Category: Climate Change

France announces it will withdraw from controversial Energy Treaty

The country of France is the latest European nation to back out of a controversial energy treaty on Friday. The treaty is believed to be incompatible with the Paris climate accord. 

President Emmanuel Macron revealed that France would be withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels.

“We have decided to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, first because it’s in line with the positions we’ve taken, notably the Paris Accord and what it implies,” he said at a press conference.

“The war on European soil must not make us forget our climatic requirements and our imperative to reduce CO2 emissions,” he added.

The Energy Charter Treaty was signed in 1994 and has more than 50 signatories, including the European Union, and is meant to promote “international cooperation in the energy sector.”

Previously, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, and Germany had all backed away from the treaty. Italy was the first to back out in 2016 after it felt the treaty wasn’t in the best interests of the industry. 

The Dutch climate minister believes that the treaty can prove harmful to fossil fuels. Macron’s decision may prove detrimental to the French car industry but can open doors to collaboration between European countries when it comes to the climate. 

YouTube Link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HBwLT73K40

The French Authorities Appear To Have A Bit Too Much Time at Their Disposal

French Flag

Gone are the days when governments used to always have an important matter to take care of. The French government, in particular, appears to have nothing important to do, whatsoever, which is why they are taking a keen interest in making people’s lives more miserable than they actually are, with their pointless shenanigans and useless measures of authority and control.

France has decided to ride the climate change bandwagon a bit too much, perhaps at the cost of the comfort of its own people. According to a new regulation, the vehicles in France will need to have a clean air sticker on them, all for the purpose of identifying what emissions they produce. The justification that the representatives have given for such a strange step lies in how they are willing to reduce harmful emissions. According to them, if, on a certain day, a location is at a higher risk of air pollution, vehicles will be denied entrance into the location based on the sticker that they might be carrying. The regulation was brought into effect in January 2018 and is currently applicable in Paris, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Lille, Lyon and Toulouse.

Failure to comply would result in the imposition of a heavy fine. What’s more startling is the fact that the regulations are even applicable on individuals who are nationals of other EU nations and are merely riding through France on a visit. When you take it all into perspective, the shenanigan appears to be nothing more than a stunt by the French government to prove that nobody cares about the environment more than them. They are actually right in their claim, if you think about it, for the other leading world governments take more pride in serving and protecting their people!