17 hours ago
Wake-up call for France as climate experts push for new action on emissions
France's top climate advisory body has called for renewed urgency in tackling climate change, warning that recent setbacks and a slowdown in decarbonisation efforts risk undermining the country's environmental goals.
France is falling behind on its climate promises as extreme weather claims lives, hits food supply chains and strains public budgets, the country's top climate advisory council warned on Thursday.
In its annual report, the High Council for the Climate (HCC) painted a bleak picture of France's fight to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Political instability and stop-start funding are holding back the changes needed to adapt to a fast-warming world, it said.
France's climate plan has 'stalled' this year, the HCC added, blaming a lack of clear leadership and poor coordination between government ministries.
'Is there still a pilot on this plane while the turbulence is getting worse?' the report asked. The HCC, created in 2018, was renewed for five years last year.
It comprises 12 independent experts and is chaired by Jean-François Soussana, an agronomist and the vice-president of France's national research institute for agriculture and the environment.
Europe is world's fastest-heating continent, report warns
Over the last 10 years, mainland France has warmed by 2.2°C. If the global average rises by 1.5°C, on the current trajectory that will means a rise of around 2°C for France.
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