France must tackle pesticides, diesel, road transport, OECD report
Not good enough, is the judgement of an OECD report on France's environmental policy released on Monday. While hailing the Cop21 host country's "ambitious aims" and noting progress since its last report 10 years ago, experts say a lot remains to be done on tackling air and water pollution, especially by reducing the use of pesticides and diesel oil.
Issued on:
France has made progress " the conservation of resources such as water and energy, the creation of environmental jobs, lower spending on public health and protection of the urban and natural heritage and landscape" over the last decade, the report from the Paris-based rich-nations' club says.
But pollution from agriculture and transport are still big worries and governments need to work on energy policy, environmental health and the management of natural resources and technological risk, it believes.
The OECD favours green taxation and wants France to raise its existing environmental levies and coordinate its efforts better.
"The major drive for environmental tax reform begun in 1999 did not come to fruition," it notes.
Reducing air pollution
There has been progress in reducing air pollution, the report finds, and emissions per unit of GDP are "significantly lower than OECD averages" but there is still too much reliance on road transport for both people and freight and a past bias towards diesel fuels has yet to be fully reversed.
The OECD wants more action to reduce emissions from transport, agriculture and industry and more goods and passengers to be transported by rail.
It also has its doubts about maritime, inland waterway and air transport and thinks reducing reliance on them should be considered.
Water, nature and biodiversity
Pollution by industry and agriculture of waterways has been reduced, but not enough, the OECD feels, pointing out that the use of pesticides rose 29 percent between 2008 and 2014 and that France is one of the biggest consumers of phytosanitary products in the world.
Farm subsidies need to be reformed to that effect, in particular to discourage intensive farming, the OECD recommends, and it warns that the effects of newer products, including antibiotics, are "still poorly understood".
France has "exceptionally rich biological resources", the report points out, and that brings "great responsibility both within Europe and, through its presence in three oceans, worldwide".
It calls for biodiversity to be taken more seriously in decision-making, natural parks to be expanded and loopholes for farming and transport to be closed.
The government's climbdown on the ecotax, which targeted road freight, in the face of stormy protests, particularly in Brittany, is severely criticised.
On the plus side, France has reduced greenhouse gas emissions and is a European leader in green growth and eco-innovation.
To read our coverage of the Cop21 climate conference click here
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe