In stifling heat, the Economic Meetings which were held in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône) from July 7 to 9 attempted once again to highlight the changes in a world threatened by climatic, economic and , social and political. As these challenges become part of society and the hearts of businesses, the thousands of participants have especially seen the tensions created by this shift emerge.
The essayist Jacques Attali anticipates the disappearance of humanity under the battering of “death economy”fossil fuels, agriculture “disastrous”, drugs, the tyranny of the short term and of me first. For him, it represents 60% of our current production of wealth measured by GDP. To avoid the predicted catastrophe, he proposes a massive switch to “economy of life”centered on education, health, mobility and sustainable energy, healthy food, culture, democracy. “We have an interest in the happiness of future generations”, he said.
Who wouldn’t agree? But how to do it concretely? He proposes to modify the Constitution by specifying that any decision contrary to the interest of future generations would be declared unconstitutional. But then, replies Clément Beaune, the Minister of Transport in the Borne government, what room for maneuver would the government have left if everything is set in stone; and democracy to exist if it can no longer offer the people an alternative?
Everyone has their own method
The overwhelming majority of people agree to enter the transition to a more sustainable economy, but how and at what pace? Everyone has their own method depending on their professional location. For Luc Rémont, the new CEO of EDF, the successful transition requires an electrical system deploying all modes of production, but built on a solid nuclear base, the only controllable and carbon-free energy.
A very French vision nuanced by her counterpart from Engie, Catherine MacGregor. It speaks of an energy and non-electric system that would be led towards decarbonization by gradually replacing natural gas with biogas (from biomass) and, later, with hydrogen. She notes that countries as different as Spain and Germany now produce 50% of their energy from renewables.
Another tension emerges, even more existential. If we want to accelerate the climate transition, there is an urgent need to equip ourselves immediately… with Chinese equipment. And that, the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, does not want. His own dream is to make France the world champion of green industry by 2050. A laudable ambition but which jumps over the difficulty of reindustrializing France by running behind China or Germany in the hope to catch them. Even if it means doing a bit of “American-style” protectionism by putting a spoke in the wheels of Chinese electric cars.
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