High Council on Climate. Acting in line with ambitions - Annual Carbon Neutrality report, June 2019, First annual report of the High Council on Climate of France + general public version + The recommendations of the 2019 report

The High Council on Climate is an independent body charged with issuing advice and recommendations on the implementation of public policies and measures to reduce France's greenhouse gas emissions. It is intended to provide independent insight into government climate policy. Under the terms of the Decree implementing its creation, the High Council on Climate has two main missions: - Each year, it provides a consultative report on compliance with the greenhouse gas emissions reduction trajectory and the proper implementation of policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop carbon sinks. - It issues an advice every 5 years on the Government's draft low-carbon strategy and carbon budgets, as well as on the greenhouse gas emissions reduction trajectory that France is committed to. It assesses the consistency of the low-carbon strategy with respect to France's national policies and European and international commitments, in particular the Paris Agreement, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. For these two missions, the High Council on Climate considers the socio-economic impacts of the transition for households and companies, as well as sovereignty issues and environmental impacts. Its reports, based on analyses, assess the policies and measures already in place and those planned and formulate recommendations and proposals to help France achieve its objectives. It provides independent, factual and rigorous insight into the evolution of France's greenhouse gas emissions and its public policies. It provides a long-term perspective. With the Energy and Climate bill (amending the Energy Transition for Green Growth Bill) and the new national low-carbon strategy being drawn up, France is intending to set appropriate targets for reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, aimed for by these policy projects is consistent with the objectives of the Paris agreement and the latest scientific knowledge. Carbon neutrality by 2050 is technically achievable but will involve profound transformations of the economy and society at a major scale. The pace of this transformation is currently insufficient, as policies associated with transition, efficiency and energy sobriety are not at the centre of public actions. As such, the first carbon budget set in 2015 and covering the period 2015-2018 has been exceeded, and current GHG emissions reductions, standing at 1.1% per year on average over the recent period, are nearly just half the pace needed to meet the targets. As long as the national low-carbon strategy remains on the periphery of public policy, the carbon budget and carbon neutrality targets are unlikely to be met. The strategy adopted by France implies certain choices. The transition to a low-carbon economy must now be at the heart of the policies defining the future of France, and be consistent with the transition initiated by the European Union. The first report by the High Council on Climate highlights the foundations which must be put in place to ensure the long-term low-carbon trajectory of France is met. It provides a framework to enable the government to implement the necessary actions at the national, European, regional and local levels, so that public and private actors, as well as the general public, can make their contributions