Grenelle of the environment - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Principles of operation

The debate is organized around six work groups made up of 40 members divided into 5 colleges. These colleges have the role to represent the actors of sustainable development: the State, the Local government agencies, ONG, employers and employees.

The groups are the following:

Group 1 “To fight against the climate changes and to control the energy demand”
Group 2 “Preserve the biodiversity and the natural resources”
Group 3 “To found a respectful environment of health”
Group 4 “To adopt durable modes of production and of consumption”
Group 5 “To build an ecological democracy”
Group 6 “To promote ecological modes of development favorable to employment and competitiveness”

Each group is then divided into workshop, for example, for group 1, it exists three workshops:

Workshop n°1: Transport and displacements
Workshop n°2: Building and Town planning
Workshop n°3: Energy and storage of carbon

Each group was to meet four times, but the complexity of certain subjects obliged the majority of the groups to organize one or two additional meetings.

Two workshops joint committees also were create: the workshop GMO and the workshop Waste.

The work groups held their last meeting on September 25th. The syntheses and the reports/ratios of each group were made public on Thursday, September 27 with 11:00. Following that, local meetings in areas and a consultation of the public on Internet took place, before arriving at the roundtable of Grenelle October 24th and 25th.

Results

Chaired by Nicolas Sarkozy, the roundtable of Grenelle of the environment took place the 24 and October 25th in the presence of Wangari Maathaï, of Al Gore, both Nobel Prize of peace and Jose Barroso, president of the European commission, in order to lead to the definition of a certain number of proposals, measurements and advertisements.

The general report/ratio takes again the consensual contents resulting from the preliminary works and arises as a “framework of coherence for public action” according to three priorities which are the fight against climate warming, the protection of the biodiversity and the reduction of pollution. This document is a synthesis of work, but of a program nor a selection or hierarchisation of proposals is not a talk, but rather “the base of what could be a strategy of Sustainable development founded on objective triple of fight against the Climate warming, of safeguarding of the Biodiversité and reduction of the Pollution S” and thus as a “explanatory memorandum of the future law of program whose the implementation will be accompanied by Grenelle”.

In the speech, which it gave in conclusion of day's works of the October 24th and 25th, the president of the republic decided on the elements which were less consensual (or not-consensual) during started work and debates the summer 2007 at the time of the workshops, by announcing or confirming a certain number of proposals, and while committing himself endorsing and those of the government the proposals of Grenelle.

Energy

On the subject of the Tax carbon, Nicolas Sarkozy estimated that it was necessary “that the general revision of the taxes and social security deduction n the other hand considers the creation of a tax “climate-energy” of a lightening of the tax on work to preserve the purchasing power and competitiveness”.

It is considered the creation of a programme of a billion euros over four years for energies and the engines of the future.

Agriculture

Reduction by half of the frequency of treatment of the Pesticide S in French agriculture. However, this reduction will be done, according to the official statement of the conclusions, without precise timetable (whereas, initially, the ten year old figure had been announced by the environmental organizations) and will be conditioned with “the diffusion of alternative methods, subject to their development”.

Freezing of the commercial cultures of Corn genetically modified (GMO) until the examination of a law “as of January 2008”, i.e. before next the Sowing.

Transport

Announces creation of a “écopastille” in the form of no-claims bonus-malus on the cars and of a “écoredevance” (écotaxe) on road transport with promotion of the Ferroutage.

Downtown: 1500 km of lines of Tramway must be built except Île-de-France (against 329 in 2007) (Investment evaluated to 17 billion euros including 4 financed by the State).

Abandonment of the measurement of reduction by 10 km/h the road speed announced before the end of grenelle by the Secretary of State to Ecology Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, for lack of consensus. It was one of the proposals of the Workshop 1, which had seen many advantages there; measurement is useful for the environment, but also for the Road safety, the Santé and against the Bruit. It is easy to apply immediately and everywhere, including for the road traffic of transit - without any budgetary cost. To decrease speed would have encouraged with the modal carryforward (of which towards the Bus, Tram, Métro, Vélo for the short ways which constitute an increasing percentage of the urban traffic) and towards the multimode one. Lastly, the speed of automobile displacements being to some extent responsible for the Périurbanisation, this measurement would have probably helped to limit urban spreading out and its procession of impacts négatifs.
De such speeds already imposed on the the United States or in Sweden (downtown) seem to be able to be accepted by the public. MEDAD ( DAEI ) calculated that this measurement would reduce in France by 250 to 300 Kt CO2/the emissions of the vehicles on highways, and of 1 MtCO2/an if all the vehicles respected maximum speed (- 800 kt CO2/an on the roads).

Group 1 proposed with the French presidency of the EU into 2008 to support this speed limit on all the highway network of the EU so as to generate important savings in fuel and emissions of GES, but also to encourage lighter and sober vehicles. The dissensus and the controversy especially seem to have related to the value of the Temps. (For the ones “time is money” and one should not slow down the traffic, for other the advantages of measurement would be much higher than its disadvantages, the more so as the time spent in the Embouteillage does not cease growing in the world, in spite of and because of the growth of the highway networks). The profit in term of comfort and safety for the motorist also was the subject of controversies. Lastly, of many surveys have shown for 10 years that the car is the object on which the citizens want the least to act for the environment. A survey IFOP makes during the process of Grenelle (mid-October) estimated that if 93% of probed wished that one encourage the walking and the bicycle, 61% of them were against the reduction of 10 km/h speed limits on roads and highways (69% of those using their car the every day). Only 7% of probed in addition estimated the effective measure against the polluting emissions.

Building

Fixing of new thresholds in the public and the private one. Promotion of the écoconstruction.

High ranking authority

In addition, the installation of an independent High ranking authority was also ratified, as well as a tripling in five years of the Organic farming, which will have to profit from 20% of the public orders as regards collective restoration.

Follow-up of the file

Another go is envisaged around the December 15th for the presentation of the programs.

The government is given 12 weeks additional to arbitrate on the Gestion of waste. According to Jean-Louis Borloo, “one counts today 350 kg/an and per capita, it is at least necessary to reduce of 7 kilos per annum”.

A committee of evaluation charged to give a progress report on the implementation of measurements will be set up in one year, “at the date birthday of Grenelle”.

Engagements

In his speech of October 24th in front of the participants in Grenelle, the 1st Francois Fillon minister “solemnly” engaged “ so that all the precise, concrete conclusions and consensual are implemented ”. “ As regards the divergences, the president of the Republic, the Government and the Parliament will slice ” it added.

In his speech of October 25th the president of the Republic included the contents of the general reporter overall, by specifying it with what it engaged among the proposals which had not been completely consensual lasting work of Grenelle.

Criticisms

Many French associations fustigated or criticized the governmental initiative of Grenelle as of the summer 2007, inviting to animate “Against-Grenelle environment”. The monthly magazine the Decrease is made of it the echo and Jean-Luc Porquet note for the Duck connected : “And if Grenelle of the environment constituted pure and simple trickery? ” It reports that according to Stephan Lhomme “nine ONG officially representing ecology in Grenelle were indicated by the government, and others straightforwardly excluded, like (...) Réseau To leave the nuclear power or Réseau Action Climate”.

Side of the libertarian press criticisms were also radical. Thus CQFD by evoking “Large null environment” adds: “(...) it is an economic logic which kills to us. Within this framework, new the stars of “Let us save planet” can make better only us concocter a “green” dictatorship where the rich person will pay to have the right to pollute and eat bio, while the poor inherit a inframonde barded prohibitions, shortages and synthetic foods. ”

Association ATTAC made a point of noting in an official statement: “It is not question that the process of Grenelle of the environment ratifies what Mr. Sarkozy and MEDEF expect: a depoliticization of the ecology policy and a instrumentalisation of environmental against the social one. ”

The main subjects of dissensus (recognized by the general report/ratio) and subjects not-validated or put on standby by the government and/or the president of the republic are:

the Nuclear . The general reporter and the President of the Republic in his speech insisted on the fact that France was to develop renewable energies, but could not do without the nuclear power.
GMO
the Agro-biocarburant S. the Government did not slice on this point, but it ordered with ADEME in agreement with group 1 of grenelle expertise " to take stock on qualities and defects environnementaux" the agroones, while announcing an intensification of research and development of industrial pilots on the biocarburants known as of second generation. The work group will study the " biocarburants" plan; French within sight of the result of these studies before February 1st, 2008, which leaves little time in Ademe to join together data independent on the ACV and impacts secondary or collateral of different agro-biocarburants.
the reduction speed on the roads and highways.
the subject of the pesticides, which was covered but with important reserves; the president taking up the idea to decrease their use, but " if possible " and if alternatives are proposed.

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