France adopts third low-carbon strategy (SNBC-3) towards 2050

The French government has adopted the third National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC-3), outlining the country’s roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 (French government press release, 15/07/2026).

Updated every five years, the SNBC defines France’s GHG emissions reduction pathway for the coming decades and sets out the policy directions needed to accelerate the transition towards a decarbonised economy.

The SNBC-3 reaffirms France’s commitment to halve its GHG emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. “Since 1990, France has already reduced its emissions by nearly 300 MtCO₂eq and is one of the developed countries with the lowest per capita emissions, at around 5 tonnes of CO₂e per capita,” according to the statement.

The strategy also sets a target to reduce France’s carbon footprint by 71% to 79% by 2050, compared with 2010 levels, bringing the average carbon footprint of each French resident down to between 2.3 and 3.1 tonnes of CO₂e per capita.

Regarding fossil fuels, the plan foresees the phase-out of coal consumption by 2030, oil consumption by 2045, and fossil gas consumption by 2050.

In the transport sector, the strategy aims to achieve a 26% reduction in emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 (from 125 MtCO₂eq in 1990 to 92 MtCO₂eq in 2030) and “near carbon neutrality” by 2050 through electrification, the increased use of biofuels, energy efficiency and energy conservation. It projects that 66% of new passenger car sales and 90% of new bus sales will be electric by 2030.

For the agricultural sector, the SNBC-3 targets a 26% reduction in emissions by 2030 and a 53% reduction by 2050, compared with 1990 levels (93 MtCO₂eq), through lower emissions from livestock and animal waste, as well as reduced emissions from agricultural machinery and infrastructure.

For industry, the strategy projects a 70% reduction in emissions by 2030 and a 96% reduction by 2050 compared with 1990 (140 MtCO₂eq), driven notably by electrification, energy conservation, and carbon capture. It aims to reach at least 55% of electricity in the energy mix of industry by 2050 and to raise the share of renewables in this energy mix by 1.6 percentage point (pp) each year between 2021 and 2030.

France’s energy bill amounted to EUR58bn in 2024, most of which was linked to imported fossil fuels. According to the strategy, electrification and decarbonisation could reduce fossil fuel imports by EUR22bn to EUR39bn by 2030. The strategy also states that the economic impact of the low-carbon transition is significantly lower than the cost of climate inaction, which could reduce GDP by 8.5 points by 2050.

Since 2021, gross GHG emissions have declined by 4%/year, reaching 367 MtCO₂eq in 2024. This represents a 29% drop compared to 1990. The LULUCF sector is a carbon sink, capturing about 7% of gross emissions in 2024, with net emissions (including LULUCF) reaching 341 MtCO₂eq. CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion decreased by 4%/year between 2021 and 2025 to 244 MtCO₂eq, accounting for 68% of gross emissions in 2024 (Enerdata Global Energy Research).