III-2.2 : The "Conseil Economique, Social et environnemental - CESE" (French Economic, Social and Environmental Council) approves the French National Strategy for Sustainable Development for the period 2009- 2013, on January 27 2010. | Littérature Grise

The international community's awareness of what is at stake in economic development has gradually increased since the 1992 Rio Summit. This summit gave rise to the elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development (NSSD). In France, the first NSSD was conceived for the 2003-2008 period, and was updated in 2006 to make it consistent with the European Strategy for Sustainable Development (ESSD). Since then, all aspects of French public policy have attempted to promote sustainable development. To further this purpose, the French Government launched a major consultation of civil society’s various members on environmental matters in July 2007. This programme was called the ‘Grenelle de l’environnement’, and has given rise to the first article of the « loi de programmation » of August 3^rd 2009 (an Act of Parliament providing for a general framework and fixing an implementation timetable), which provides for an NSSD that has to be « élaborée par l’Etat en cohérence avec la Stratégie européenne de développement durable et en concertation avec les représentants des élus nationaux et locaux, des employeurs, des salariés et de la société civile, notamment des associations et fondations » (elaborated by the State in coherence with the ESSD and in collaboration with national and local representatives, representatives of employers, of employees, and of civil society, especially associations and foundations).

The CESE’s opinion is that the NSSD must facilitate the transition towards a sustainable economy, with a low level of carbon emissions and a high level of energy efficiency. Its objective is to define the path towards an effecient, socially just, and ecologically sustainable economic development. The plan for the period of 2009 to 2013 was elaborated within the framework of a public consultation, and structured in a similar way to the ESSD, while appearing at the same time shorter, more educational and more strategic than the former NSSD. Moreover, this NSSD takes into account the new global context (the worldwide economic and financial crisis, climate change and the Copenhagen summit, the « Grenelle de l’environnement » and the aims set by President Nicolas Sarkozy in his concluding speech at the « Grenelle de l’environnement »: October 25^th 2007).

The CESE’s opinion describes the new NSSD adopted by the Government for 2009-2013, which contains nine strategic challenges. Each of them defines "the context and issues at stake", "setting out targets in precise figures", "strategic choices" and "levers of action":

Climate change and energy (more environmentally friendly modes of consumption, development of renewable energy sources, modifying local infrastructures)

Sustainable public transport and mobility (complementarity of different means of transport, less-polluting transport, development of innovative systems)

Sustainable consumption and production (longer life cycles for products and services)

Sustainable management of biodiversity and natural resources (eco-innovative economy and urban development)

Public health, preventive action and risk management (quality of living environments, taking social inequalities into account)

Demography, immigration, fight against poverty and social inclusion (taking into account the multicultural dimension of French society)

International challenges in sustainable development and poverty across the world (an international governance contributing to food and energy security in the least-developed countries)

A knowledge-based society (information, education and life-long training, access to culture, increased support for research and innovation)

Governance (involving all concerned parties)

Consulted by the Government on January 27^th 2010, so as to obtain a consultative opinion, the CESE has delivered an overall positive opinion on the NSSD draft project. This enabled the NSSD to produce results, but the report attached to the CESE’s opinion also elaborates conditions. In this report, the CESE enumerates the conditions it believes necessary for improved circulation and efficiency of the strategy:

- The largest possible broadcasting of the NSSD, in order to facilitate citizens’ understanding of the goals to be met, putting forward the list of indicators contained in the NSSD in order to allow citizens to become familiar with the strategy, before circulating a more detailled plan that will allow for a deeper understanding of the strategy.

- The necessity to make the NSSD binding on public authorities.

- Defining goals together with priorities, means, and evaluation proceedures, as well as hierarchising goals and means of action that will be used, in order to present a true strategy.

- Promote sustainable development, not as a new sector-specific policy, but rather as a new approach taking into consideration mid-term and long-term perspectives, and involving individuals, companies, and public authorities through an appropriate institutional framework.

- Granting the NSSD the status of a “mega strategy” in national policy making, just as the European Economic and Social Comity already suggested for the ESSD at the EU level. This would imply not only conferring upon the NSSD a status appropriate to tackle the challenges it is intended to solve, but also having it ratified by the Parliament, rather than by some interministerial committee. This also implies that the implementation of the strategy would be managed at the highest levels of government.

- Preparing for job reconversion and transitions, in order to deal with future transformations on the job market, by making training and job security the highest priorities. The social consequences of these transformations will have to be assumed by society and therefore the NSSD should take into account investments, dividing up individual households’ responsabilities, and intergenerational solidarity in order to ensure its acceptance by society.

- The NSSD’s very structure should take income disparities into account by reconsidering ‘corporate social responsability’ and the role of social dialogue and concertation in lawmaking, in order to be more transparent and informative for citizens.

The CESE’s opinion highlights the main flaws and shortcomings of the NSSD, which are partly due to the fact that the project strives for exhaustiveness by including a multiplicity of levers of action. On the contrary, the CESE recommends only highlighting major priorities. The economic aspect seems glossed over, while social and cultural concerns seem to have been insufficiently apprehended. The ways in which the levers of action will be implemented do not seem sufficiently explained. The lack of targets for sustainable tourism or environmentally-friendly packaging, as well as medical care in the workplace and in schools, is also criticised. The CESE also emphasises the fact that more should have been done to promote social dialogue both in elaborating and implementing the NSSD.

The groups consulted (professional associations, labour unions, associations, etc.) have, on the whole, agreed with the CESE’s recommendations regarding the NSSD. Their most common points of agreement are: better defining the strategy, the importance of job transitions, the obligatory nature of the NSSD, the method of prioritising goals, the clarification of indicators and evaluation methods in its implementation, the taking into account of inequalities, the strengthening of the social aspect of the NSSD, and finally, stimulating social dialogue.

The CESE’s opinion and its attached report are structured as follows:

- The first part is dedicated to the opinion adopted by the CESE during its 27 January 2010 session. The text begins with an introduction to the NSSD and its circulation. This introduction includes an analysis of the nine strategic challenges included in the NSSD, organised around transitions towards sustainable development and taking cooperation into account. It ends with a conclusion based upon the implementation of a new model of economic development.

- The second part is dedicated to transcripts of the consultations with different organisation. We can find the opinions on the NSSD by the agricultural, artisanal, associative sectors; the FDT, CFE-CGC, CFTC, UNSA, and CGT-FO French labour unions; groups of private and public businesses; mutual insurance companies; French overseas territories; qualified persons; and the UNAF (National families union).

-Finally, annexed documents supplement the analysis of the NSSD for 2009-2013. These documents are : the CESE’s opinion that the 2003-2008 NSSD was not a success; recommendations from the “Stiglitz” commission, which was a French presidential commission intended to create new measures of wealth and come up with a new way to measure collective performance; propositions by the CESE’s commission de concertation (Concertation Commission) on sustainable development measurement tools; a document on the creation of the 2009-2013 NSSD; and a second document on Article 1 of the Act of August 3rd, 2009 (law n° 2009-967) relative to the implementation of the “Grenelle de l’environnement”.

Context and issues at stake:

The SNDD is in step with the global context and its underlying issues. The global context has been influenced by the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) evaluation report, which revealed: the rise in sea level and temperature since the beginning of the 1990’s; the observation that greenhouse gas emissions have doubled since the 1970s; and the necessity to limit global warming to 2°C, which means that greenhouse gas emissions will have to stop rising by 2020 and by 2050, they will have to be half of what they were in 1990; and the failure of the Copenhagen Summit. These elements all influenced the NSSD.

The European Union adopted its new Energy-Climate Package in December 2008, under the French presidency, which should enable the EU to reach the target of “3 times 20” (reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20% compared to 1990; increasing energy efficiency by 20%; and arriving at a level of 20% sustainable energy consumption in the EU).

However, France’s domestic context also played a role, because the SNND takes into account the ‘French exception’, which is that because most of its electricity is produced using nuclear and hydraulic plants, it is much less polluting than other members of the OECD: it it represents 1.1% of world greenhouse gas emissions for 0,9% of the world’s population and 5% of the world’s GDP (according to 2004 figures provided by the UN).

Nevertheless, the loi de programmation implementing the Grenelle de l’environnement defined ambitious sector-specific targets for energy efficiency, especially in the construction and transport sectors. Also, the NSSD took into account the Plan climat national (national climate plan) and the Loi de programme fixant les orientations de la politique énergétique (Energy Policy Act) of 13 July 2005, which planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3% a year.

Targets in precise figures:

The European objective is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, as compared to their 1990 level. In France, sectors exempt from the European Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) will consequently have to reduce their emissions by 14 %; and for those included in the ETS (energy, metal industry, cement works, paper industry, chemistry), 21%.

Renewable energy will have to account for 50% of France’s energy production and 23% of its energy consumption. Additionally, the NSSD aims at making France’s overseas territories completely energy-independent by 2030.

Strategic choices

- “Promote and favour less polluting methods of production and consumption”: motivate public and private actors to find more energy-efficient solutions, minimise greenhouse gas emissions, especially in industry, transportation, agriculture, construction, and urban planning. Particular emphasis is placed on energy-efficient or energy-creating buildings.

- “Inform in order to allow the public and private sectors to make informed choices ”: favour a change in behaviour through a better understanding of the climate and its mechanisms; of energy consumption and its effects. Develop cost/benefit charts on national and local energy policies.

- “Support innovation for energy-efficient and non-polluting economic growth”: change the way goods are produced and consumed (“green growth”), intensify research, development and innovation of energy-efficient proceedures.

- “Adapt activities and infrastructures to climate change”: dealing with the consequences of global warming, like shifts in the coastline, the necessary adaptations to be made to agriculture, forestry and tourism within the framework of infrastructure development strategies to be developed by all actors, in order to reduce the country’s vulnerablility to climate change’s effects. Ensure that long-term regional and national development projects take climate change into account.

- “Take energy policy’s social consequences into account, in order to avoid increasing inequalities”: the inevitable rise in the cost of energy should not mean that certain categories of the population or certain areas of the country cannot meet their basic needs, like heating or electricity. This requires social consideration of these groups and the provision of funding to help them invest in energy-efficient solutions in adapting to climate change.

Levers of action:

- “Establish a price tag for greenhouse gas emission and intensification of the quota market”: make the price of energy reflect the effect of greenhouse gas emissions by applying a system of discount or surcharge based on its environmental impact (or another system of energy taxation), prepare the third phase of the EETS, and implement a national accounting system of emissions of greenhouse gas and other atmospheric pollutants.

- “Develop local adaptation and reduction strategies”: heighten awareness of all actors; participation between the central government and regional governments to create climate, air, and energy strategies; development of tools to help decision-making and follow-up; energy audits and reports on emissions; support for local sustainable development and energy conservation strategies.

- “Diversify energy sources and reduce use of fossil fuels": elaborate regional climate-air-energy schemes that include developping renewable energy and linking them to the existing grid; increasing the percentage of such energy sources in urban planning; provide incentives through taxation, prices, and dedicated investment funds.

- “Reduce situations of energy precariousness”: aid social categories and professions vulnerable to the fluctuation of energy prices, improve improving the extant housing stock, especially public housing; financial aid for buying energy efficient homes through zero-interest-rate loans or tax advantages.

- “Promote and improve energy efficiency in construction, industry, business, and transport”: generalise energy and greenhouse gas emission auditing; promote energy saving and the quality of insulation through rules and regulations; develop implementation of energy targets; promote the use of efficient materials; recycle materials and waste; educate construction workers on renewable energy.

- “Make the public sector exemplary”: generalise energy auditing, especially for government buildings; public support of innovative products and fields through purchasing; develop work-from-home schemes to reduce use of transports.

- “Intensify research”: natural channeling and storage of carbon and CO2; renewable energy sources; methods of efficient production with low emissions; improve biofuels; optimise networks.

, improvement of the efficiency of bio fuels, optimization of networks.

- “Implement shared indicators and follow-up”: evaluation method for these projects at every level of their implementation; facilitate local implementation of national objectives in greenhouse gas reduction.

- “Inform citizens about energy consumption”: energy-consumption and carbon-production labelling information; a climate-energy tax; awareness campaign on energy savings; information on ways to take action.

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III-2.2 : The "Conseil Economique, Social et environnemental - CESE" (French Economic, Social and Environmental Council) approves the French National Strategy for Sustainable Development for the period 2009- 2013, on January 27 2010.

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