00:00 A historically good year said the French Environment Minister as France presents a record low in
00:05 emissions of planet warming gases for 2023.
00:09 Even dropping below 2020, the year Covid-19 halted travel and slowed economic activity.
00:16 And for the first time, the savings made were across the board sector by sector.
00:21 Emissions are measured in CO2e, CO2 equivalent, as it is in fact eight different gases produced
00:27 by human activity that contribute to heating the Earth's atmosphere.
00:31 Methane, for instance, mostly produced by livestock in France, is another problem area,
00:37 as France has made only small gains.
00:39 But France's nearly 5% overall cut between 2022 and 2023 puts the country on the right
00:46 track for its short-term target, as the minister pointed out.
00:49 "In 2023, we moved at the pace we need to maintain until the end of the decade."
00:56 France aims to cut emissions to 270 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2023, a stepping
01:03 stone towards net zero in 2050.
01:06 But critics point out that transport remains a problem area for France, with high emissions
01:11 and only modest progress.
01:13 And that if energy consumption has dropped, this may only be a temporary response to soaring
01:19 prices.
