Le Figaro Bordeaux
He is far from being a fierce environmentalist, and yet.
Alain Rousset, socialist president of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (almost without interruption since 1998), wrote a letter on Friday to Gabriel Attal, after his general policy declaration, worrying about the announcements made by the Prime Minister, which according to him would weaken agriculture, would be harmful to health and would go
“in the opposite direction of the levers identified”
by the general secretariat for ecological planning, although attached to Matignon.
“Year after year, the worst scenarios from the IPCC reports are confirmed. At a time when biodiversity is eroding more than ever, and we discover new contamination of soil, air or drinking water every month, it is more urgent than ever to stay on course with ecological transitions. and energy, and not to go back on 20 years of environmental policies
,” writes Alain Rousset.
The elected official criticizes in particular the
“pausing”
of the Écophyto plan by the government.
According to the president of the region, this measure will
“only increase the massive investments that our local communities must make to purify the water in order to make it drinkable”
, and he also believes that a criminal risk is incurred,
“the scientific evidence of pathologies linked to these uses is patent”
.
Citing as an example the Néo Terra roadmap put in place by the region for several years, Alain Rousset deplores that in a few months,
“the various government announcements have just unraveled the meager environmental progress made collectively”
.
For him, the preliminary bill on energy sovereignty – already stripped of any quantified ambition on the development of renewable energies –
“does not appear to be up to the challenge”
.
This text giving pride of place to the development of nuclear power, Alain Rousset recalls, like organizations such as the Climate Action Network, that
“energy sovereignty can only be achieved, by 2030, through energy savings and renewable energies"
, because
"the new nuclear reactors will not produce electricity before 2035-2040"
.
Also read: Counterfeits, fraud… These risks looming over the nuclear industry
“A bad signal” for farmers
To drive the point home, the elected socialist from New Aquitaine adds that the government's announcements, taken under pressure,
"also weaken agricultural production itself"
, because fallows and the reduction of chemical treatments,
"have the virtue of allowing the return of life in the soil and cultivation auxiliaries
.
Measures that trigger
“a virtuous circle”
for health and production.
While farmers have
“made a lot of progress on the quantities per plot”
, going backwards
“would be a bad signal”
.
According to him,
“farmers are perfectly aware of the need for agroecological transition”
, and solutions exist to ensure them better living conditions (such as the application of the EGalim law or payment for environmental services).
While regional COPs are being launched throughout the country, Alain Rousset recalls having participated in the launch of that of Nouvelle-Aquitaine alongside the Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu,
“by emphasizing the interest of this transversal ecological planning approach supposed to set us a collective course for 2030
.
However, according to Alain Rousset, Gabriel Attal's announcements seem to torpedo this ambition, which leads the elected official to wonder
"if this territorial COP approach is still relevant"
and in the
"priorities"
of the new prime minister.