsistency is a strangely placed traffic light on the left side of the image, which is partially obscuring another traffic light. We found another anomaly in the video's second scene. A police car displays an incorrect acronym, LAPC. The Los Angeles Police Department's actual acronym is LAPD. The TikTok account that posted the video, 'maybenotquitereal', is a parody. Its bio states that the user produces "satirical" content. However, this disclaimer isn't visible in the video featuring the supposed National Guard soldier. As seen in the comments, many users believe the video is genuine. Some urge "Bob" to "stay safe" and thank him for 'protecting the country', while another pro-protester online user criticises him for "hurting the citizens" he was supposed to "protect". Did California's Governor share fake National Guard photos? An AI fact-check error On June 9, California Governor Gavin Newsom posted photos on social media showing National Guard soldiers seemingly asleep on the ground. "You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep. Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you, Donald Trump,' Newsom wrote. However, a user quickly challenged Newsom's claim in the comments, asking, "Why are you posting fake news?" The user backed up this assertion with a screenshot of an image verification performed by ChatGPT. According to the AI, the photograph was taken on August 19, 2021, at Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the fall of the Afghan capital to the Taliban. The image was reportedly part of a series titled "Afghanistan Evacuation [Image 1 of 3]," published on Dvids, a US military image bank. As explained by BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh, ChatGPT's analysis is inaccurate. A reverse image search (here's how to do one) traces the origin of the images to an exclusive publication by a local media, the San Francisco Chronicle, on June 9, 2025. No instances of these photos appear on Google before this date. Furthermore, our team conducted a search on the Dvids website, where ChatGPT claimed the photos come from, using the AI's suggested title, "Afghanistan Evacuation [Image 1 of 3]." The search yields photographs unrelated to those published by Gavin Newsom. The reliability of image origin verification by chatbots like ChatGPT and Grok varies significantly. Search results from these AI can change depending on when the query is made, as demonstrated by a recent X thread where several users asked Elon Musk's Grok AI to identify the source of the photos. In an analysis initiated on June 9 at 22:55, Grok determined that photographs shared by Gavin Newsom were taken in Kabul on August 19, 2021, just like ChatGPT. In this analysis, the chatbot even deemed the use of these photos in 2025 to criticise the troop situation in Los Angeles as "misleading". However, the same analysis performed at midnight on June 10 yielded a different outcome. While Grok still suggested the photo was taken in Afghanistan in 2021, it no longer entirely ruled out the possibility that it could date from 2025. Finally, an analysis run on June 10 at 5:23 provided the correct result, attributing the photograph's origin to the San Francisco Chronicle. A search conducted by our team in English on ChatGPT on June 10 at 17:46 also yielded an accurate result, crediting the San Francisco Chronicle as the source of the photographs.


France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
How to break the cycle? From war in Gaza to a two-state solution?
From the show A death spiral in Gaza with no end in sight, a Middle East peace process that's been moribund for years. What's the point of talking solutions when not even a truce is in sight? In New York next week, France slated to co-chair with Saudi Arabia what's officially billed as a 'UN International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.' Emmanuel Macron had strongly suggested he would recognize a Palestinian state. Is it still the case? We asked about the pressure on the French president to dial it back. With the U.S silent as Israel pounds Gaza and expands illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank, what does recognizing Palestinian statehood change in practice? On Thursday, Paris will host a springboard event for New York. We heard from civil society participants in the civil society conference hosted by the Paris Peace Forum. How to find common ground to proposals that can win over a population where positions have generally hardened for so long? Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Aurore Laborie and Ilayda Habip.


Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Egypt stops activists marching to Gaza to draw attention to aid crisis
Egypt blocked activists planning to take part in a march to Gaza on Thursday, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to the enclave before the march could begin. Egyptian authorities and activists both said that dozens of people planning to march across the Sinai Peninsula were deported, but organisers said they had no plans to cancel the event. To draw attention to the humanitarian crisis afflicting people in Gaza, marchers have for months planned to trek about 50 kilometres from the city of Arish to Egypt's border with Gaza on Sunday to "create international moral and media pressure" to open the crossing at Rafah and lift a blockade that has prevented aid from entering. They said they had tried to coordinate with Egyptian embassies in the various countries from which the participants came, but authorities said they had not obtained authorisation for the march. Authorities deported more than three dozen activists, mostly carrying European passports, upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport in the past two days, an Egyptian official said on Thursday. The official said the activists aimed to travel to Northern Sinai "without obtaining required authorisations." The standoff has put pressure on the activists' home countries, which are wary of seeing their citizens detained. A French diplomatic official said France is in "close contact" with Egyptian authorities about French nationals who were refused entry in Egypt or detained to ensure "consular protection." The participants risked arrest for unauthorised demonstrations in sensitive areas like the Sinai Peninsula, the official added. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the sensitive diplomatic matter. Egypt has publicly denounced the restrictions on aid entering Gaza and repeatedly called for an end to the war. It has said that the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains open, but access to the Strip has been blocked since Israel seized the Palestinian side of the border as part of its war with Hamas that began in October 2023. However, authorities have for years clamped down on dissidents and activists when their criticism touches on Cairo's political and economic ties with Israel, a sensitive issue in neighbouring countries where governments maintain diplomatic relations with Israel despite broad public sympathy for Palestinians. Egypt had earlier warned that only those who received authorisation would be allowed to travel the planned march route, acknowledging it had received "numerous requests and inquiries." "Egypt holds the right to take all necessary measures to preserve its national security, including the regulation of the entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive border areas," its foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, yesterday referred to the protestors as "jihadists" and called on Egypt to prevent them from reaching the border with Gaza. He said they "endanger the Egyptian regime and constitute a threat to all moderate Arab regimes in the region." The march was set to begin just days after a large convoy, which organisers said included thousands of activists, travelled overland across North Africa to Egypt. Activists and attorneys said airport detentions and deportations began on Wednesday with no explicit reason given by Egyptian authorities to detainees. Algerian attorney Fatima Rouibi wrote on Facebook that Algerians, including three lawyers, were detained at the airport on Wednesday before being released and ultimately deported back to Algiers on Thursday. Bilal Nieh, a Tunisian activist who lives in Germany, said he was deported along with seven others from northern Africa who also hold European passports. Organisers said in a statement that they had received reports that at least 170 participants had been delayed or detained in Cairo. They said they had followed the protocols laid out by Egyptian authorities, met with them and urged them to let march participants into the country. "We look forward to providing any additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march continues peacefully as planned to the Rafah border," they said in a statement. The Global March to Gaza is the latest civil society effort pressing for the entry of food, fuel, medical supplies and other aid into Gaza. Israel imposed a total blockade in March in an attempt to pressure Hamas to disarm and to release hostages taken in the 7 October 2023 attack that sparked the current war in Gaza. It slightly eased restrictions last month, allowing limited aid in, but experts warn the measures fall far short. Food security experts warn the Gaza Strip will likely fall into famine if Israel doesn't lift its blockade and stop its military campaign. Nearly half a million Palestinians are facing possible starvation and 1 million others can barely get enough food, according to findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a leading international authority. Israel has rejected the findings, saying the IPC's previous forecasts had proven unfounded. African champions Al Ahly meet Inter Miami in the opening game. The match-up between Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo and recent UEFA Champions League victors PSG is a must-see match in the group stage. ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ