"Populism," "short-term electoralism"... Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher deplores the discourse on ecology of a section of "the right and the far right"

Bruno Retailleau's position on the environment continues to provoke reactions within the executive. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Ecological Transition, tackled the speeches on ecology coming from "the right" and the "far right" whom she accuses of using climate change to "stir up fears" and "fracture the country", in an interview with Le Monde this Friday, July 4, tackling the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau , while France has experienced intense heat in recent days.

"For several months, the right and the far right have been trying to sweep away everything that has been built with the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, by repeating that ecology is a danger," the minister denounced.

"Yesterday, they denied climate change. Today, they're using it to stir up fears and fracture the country. It's populism, short-term electoralism disguised as so-called 'common sense' that supposedly protects the working classes and rural areas," asserts Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

For the former MP for Pas-de-Calais, these speeches "expose the French to the dangers of climate change" and "weaken France's position in the face of its gas and oil suppliers, which are not always allied states, such as Russia, the United States, Algeria or countries in the Middle East..."

The minister does not hesitate to explicitly deplore certain remarks made within her own government, pointing to the article co-signed by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, in which he calls for "stopping the financing of renewables" and published in Le Figaro on Thursday, July 3.

"This platform is absurd and dangerous from an industrial, economic, social, and also geopolitical point of view," maintains Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

"The strategy Bruno Retailleau is proposing, ultimately, is to write checks to Algeria to import gas while simultaneously destroying an entire renewable energy sector. It's petty politics," she says.

"It's a losing electoral calculation: by chasing the National Rally, the French will always prefer the original to the copy. Especially when you account for 7% of the vote in the legislative elections," the former MP chides.

The leader of the RN deputies is also taking some flak. "I also find it ironic that Marine Le Pen is calling for the creation of an air conditioning plan while opposing the multi-year energy program (PPE) which plans to triple the number of cooling networks, that is, efficient and carbon-free air conditioning," says Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

Bruno Retailleau's co-signing of this column in Le Figaro, as president of LR, has sparked a reaction in recent days. Emmanuel Macron responded, assuring him that "it's not a good idea to say that we're no longer going to use renewable energy in our country, that we're no longer going to invest," and calling for "not caricaturizing everything" and "getting rid of the whims," ​​when questioned by the press on this subject during a trip to Rochefort-sur-Soulzon. "We need to use nuclear and renewable energy," according to the president.

Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, currently head of the Renaissance party, denounced on X an "incomprehensible historical and scientific misinterpretation (...) on the part of Bruno Retailleau, while France "has been experiencing an unprecedented heatwave for several days."

"Believing that escaping dependence on fossil fuels and the countries that produce them can be achieved by abandoning renewable energy and putting employees in their sectors out of work is a fantasy - and a position that is directly opposed to the Government's line," also denounced Industry Minister Marc Ferracci.

Faced with the speeches she denounces, Agnès Pannier-Runacher is calling this Friday for a "balanced mix between nuclear and renewables, which will make it possible to lower the price of electricity and reach 42% fossil fuels by 2030, compared to around 60% today."

In his column, Bruno Retailleau called for "rebuilding a nuclear fleet by reconstituting French industrial expertise," believing that "wind and photovoltaic power only bring an intermittency to the French energy mix that is costly to manage."

In 2024, the decrease in French greenhouse gas emissions was 1.8%, compared to -6.8% in 2023. This slowdown occurs in a political context marked by several setbacks in recent weeks on land artificialization (ZAN), on the restriction of the most polluting vehicles in large cities ( ZFE ) and on the questioning of state aid for the energy renovation of housing ( MaPrimeRénov' ).