In a setback for environmental campaigners, a French court ruled on Friday that France’s efforts to mitigate climate damage were sufficient, rejecting attempts to impose a 1.1 billion euro ($1.21 billion) penalty on the state. The decision comes two years after a legal order directed France to uphold its climate change commitments and take necessary actions to address ecological damage and curb carbon emissions by the end of December 2022.
Despite acknowledging some shortcomings in data from 2021 and 2022, the Paris administrative court stated that the state had adopted measures to remedy the damage. The court argued that excess emissions during this period were offset by a significant drop in the first quarter of 2023. The ruling also dismissed claims that external factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and energy price fluctuations due to the war in Ukraine, reflected a failure by the state to take required actions.
Campaign groups, including Greenpeace and Oxfam, expressed their intent to appeal the decision, emphasizing their determination to hold the government accountable for climate commitments. Greenpeace’s Jean-François Julliard asserted that the government’s actions were deemed “far too half-hearted” and sometimes detrimental to climate goals.
France’s climate strategy includes an emphasis on nuclear energy, with plans for at least six new reactors over the next decade. The government is also phasing out coal, investing in rail infrastructure, and promoting voluntary sector-specific conservation measures.
