Environment economics in 2012. Report from the Commission of auditors and environment economics - 2014 edition

The financial effort for environmental protection in France is estimated at euro 47.5 billion in 2012. At current prices, this expenditure is increasing by 3.2% compared to 2011, while the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) is two times less. This progression comes from incentive or constraining measures of public authorities, as well as from the growing environmental awareness by society. But it is also linked to the rise of environmental goods and services prices. However, the evolution of each environmental domain has got its own characteristics. Thus, expenditures for protection and remediation of soil, for protection of ambient air and climate, and for waste management are all increasing by more than 5% in 2012, whereas those for general environmental administration and for radioactive waste management are decreasing. Expenditures related to the recovery and recycling sector and to renewable energy are not included in the total of environmental protection expenditure. Both of them are increasing by more than 6% in 2012. Employment in the environmental goods and services sector had significantly risen in previous years. It is stagnating in 2012, in spite of a sharply increasing trade surplus. As for the labour market of green economy, only the strictly green jobs seem to be a little less concerned by the difficulties related to the current economic situation. (authors)