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Air pollution has significant impacts on human health and is highest in urban areas where populations are most dense. Cardiovascular, respiratory disease, and cancers cause thousands of premature deaths every year because of it. France faces an air pollution problem. The air quality exceeds the French and European regulation guideline values for nitrogen dioxide. Because of this, the nation of France pledged to hit net zero emissions by 2050. This is an important goal for France because they are the second biggest emitter in the European Union behind Germany. This goal, however, has failed to be met yet. In 2022, France was fined by the Conseil d'Etat 20 million euros for failing to tackle air pollution. This comes after 2021 when they were fined 10 million euros. According to earth.org, poor air quality has led to the deaths of 48,000 deaths every year, with the situation the most dire in Paris. Transportation in France contributes to air pollution according to the Public Health France Agency as well as industries and heating, all three contributing 95% of the CO2 emissions for the country. France currently exceeds the air quality regulations put forth by the World’s Health Organization, or the WHO. CO2 emissions are falling, but is it enough?

One solution that has been implemented to reduce CO2 emissions in major cities in France is banning the more environmentally damaging vehicles from driving in areas deemed "Low Emission Mobility Zones". Additionally, vehicles that are not registered in France must display a sticker called "Crit'Air" that categorizes a vehicle by the amount of atmospheric pollutants that it emits. There are six categories of stickers, all differently color coded. This is to encourage the least polluting vehicles. Without a Crit'air sticker, vehicles are subject to fines.

Citations

“Paris Air Pollution: French State Blamed in Landmark Case.” BBC News, BBC, 25 June 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48762911.

Igini, Martina. “French State to Pay €20 Million Fine for Failing to Tackle Air Pollution in France, Court Rules.” Earth.Org, Earth.Org, 18 Oct. 2022, earth.org/air-pollution-in-france.

Tiseo, Ian. “Emissions in France.” Statista, 28 Feb. 2024, www.statista.com/topics/10294/emissions-in-france/.

“The Level of Air Pollution Is Falling in Paris, but It’s Still Too High, Research Shows.” RFI, RFI, 5 Apr. 2022, www.rfi.fr/en/france/20220405-the-level-of-air-pollution-is-falling-in-paris-but-it-s-still-too-high-research-shows.

“The Crit’air Anti-Pollution Vehicle Sticker.” France.FR, 14 Mar. 2024, www.france.fr/en/article/crit-air-anti-pollution-vehicle-sticker/.

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9/27, post #2: France's Fight on Climate Change

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9/27, post #2: France's Fight on Climate Change

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An important issue on the collective mind of the French is climate change. According to the European Investment Bank, 82% of French people are concerned or alarmed about climate change, which is above the average for the European Union. More than just concerned, 67% of French citizens believe that climate change is a threat to humanity (EIB). France is involved in the fight against climate change. In 2015 at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, 196 Parties adopted the Paris Agreement which is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It's overall goal is to pause the "the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and try “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels” (UN). The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on climate change believes that if temperature levels right above 1.5*C, the impact would be devastating. Weather events would become more catastrophic, specifically more droughts, heatwaves, and rainfall. Climate change is a global issue and impacts France because of increasing risk of heatwaves, more rainfall, rising sea levels, and severity and frequency of storms (CCKP). More specifically, agricultural droughts could last 35% longer, heatwaves occur 80% more often, and rising sea levels threated to damage and drown coastal communities which would include roughly 140,00 properties in the Languedoc-Roussillon region alone. Climate Risk Atlas estimates that by 2050, the GDP could lose up to €30 billion.

So, what is France doing to fight climate change? In 2023, France's President Emmanuel Macron unveiled France's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet their climate commitments. For example, their goals include reducing fossil fuel dependency and boosting the use of electric cars. France's two remaining coal-burning plants would cease operation and be converted to biomass energy. Biomass energy is collected by burning wood, plants, and other organic material. The goal date for this conversion is 2027 (PBS). They will also encourage electric vehicle use through a state sponsored system where modest income households can lease European made electric cars for affordable rates. Projects for public transportation like commuter trains will receive state funding to encourage less car use (PBS).

France, like the rest of the world, is going to be impacted by climate change. They are looking for solutions.

Citations

“The French Are More Concerned about Climate Change than Most Europeans.” European Investment Bank, European Investment Bank 2024, www.eib.org/en/infographics/french-more-concerned-about-climate-change.

“The Paris Agreement.” United Nations Climate Change, unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement.

“World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.” Summary | Climate Change Knowledge Portal. Accessed October 8, 2024. https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/france.

“France.” G20 Climate Risk Atlas, October 28, 2021. https://www.g20climaterisks.org/france/.

Corbet, Sylvie. “French President Macron Unveils Latest Plan for Meeting Climate-Related Commitments in the Coming Years.” PBS, September 26, 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/french-president-macron-unveils-latest-plan-for-meeting-climate-related-commitments-in-the-coming-years.

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10/25, post #3: French Guiana and Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest

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10/25, post #3: French Guiana and Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest

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French Guiana is a French overseas department on the northeast coast of South America. It is governed by the provisions of the French constitution as a territorial collectivity of France and, as such, forms an integral part of the French Republic. The capital is Cayenne. French is the official language spoke, but also Guianese Creole French and several other indigenous languages. French Guiana has a developing market economy. Most capital and consumer goods are imported and electricity is generated entirely from thermal plants using imported fossil fuels. French Guiana is known for its dense rainforests, heavy rainfall, wildlife like tapirs, caimans, ocelots, sloths, great anteaters, and armadillos.

The environmental issue on the table concerning French Guiana is their desire to build soy biofuel powerplants which would cause deforestation. A large percentage of the region is covered in Amazon rainforest and mangrove forest. These dense rainforests are vital to mitigating climate change. Current French environmental law bans large scale deforestation; however, proposed soy biofuel powerplants would bypass these laws with approved legislation by the French government and the supportive President Emmanuel Macron. The current energy stations are old power plants and aging hydroelectric plants. In 2018, the French government made plans to change their energy sources to biofuel burning power station. The proposed power plants will generate employment and support their slow but growing population. Problems arise, however, because the powerplants require hundreds of thousands of soy per year to generate liquid biofuel to power the plants.

Growing that much soy requires rainforests to be cleared, an amount of land that approximates three times as large as New York City. This problem will cause harm to the biodiversity in Amazon rainforest and cause a loss of forest carbon sequestration. This is especially concerning because trees' ability to absorb carbon dioxide prevents climate change. This combined with Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia losing much of the Amazon rainforest from deforestation and wildfires would exacerbate the problem.

With some sneaky legislation, an amendment tucked into a proposed law almost enabled large scale land clearance for mining or farming. This failed, but predatory moves like this threaten environmental protections.

Although biofuels are a renewable energy source, it does not mean it is a perfectly clean energy source.

Abhishyant Kidangoor, Sandy Watt, et al. “French Guiana Soy Biofuel Power Plants Risk Massive Amazon Deforestation.” Mongabay Environmental News, 2 Dec. 2020, news.mongabay.com/2020/12/french-guiana-soy-biofuel-power-plants-risk-massive-amazon-deforestation.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "French Guiana". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Sep. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/place/French-Guiana. Accessed 25 October 2024.

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Djibouti has a typical desert climate and faces water scarcity concerns. The country does not have a permanent source of surface water like rivers of fresh water lakes. Djibouti relies on deep underground water tables fed by rainwater. They receive an average of only 150 mm of rainfall per year with no perennial surface freshwater flow. Due to climate change, less than five percent of the total rainfall reaches water table. Unfortunately, the country has been affected by drought , leaving rural and urban communities vulnerable. Most concerning, about 20% of Djibouti's population have no access to potable water. Because of these conditions, herders and rural dwellers have lost their sources of livelihood and families have been forced to leave their homelands to find income, leading them to seek refuge in urban centers. This makes them vulnerable to diseases and bad living conditions in the refuge camps. These concerns will only be exacerbated as population inevitably grows and climate change worsens.

One cause dedicated to helping was called Project de Developpement Rural Communautaire et Mobilisation des Eaux or otherwise known as PRODERMO. It spanned from 2012-2019. It was the first rural development project in Djibouti.

project to help communities focus on their development plans including water mobilization and support for agriculture and livestock. This project helped construct and overall roughly 116 water access points. This included cisterns, open reservoirs, boreholes, wells, micro-dams. This provided almost 2 million cubic meters for households, livestock, wildlife and irrigation. 10,000 household did not have access to drinking water until this project. This alleviates a lot of burden typically placed on women and children who have to travel long distances to collect water for their households. In addition to increasing the supply of water, PRODERMO helped steer the community livelihoods to have less a focus on livestock and pasturage, which decreased the demand for water. The project expanded areas for irrigation and distributed micro-irrigation kits to gardens. Project was inclusive and communities actively participated in the bettering of themselves. Providing access to water helped prevent displacement and strengthen resilience from climate change and droughts

Other efforts to help the water crisis include a “Response to the Global Food, Energy and Finance Crisis” funded by the Joint SDG Fund in June 2022, UNDP and FAO in Djibouti. This led an assessment of the impact of drought and rising prices on the social, economic and environmental aspects, with the aim of paving the way to developing a long-term resilience strategy for food availability during crises.

“Water and Sanitation: Djibouti.” Archive - U.S. Agency for International Development, 8 Mar. 2018, 2017-2020.usaid.gov/djibouti/global-health/water-and-sanitation.

Medouar, Mohamed. “For Pastoral Communities in Djibouti, Effective Management of Water and Agro-Pastoral Resources Build Resilience from Climate Shocks.” World Bank Blogs, April 22, 2021. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/water/pastoral-communities-djibouti-effective-management-water-and-agro-pastoral-resources-build

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Democratic Republic of Congo: Corruption and the Forests

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Democratic Republic of Congo: Corruption and the Forests

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The Democratic Republic of Congo has a deforestation problem. Forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Because the country faces a lot of corruption and poor governance, protecting the forests is more difficult due to the pressures from industrial operations. They also struggle because they are one of the poorest countries. The country's poor governance is best illustrated by their "do it yourself" attitude, one where people must fend for themselves. This is joking recognized by its people as "article 15". 15.7 million acres of tree cover was lost in the years 2015 to 2019. The largest contributors to deforestation are the agriculture and fuelwood industries. Additionally, pushes for "greener" technologies like solar power and electric cars negatively impact the environment - requiring minerals mined in the DRC that exploit ecosystems.

The world's second largest tropical forest lies within the DRC: the Congo Basin. Thousands of species of tropical plants live here. This forest is experiencing the effects of deforestation, primarily a victim of the timber industry and illegal logging. Corruption continues to exacerbate the problem, with log exporting companies breaking their regulations and illegally harvesting timber and breaking labor laws and agreements with local communities. Whistleblowers are pivotal to stopping illegal operations, however, have become targets to attack. The logging companies are powerful and value money over environmental violations.

Unfortunately, the problem does not have a foreseeable solution to help it. The DRC attempted to improve forest cover by adopting the DRC's National Strategy for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation; however, recent reports found that no progress had been made by the Congolese government to stabilize forest cover to 63.5% by 2030.

Abhishyant Kidangoor, Sandy Watt, Petro Kotzé, Ashoka Mukpo, Claire Asher, et al. “Poor Governance Fuels ‘horrible Dynamic’ of Deforestation in DRC.” Mongabay Environmental News, 21 Dec. 2020, news.mongabay.com/2020/12/poor-governance-fuels-horrible-dynamic-of-deforestation-in-drc/.

“Exporting Impunity.” Global Witness, www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/democratic-republic-congo/exporting-impunity/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA3Na5BhAZEiwAzrfagAVVTJ8hn4_giC9-FdaQAOjDZWKlxMBgpxiTTHS8kjeHMw7qIgfbsBoCqo0QAvD_BwE. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

“Deforestation in the Congo Basin Rainforest - NWC.” National Whistleblower Center, 12 May 2021, www.whistleblowers.org/deforestation-in-the-congo-basin-rainforest/.