For Emmanuelle Wargon, Secretary of State in charge of the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, "health and ecological crisis" are linked. It ensures that the Covid-19 epidemic and its economic consequences do not jeopardize the government's objectives related to the environment.
The head of state repeated that the next world would be turned towards solidarity and ecology. Concretely, how will this translate?
EMMANUELLE WARGON . We have already turned to solidarity without abandoning ecology during this crisis. From the first aid operations for companies in difficulty, especially that concerning Air France, the government immediately conditioned its financial support on a strategic vision of ecological transformation of the company. This is proof that ecology continues to be our priority. The objective is now to go further within the framework of the recovery plan which will be presented in the coming weeks. In addition, health crisis and ecological crisis are linked. Because to protect our health, we must also protect the health of the planet and that of biodiversity.
That is to say ?
Take the energy renovation of buildings. If we renovate poorly insulated public buildings, improve comfort in winter and in summer schools, hospitals, retirement homes and housing, it will be good for the planet, because the building is the second source of greenhouse gas emissions in France behind transport. And it will also be good for the quality of life of the inhabitants of these energy strainers.
Does the economic emergency go hand in hand with the ecological emergency?
It was found that this was not the case during the 2008 crisis, because the actors of the time had focused on the economic recovery, without worrying about the environment. As a result, greenhouse gases started to rise again. But it is different today, because the climate crisis has worsened and the economic world has changed its discourse. The proof: the Medef which, at the very beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, had asked that some ecological standards be put on pause, aroused a real outcry and many business leaders expressed themselves to ask otherwise. More than ninety large French companies have also signed a platform saying that the crisis should be the occasion for an acceleration of ecological policies. As far as the government is concerned, we have adopted the multi-year energy program which provides for the increase in renewable energies, the drop in nuclear power and the renovation of 500,000 thermal strainers per year.
NGOs say they have heard a lot of talk about ecology, but they have not seen a lot of concrete action ...
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Contrary to what happened before where ecology was only "if we can", we are working on a model in which the ecological dimension is as important as the rest. Proof that in terms of energy we are keeping our promises, even with this crisis, we have not called into question the closure of the second reactor at Fessenheim which will be closed at the end of June whereas the first was closed on February 22. We are not abandoning the shutdown of coal-fired power plants either. There is therefore no questioning of our ecological ambition.
The last meeting of the Citizens' Climate Convention will take place at the end of June. The umpteenth consultation without a future?
Quite the contrary. This Citizen Climate Convention is sort of falling at a turning point. It will make proposals to collectively respect our efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and its proposals will be integrated by the government in its software for reinventing our society. Thanks to this convention, citizens will help us define the path to take. It is a great issue of direct democracy that will be taken into account.
Emmanuel Macron almost made himself the champion of demondialization through this crisis. Is this a philosophical change on his part?
The local will regain a lot of importance, especially in short circuit productions for part of the agriculture. Territorial ecology will be part of our reorganization. It is an expectation of sovereignty shared by all French people.
Given your ambitions and those of the president, will the ecological budget be revised upwards for 2021?
Discussions have not started, but the ecological transition will remain a priority, including the budget.
