The year 2024 was particularly sinister for nature and the climate: the difficulty in curbing global warming with the failure of negotiations in Azerbaijan, the failure also of the COP on biodiversity in Cali in Colombia, natural disasters, including Cyclone Chido with more intense episodes… But at RTL, we still found reasons to hope.
First good news, even fragile, deforestation in the Amazon has declined. Since President Lula returned to power in Brazil in 2022, 30% fewer trees have been cut down in this forest, which is so essential for producing the planet's oxygen. The other encouraging sign concerns the energy transition. By 2024, renewable energy, solar and wind, will now surpass oil in production. They are cheaper, and thanks to advances in technology, they are becoming more profitable than fossil fuels. The UK closed its last coal-fired power station this year, and for the first time, the Chinese have invested more in renewables than in fossil fuels.
In France, we are sorting our waste better and better
The trend is positive. The latest figures date from 2023, but those from 2024 should confirm it, according to professionals in the sector. Citizens' sorting actions, reinforced by the simplification of sorting instructions deployed throughout the country, are bearing fruit. We now recycle more than two thirds of paper and cardboard. For plastic, it is also progressing even if the rate is only 27%. The objectives set by law have not yet been achieved.
However, the slow but progressive application of the AGEC law on the circular economy should make it possible to improve these results. In fast food restaurants, we are seeing more and more washable, reusable containers. Society is changing, with the boom in the second-hand market, including Christmas gifts. And the progress in the repair market figures, thanks to the implementation of the repair bonus which was increased on January 1, 2024 and the savings made by having it repaired, rather than by purchasing new products.
Endangered species doing better
Good news also for biodiversity. Conservation efforts are paying off. Species that were no longer encountered or threatened with extinction in France have returned. The beaver, which had practically disappeared in the 1970s, is today considered saved. There are more than 25,000, particularly on the banks of the Loire. The boreal lynx has reappeared in the Jura and the Vosges and the Cinereous Vulture is flying again in the Cévennes and the Alps. And when species return, it is because their habitat and ecosystems are better.
River renaturation works
In October 2024, storm Kirk caused serious flooding in Ile-de-France, for example in the municipalities bordering the Yvette river, a tributary of the Seine. But in the Bièvre valley, right next door, the damage was minimal. Among the reasons: the restoration of the river. Just 4 years ago, the Bièvre was a straight, concreted canal, but 700 meters of banks have been renatured around Jouy-en-Josas. The river meanders again. Meanders absorb much more water. The concrete was removed, replaced with earth and vegetation. The work cost 1 million euros, but during the bad weather in October in Jouy en Josas, only 2 cellars were flooded.
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