THE CLIMATE PEN. This is Emmanuel Macron’s wide angle of attack against Marine Le Pen in the interval between the presidential elections. Is the RN candidate really “climatosceptic”? Response elements…
[Mis à jour le 20 avril 2022 à 22h32] Is Marine le Pen a climatosceptic? This accusation by Emmanuel Macron against his rival in the second round of the presidential election has marked the spirits since the Marseille meeting on Saturday April 16, during which the president-candidate tried to endorse the idea of ”ecological planning” dear to Jean-Luc Melenchon. “Even incompetent, she is a climatosceptic”, even mocked the outgoing president in front of his supporters, pointing to the emptiness of Marine Le Pen’s program for the climate.
During the debate between two rounds this Wednesday, April 20, Marine Le Pen defended herself and insisted on “localism” and “economic patriotism” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, estimating that 50 % of French emissions are linked to imports of foreign products. She also insisted on animal welfare, and assured that “it is not just energy” in the fight against global warming. Emmanuel Macron estimated for his part that Marine Le Pen’s program had “neither head nor tail” with in particular the reduction in taxes on fuels which are also imported. Something to which Marine Le Pen replied that he was for his part “climatic-hypocritical” and that he had, since the Holland years, destabilized the nuclear industry.
What Marine Le Pen says: Marine Le Pen reacted very quickly to Emmanuel Macron’s first accusations in mid-April, in particular on France 3 where she assured that she had never doubted climate change, its causes and its effects, which are specific to climate skeptics. “I have never been a climatosceptic. I have a project which, precisely, takes into account the environment, takes into account ecology”, defended the candidate RN in particular.
What there is to know : As recalled by TF1 on its website, Marine Le Pen has however in the past had more “skeptical” remarks precisely on global warming. In 2017 in particular, in remarks taken up by AFP, she considered that the “debates” on the very existence of climate change were “useful”, judging that the fight for the climate should not be transformed into “religion”. These comments were made after a speech to the media Reporterrein these exact words: “I am not a climate scientist, I think that human activity contributes to it, in proportions that I am unable to measure. Climate change is not a religion, it is useful that there may be debates.”
“I’m not sure that human activity is the main cause of this phenomenon. […]. The IPCC is the consensus of those who have the floor. They are the priests and bishops of climate change. Those who say the opposite are the heretics…” (Marine Le Pen in TerraEco in 2012)
In 2012, on the other hand, Marine Le Pen clearly minimized the role of Man in global warming, in an interview at Terra Eco. “I am not sure that human activity is the main origin of this phenomenon”, can we read in the archives of the site since disappeared. Marine Le Pen even assured that “it is not the work of the IPCC that can establish with certainty that man is the cause of climate change”. “The IPCC is the consensus of those who have the floor. They are the priests and bishops of climate change. Those who say the opposite are the heretics…”, she declared further.
In 2022, priority for the end of wind turbines
Obviously, water has flowed under the bridges in ten years. In Marine Le Pen’s program, there is no question today of questioning global warming, even if it is clearly not one of the priorities. In his profession of faith (to download here), there is no direct mention of climate or energy, but of the protection of animals with the fight “against animal abuse, in particular by prohibiting slaughter without stunning”.
In the 22 key measures presented on its website this time, Marine Le Pen still does not directly mention the climate, but displays in 12th position “Ensure our energy independence to lower the French bill”. In this chapter, it intends to “return to households the 5 billion in subsidies paid in particular to wind turbines, stop wind projects and gradually dismantle existing parks, relaunch the nuclear and hydroelectric sector and invest in the hydrogen sector”, but also “get out of the European electricity market to regain decent prices”.
“We will pronounce a moratorium on wind and solar power; for wind power, we will launch the gradual dismantling of sites […]” (Marine Le Pen program)
The fight against wind turbines is also among the priorities of his even more detailed “booklet for ecology” (to download here). In this document, Marine Le Pen says she wants to ensure “ensure the transition to an energy-autonomous low-carbon economy”. “France will respond to the commitments of the Paris Agreement, by the means it will have chosen, at the pace and according to the stages which it will have decided”, she warns however. Then comes back his credo: “We will pronounce a moratorium on wind and solar energy; for wind energy, we will launch the progressive dismantling of sites, starting with those that are reaching the end of their life. All subsidies dedicated to promoting these processes will be suspended, and the energy produced purchased at market price”, it is immediately specified.
Marine Le Pen prefers other renewable energies, “hydroelectricity and geothermal energy” and “the revival of nuclear energy” with the start of construction of 4th generation reactors and micro power stations. A point that brings her closer to Emmanuel Macron, also pro-nuclear. The hydrogen sector is also mentioned “with the aim of lowering the price of electricity for households and industry”.
Biodiversity and animal protection
The “biodiversity” side appears in 2nd place in this booklet for ecology with a chapter entitled “Restore biodiversity, revive life”. Marine Le Pen believes that “in the absence of relevant biodiversity criteria, our policy will depend on the evolution of the populations of control species, in the places where they live”.
The protection of animals (domestic and breeding) is the subject of an entire “booklet” (read here), which can finally be summarized in its three main proposals: “1. Grant constitutional recognition to animals; 2. Create a new civil status for animals; 3. Strengthen the penalties for offenses committed against animals”.