Many words. Little action. Here is in summary the lawsuit brought by the NGOs to Emmanuel Macron. Greenpeace was also quick to denounce "a vast communication operation to green its image before the municipal elections" , while the head of state multiplies the initiatives one month before the election.
Read also: One month before the municipal elections, Macron appears as an environmental defender
Before going to see the damage caused by global warming on the Mer de Glace in Haute-Savoie, Emmanuel Macron met on Wednesday at the Élysée Palace with an ecological defense council. The fourth since coming to power. A device intended to " take decisions around the Head of State with the ministers concerned, to prevent discussions from drowning in interministerial meetings, to solemnize announcements and to see how certain complex subjects can be tackled" , we explain to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Faced with the expected EELV wave, the executive is accelerating in an attempt to thwart the inertia critics, fueled by opposition.
The essential issue of flooding was addressed. Because of repeated disasters, they have become the first natural risk in France. Between climate change, rising oceans and overflowing rivers, 17 million people now live with a sword of Damocles over their heads. The government, which is not creating a new system, wants to give a boost to those who already exist but get lost in administrative twists and turns. This is the case of the flood prevention action programs (Papi), which define a global policy ranging from the creation of protective works to the limitation of urbanization in certain territories. These, like other action plans, take years to be implemented. This desire for simplification therefore goes in the right direction, as does the search for innovative solutions. The government is considering in the cities the development of neighborhoods adapted to the flood risk. But this turn towards innovation is on tiptoe. Instead of an inventive policy for the whole country, nine sites will be concerned in France.
Protect the summit of Mont-Blanc
Another danger addressed during this Ecological Defense Council: the decline in the coastline, which today affects 20% of our coastline. "In Vendée or in the Somme, the coastline recedes from 0.5 to 1.5 meters per year," recalled the Minister of Ecology, Élisabeth Borne who, on Wednesday, presented the content of this 4th plan. By the end of the century, nearly 50,000 homes could be threatened. But this reminder of the danger is hardly accompanied by shock measures. The government is once again emphasizing the importance of information sharing. Owners and future buyers must know the risk to which they are exposed. As for relocating particularly exposed dwellings, the solution is being considered. But in what proportions? To foresee massive displacements would be a financial abyss. Thus, after the Xynthia storm in 2010, which had killed 49 people in Vendée and Charente-Maritime, state expenditure for the purchase of houses had amounted to 316 million euros.
If the prohibition of building must be the rule in the zones with “immediate risk”, the ministry for the Ecology foresees an innovative solution in other sectors. "In areas exposed to a risk of non-immediate erosion" , he plans to create non-permanent building permits. This permit "would authorize new constructions, provided that they are dismantled at the end of a period fixed beforehand" , specifies the press kit. As for the defense of our natural heritage, this new Council enumerates various measures, in particular those which will better protect the summit of Mont-Blanc, today abused and threatened by too many visitors.
Starting next July, public officials will have to adopt the gourd or glass to quench their thirstFar from being a model, the State has nevertheless decided to set an example. Through this Council, 20 measures are necessary which will have to be applied in its administrations. So no more plastic cups in dispensers. Starting next July, public officials will have to adopt the gourd or glass to quench their thirst. Likewise, the aircraft will be put on a brake. From January 2021, the train must be used for journeys whose journey times are less than 4 hours by rail or 6 hours "round trip". To see, if at the highest summit of the State, we will respect these instructions… Also on the transport side, agents who use the bicycle will be entitled from next July to the sustainable mobility package of 200 euros. Various initiatives will be taken to encourage carpooling. Finally, each ministry will have to publish an annual report giving an account of the effects linked to these new lifestyle habits.
