Hulot’s announcement came on the heels of Volvo’s announcement a day earlier that from 2019 onwards all their vehicles will be partially or completely battery-powered, in what the company called a “historic end” to the internal-combustion engine.
Mr. Hulot, an environmentalist and former television star before he joined Macron’s cabinet, unveiled a series of measures in addition to the announced ban on gas and diesel powered vehicle sales, citing President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to make the country “carbon neutral” by 2050.
The added pressure on French automotive manufacturers was also taken into account by the Ecology Minister, but he added that there were currently projects which “can fulfill that promise.” Additionally, as a part of the new plan, poorer French households will be given a premium so they can trade their polluting vehicles for cleaner-running vehicles, reports the UK’s Independent.
The BBC alludes to U.S. President Trump’s decision to pull the country out of the Paris Climate Agreement as the primary reason for French President Macron’s new vehicle plan. “France has decided to become carbon neutral by 2050 following the US decision,” Mr. Hulot said, adding that the government would have to make investments to meet that target.
Speaking at the press conference, Hulot said that as part of a five-year-plan, France would stop using coal to produce electricity by 2022, adding that up to 4.0 billion euros in investments will help to boost the country’s energy efficiency. All this is in addition to other pronouncements that have already been made earlier.
On June 12, at the G7 Summit, Hulot announced that France plans to close some nuclear reactors of state-controlled utility, EDF to reduce nuclear’s share in the country’s power mix, a decision that was not acceptable to many experts.
And more recently, on June 23, Hulot confirmed that there will be no new permits issued for oil and gas exploration on the mainland or in French held territories. The announcement does go along with President Macron’s stance on climate change, renewable energy, and statements made during his campaign where he said he was opposed to gas and shale gas exploration on the French mainland.
The move by France in taking on a leadership role in climate change commitments is nothing short of revolutionary and is something that all the world’s countries should be emulating. Another thing that makes Macron’s plan great is that “citizen panels” will be set up so the public will be part of the debate on practical ways in which France can meet its Paris commitment.
Right now, Norway is a world leader in the use of electric cars and will move to all-electric cars by 2025, as will the Netherlands. Germany and India have proposed somewhat similar ideas with a target of 2030.
