ZFE, land artificialization, renovation… The High Council for the Climate deplores the government’s “backsliding”

This independent body, established in 2018 by President Emmanuel Macron, is composed of twelve experts tasked with assessing the government's climate action and issuing recommendations. It now deplores the Bayrou government's successive setbacks in environmental issues and the fight against global warming.

Under pressure from right-wing parties, the far right, LFI or certain members of the central bloc depending on the issues, several texts have also recorded setbacks in Parliament in recent weeks on the subject of land artificialization (zero net artificialization, ZAN) or the restriction of the most polluting vehicles in large cities (low emission zones, ZFE).

In March, the HCC had already warned that France was "not yet ready" to face global warming, which is already reaching +2.2°C in the country between 2015 and 2024. This observation is still relevant as the country gradually emerges from a long, intense, and premature heatwave.

"This type of heatwave illustrates that in some cases, we can reach adaptation limits, with significant impacts, for example on health," Mr. Soussana emphasizes. The measures contained in the government's adaptation plan "are still out of step with vulnerabilities and needs," the HCC regrets.

In its annual report entitled "Relaunching Climate Action in the Face of Worsening Impacts and Weakening Management," it points out that the rate of decline in greenhouse gas emissions slowed significantly in 2024 (-1.8%). The decline remained strong for energy production, but stalled in other sectors (agriculture, buildings, industry, transport, etc.). However, the rate will need to double to achieve France's 2030 targets.

Experts even point out that a large part (70%) of this reduction can be attributed to "conjunctural" factors, such as mild winter weather or the restart of nuclear reactors.

"Breeders have a difficult life and earn a poor living, and so more and more farms are shutting down. So this is what we call a cyclical effect, because it is not a deliberate political phenomenon," gives Marion Guillou, a member of the HCC and a food specialist, as an example.

The HCC also regrets "setbacks" that have "often affected measures that have been very popular with individuals": social leasing (renting electric vehicles to low-income households), support for rooftop solar panels, or building renovations. "The clarity of France's climate policy has been called into question by these setbacks, creating a lack of visibility for the private sector and local authorities," the report states.

MaPrimeRénov', state aid for energy renovation of homes, is currently suspended for new major renovation projects until mid-September. President Macron himself had expressed his dissatisfaction, criticizing the "uncertainties" surrounding certain measures.

The HCC also cites the setbacks recorded in Parliament on ZAN or ZFE.

Relaunch France's position

The experts also reiterate their criticism of the delays in publishing certain key energy and climate texts and deplore the "weakening" of the General Secretariat for Ecological Planning, an organization attached to the Prime Minister's office. Internationally, they also suggest "relaunching France's climate diplomacy."

The European Commission submitted to member states on Wednesday its objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, with "flexibilities." No vote will take place before September, meaning the timeline is very tight before the UN climate conference (COP30) in Brazil in November. The EU must unveil its climate roadmap to 2035 before this major meeting.