France adopts law to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

The French parliament has adopted the draft law proposed by the French Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition (MEIT) to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050; in 2018, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were estimated at 445 MtCO₂eq. The law also targets a 40% reduction in the consumption of fossil-fuels by 2030 (instead of the 30% target set at the Energy Transition Act (Loi de transition énergétique, 2015)) and the closure of the last coal-fired power plant by 2022. Furthermore, the share of nuclear in the power mix will be brought to under 50% by 2035, instead of 2025; 14 of the existing 58 nuclear reactors will be shut down by 2035. Other major targets are envisioned such as the complete elimination of the use of gasoline and diesel cars by 2040, the renovation of all low-insulation houses within 10 years (building sector) and the use of green hydrogen in the consumption of hydrogen by industries (20% to 40% of total consumption).

The proposition, issued in May 2019, was based on the Energy Transition Act of 2015 and the French Strategy for Energy and Climate's two pillars, namely the National Low Carbon Strategy and the Multiannual Energy Plan (Programmation pluriannuelle de l'énergie, PPE) issued in January 2019.