How close is France to its climate goals?

From emissions to legislation, the third instalment of “The Road to Net-Zero” takes us to Europe’s thirdlargest economy - France.

by Ash Jones

France appears to be lagging behind other major European nations when it comes to its commitments to net-zero emissions. Having set itself an interim goal of reducing emissions by 2030, Europe’s third-largest economy may yet struggle to reach its goals.

The European Union has made great strides in climate reductions over the past year. In the wake of the COP26 summit in November, many nations made their climate goals more ambitious, although watchdogs such as Climate Action Tracker still consider the bloc’s targets to be “insufficient.”

As a signatory of the Paris Climate Agreement, France has pledged to be net-zero by 2050 in a bid to keep the global temperature from increasing by more than 1.5°C and has enshrined these targets into law. However, these targets only target pure emissions reductions and are currently not seeking to reduce emissions intensity, and while carbon removal is a goal, specific details have not been given.

The government has referred to “carbon sinks” in its climate plans, going into detail about how carbon can be removed from the air through absorption by forests, with little information on carbon capture and storage (CCS) tech. In addition, the state has yet to offer a complete, detailed plan as to how climate goals will be achieved.

France’s biggest advantage in the energy transition is its relatively low-carbon energy mix, thanks in part to its large nuclear energy fleet - the second highest in the world, next to the US. 70% of the country’s energy comes from nuclear power.

However, its nuclear capacity is ageing and the nation is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

It is also apparently the third-largest producer of hydropower, behind Norway and Turkey, thanks to its access to the Alps. Hydropower has been considered to be a “forgotten giant” and could play a strong role in the energy transition.

Hydropower reportedly generated around 10% of the country’s electricity, according to EDF.

The French government’s official climate roadmap was unveiled by Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Nicolas Hoult on 6 July 2017.

In it, French officials have pledged to make urban mobility greener, eradicate fuel poverty by 2027, make strides in energy responsibility, move towards a circular economy and bolster green hydrogen, although little detail was given as to how.

France is currently the third-largest producer of hydropower in Europe, behind Norway and Turkey; it accounts for around 10% of its electricity.

The government has also looked to target not only carbon emissions but other greenhouse gases, such as methane which all contribute to climate change as part of its Low Carbon Strategy Project.

In 2020, the government introduced an €8 billion stimulus package for the automotive sector, which not only helped ailing manufacturers get through the pandemic but also provided an “incentive” - a government contribution - for people looking to buy electric vehicles. Back in October 2021, this package was extended until July 2022 and could still be extended further.

In July 2021, Euractiv reported that EV sales in France tripled in two years, which was partially linked to the government’s recovery plan. More recent estimates suggest as many as 315,000 EVs were sold in 2021 alone.

France looked to tackle the issue of fuel poverty within its borders through schemes such as petrol vouchers, but it appears the situation was only exacerbated by the energy crisis, which has seen the EU call for an 80% storage capacity of natural gas by November, and look for international partners to reduce reliance on Russia.

In a similar vein, French officials often made vocal calls for Germany to scrap the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, particularly after the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. This at least signals a willingness to move away from natural gas.

The government has also been looking into aspects of the circular economy, presenting a €1 billion plan to secure battery metals free from the ethical issues, such as child slavery, commonly associated with such materials. It has also been putting pressure on national automakers such as Stellantis and Renault to make batteries domestically.

French miner Eramet also picked up construction of its planned Argentina lithium plant late last year, which could provide another source of this crucial metal.

However, in the production of semiconductors for batteries of electronics, the reuse of materials will be vital to ensure supply can meet demand.

There has been private sector development for this goal, such as when US company Eastman announced its plan to invest up to $1 billion (€906 million) in a material-to-material molecular recycling facility in France.

Thankfully, France is not planning on using carbon offset credits, which means that polluters in the country will not be given free rein to pollute, providing they pay.

Under BECCS, it is thought that up to 10 megatonnes of CO2 (mtCO2) could be avoided per industry annually by 2050, with only 5 mtCO2 in the default scenario, which will require the use of biomass and carbon capture, according to Net Zero Tracker

To achieve this, rollout must be scaled up due to biomass often only being used in smaller facilities. However, due to it requiring the base to be stationary, it is unlikely to be used for transport. It will also require advances in storage - offshore, if necessary.

The IEA claims France must invest more in renewable energy, energy efficiency and overhaul its nuclear sector in order to achieve net-zero by 2050.

“The current rate of deployment of low-carbon energy technologies and energy efficiency solutions in France is not fast enough for the government to meet its energy and climate targets, calling for stronger policy efforts and increased investments, according to the IEA’s 2021 Energy Policy Review of France,” it said in a November 2021 report.

“In particular, the future development of the country’s electricity supply requires a clear policy strategy to be put in place.”

Environmentalists have criticised the Élysée’s plans as being neither detailed nor coherent, with the situation exacerbated by a lack of political consensus over how to take on the climate crisis.

There are even cases of private citizens eschewing government plans and opting for private generation, which has also become popular in other European nations such as Spain.

“At home, France was one of the first countries to enact a climate law, and in 2019, the government put into legislation the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050... In 2022, the government of France will need to take important decisions to ensure the country gets on track to meet its 2050 net-zero emissions goal, notably in terms of plans to modernise its nuclear power fleet.

“The government will also have to step up its clean energy ambitions and measures for the coming years across the entire economy to align with the EU-wide goal of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030,” the IEA report added.

On this note, France appears to be a country running on passive action - plans to achieve goals but with no impetus to do so. As it stands, it is looking unlikely the country can meet its climate goals. n