Country: France; What best actions can and should the country adopt (now and in
ID: 802818 • Letter: C
Question
Country: France;What best actions can and should the country adopt (now and in the future) to reduce/ameliorate the damaging effects of climate change (global warming)? Country: France;
What best actions can and should the country adopt (now and in the future) to reduce/ameliorate the damaging effects of climate change (global warming)?
What best actions can and should the country adopt (now and in the future) to reduce/ameliorate the damaging effects of climate change (global warming)? What best actions can and should the country adopt (now and in the future) to reduce/ameliorate the damaging effects of climate change (global warming)?
Explanation / Answer
France is a country among the developed countries that has a very low carbon foot print per person. This was achieved by switching to nuclear power as a clean energy alternative many years ago. Almost 73% of energy production in France is generated by its nuclear reactors.
Even though France has stayed clean on its record, it is still being a victim to the global climate change. The average rise in annual temperature has risen to 0.95oC in the French mainland, when compared to only 0.74oC rise world-wide average. The rising temperature has led to increase in the occurrences of heat waves across the Paris basin which rose to 1 heat wave almost every 7 years. Changing climate has also led to the increase in winter and autumn rainfall in France and reduction in the summer rainfall destabilizing the agricultural sector of France. The snow cover over the French alps is estimated to reduce by 10-60% by 2050 and 30-80% by 2100.
Hence France has decided to take the initiative to encourage other countries to reduce their carbon footprint and drive them more towards renewable sources of energy. At European Union (EU) level, France advocates an ambitious position, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, then 60% by 2040 (compared with 1990), to ensure the EU maintains an ambitious and exemplary approach.
To encourage its EU fellow countries in the process, France has decided to make an ecological and energy transition, passing a bill in 2014, which stated that they would be shutting down 25% of their existing nuclear power plants and produce that share of energy with renewable sources such as solar, wind, biofuels and hydro power. Even though nuclear energy is as clean as it gets and produces almost no carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, France is willing to sacrifice its nuclear resources for encouraging other countries to cut down their greenhouse gas emissions.
France is also making economic alliances and trading with countries to help them transition into low-carbon economies. They have also hosted the Paris Climate Conference in 2015 and provide a platform for most countries to discuss about the effects of climate change and to take a collective step towards a cleaner future. France is already trying to play key role in climate change and is also trying to benefit out of it by creating new jobs and form key trading alliances to protect its own interests. If they keep going on the current plans and follow their goals by their proposed periods, France would be playing a substantial role in limiting global warming and climate change.
All the best :)