Emmanuel Macron aspires to be remembered as the greenest president in Europe. His France is seriously considering banning the circulation of diesel cars, stopping the exploration and production of gas and oil. Tomorrow? No. By 2040, when Emmanuel will certainly no longer be President of the Republic. The environmental purpose has found space in a bill presented last Thursday in Parliament. When the news spread, the French were perplexed. Although Paris, in particular, has long been fighting against pollution from Co2 pollution. The bill gives the government the responsibility – the refusal – to issue permits for exploration and drilling. Expiring concessions will not be renewed soon.
Total – a home company – is among the subjects most interested in the path of the law. It is known that it has already slowed down its mining activities. But from a smooth slowdown to an absolute ban on land and offshore there is a lot. Perhaps someone will explain to the President the consequences of a seductive and controversial law on the balance sheets and income statements. It will be interesting to understand how the patriotic thrust of Macron himself will be reconciled with the interests of the largest oil company in the country. Study the effects on the 6 million barrels of hydrocarbons produced each year which cover just over 1% of national consumption. At the Elysée they will have to consider that the country will continue to import oil for many years.
He will be forced to review the balance of payments towards oil-producing countries, because cars will not stop by decree. Somehow it will also be necessary to dust off the ecological projects of the predecessor Holland, providing incentives for those who abandon the diesel car. In Italy, when we faced the referendum on drills and no-triv grilling, these analyzes were made. The people understood, the energy system (extraction, production, refining, distribution) has been safeguarded. Can we imagine that, although it takes 23 years to apply the law, the French are not concerned with the circulation of vehicles, public transport, goods traveling with trucks and so on?
One suspects that the President's idea is highly promotional. A leap towards an eco-sustainable, environmentalist country, head of Europe, to the detriment of the others, ugly polluters. Anything can be, as we have already seen in recent months of a Presidency that is fighting a borderless war on the economy and does not look anyone in the face. The law should be approved by the end of the year, wanting to send a signal to countries that are slow in complying with the 21 COP2015 climate agreements. Environmentalists are analyzing the text brought to Parliament. According to Reuters, they are ready to accuse the government of climate greenwashing, an environmental charisma that it does not have.
In reality, the French President will not have much credibility until he solves in a convincing way the management of nuclear power, the real French energy engine. Macron spent himself in the electoral campaign and in international summits for the reduction of coal over the next 7-10 years, for the growth of renewable sources, for environmentally friendly policies. He did not imagine that Donald Trump, withdrawing Barack Obama's signature from the climate accords, would become his biggest supporter. This too may be the driving force that prompted him to propose the law last Thursday and act quickly to the detriment of those who go slowly.
