the essential
After a significant decline in 2023, the decline in greenhouse gas emissions in France is showing signs of slowing down this year, with even a slight increase in the third quarter.
The path to decarbonization is winding. From July to September last year, French greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased by 0.5% compared to summer 2023, after a drop of 5% and 2.2% during the first two quarters. . Citepa, the organization mandated to draw up France’s carbon footprint, recalls that the year 2023 ended with a drop in emissions of 5.8% compared to 2022. Logically, 2024 should be even lower, but to a lesser extent.
This slowdown “reminds us thatwe must not let our guard down“, underlined on RTL Agnès Pannier-Runacher. However, the Minister of Ecological Transition is pleased that we remain “on the right trajectory” to meet the objective of reducing France’s emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 1990.
Conversely, this slowdown “should act as a real shock for the government“, reacted the Climate Action Network, through the voice of its program director Anne Bringault. “Political instability and the brakes, even the cessation of ecological transition policies and budget cuts are in the process of putting into effect jeopardize our climate goals.
An increase in road traffic emissions
It is especially the construction sector which weighs down the balance sheet, with an increase of 11.8% in the 3rd quarter, due to a jump in heating emissions in September. But transport is also responsible for slowing the decline. The 3rd quarter notably saw an increase in road traffic emissions in the country of more than 1% compared to 2023.
On this subject, the minister once again raised the hypothesis of a tightening of the conditions governing the renewal of company automobile fleets. “They buy half as many electric cars as households and therefore they do not play the game. We will have to push them to play the game,” she warned.
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