After France experienced its first intense heatwave of the summer, Environmental Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher expressed concern about policy backtracking and the right and the far right’s “populist” attacks on environmental subjects. She said she wanted to lower taxes on electricity by increasing those on gas, and announced that an interministerial committee on adaptation would be held in the fall.

France’s greenhouse gas emissions stayed stable in the first quarter of 2025 instead of declining. What is your reaction?

We are at +0.2% for the first quarter, which is an increase. These are very bad numbers and the year will not be good, as the CITEPA [nonprofit, formerly the Interprofessional Technical Center for Studies on Air Pollution] has predicted a decrease of only 0.8%. It would be easy to blame the weather [the winter of 2025 was colder than that of 2024, increasing households’ reliance on heating]. But, in reality, the confusing political messaging, backtracking and the irresponsible, populist comments of some about the environmental transition also explain what we are observing.

You have 88.1% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.