Archive for Grenelle
After a long break I am finally back to writing for CleanTechies. The occasion was given by the International Energy Agency as it released on Monday its latest country report on France.
As I wrote there : Although France has not been immune to the global economic downturn, the climate change plan known as the Grenelle de l’Environnement is still considered by the IEA as having “many positive provisions”.
As always to read the full article please go to CleanTechies. All ratings and comments are greatly appreciated and I look forward to reading from you there.
As I am still looking for a job in the cleantech sector I am attending today the Forum des Emplois Verts (French Green Jobs forum) in Paris where up to 2,000 jobs positions are proposed.
This is a fantastic opportunity since as I noted earlier the Boston Consulting Group believes the Grenelle de l’Environnement could create up to 600,000 jobs in France by 2020.
Among the companies present at this forum are Alstom, Areva, EDF, Peugeot Citroen (PSA) and GDF Suez, all major French companies.
I have the pleasure to announce you that my second article for CleanTechies have been published. After writing about the wind energy sector in France, this one is about the future carbon tax. Here is a short extract:
” France is currently thinking of enacting a carbon tax to increase climate change mitigation efforts. If enacted, it would be applied to the consumption of energy in general. ”
As always, to read the full post please check out this link. If you have any question please leave it there. I look forward to starting a discussion on that most interesting topic.
I would like to announce that my first article at CleanTechies has been published today. This is both a huge pleasure and a honor to write for such a blog. Here is an extract:
According to an article [Fr] from the AFP, the installed wind power capacity in France reached 4,000 MW. In line with the targets set by the Grenelle, up to 25 GW will have to be installed by 2020.
To read the full post, please check out this link. If you have any question please leave it there. If it’s for a comment or a message of congratulations, please do it here ! 
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Les Echos [Fr], the French leading financial newspaper brought my attention to a study published by the Boston Consulting Group stating that the Grenelle de l’environnement could create up to 600,000 jobs in France in the very next years.
The majority of the job creations are due to occur in the building sector as up to 20 million of apartments and houses need to be retrofitted in our country. The transportation and renewable energies would add most of the other jobs.
But this study doesn’t stop there as it also notes that greenhouse emissions would decrease by 2020 by 27 % compared to 2005 levels, or 14 percent by 1990 levels. Continue »
To the AFP: ” The French government on Wednesday kickstarted plans for a so-called carbon tax on energy-hungry products, to be rolled out by 2011 as part of France’s efforts to slash global warming emissions. “
(…) “ President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has said it hopes to shift part of French taxes from labour towards polluting goods, but consumer groups have warned against penalising families already feeling the pinch of recession. “
(…) “ The carbon tax is now expected to be rolled out in 2011, a year later than initially envisaged, Borloo said. ” Too bad the government back pedals on such a great idea from the Grenelle.
For my 500th post on this blog, I would like to bring you good news. The decision taken last week within the Grenelle de l’Environnement is a huge leap forward towards sustainability of housing.
Indeed, the French government will launch in April an eco loan of up to 30,000 € ($37,600) with no interest rate to increase the use of thermal renewable energy sources and of energy conservation.
The energy and environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo expects heavy renovations to go above 400,000 per year, to be compared to the current 40,000. Continue »
On October 2007, the newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced after weeks of talks an important series of measures to make France a more sustainable country.
This was the Grenelle de l’Environnement. But after months, only one conclusion comes to mind: the Grenelle is a disappointment, and this even with the billions of investments expected by 2020.
Indeed, the energy and environment Minister, Mr. Jean-Louis Borloo(above) is nowhere to be seen and there have been no major announcements that would look like a green New Deal. Continue »
The Grenelle de l’Environnement, the cornerstone of the French environmental policies, might lead to investments worth of 440 billion euros (or $560 billion) by 2020.
An important part of this money will be allocated to transport and doubling the amount of fast train lines (TGV, left). Other major sectors will be renovating buildings and renewables.
All this should lead to the creation of more than half a million local jobs by the next twelve years. A most interesting news we will see in details. Continue »
The cornerstone of the environmental policy in France – the Grenelle de l’Environnement – has been facing wide criticism as it is not going as fast as it should be.
Yet, interesting ideas arose in the last weeks on reducing the light pollution at night and providing financial aid to those willing to insulate their housing.
The French daily le Figaro provide us more data on what could become enacted laws that would cut our emissions and energy consumption. Continue »
