And why not sand yachting? He was happy with his good word, last night, Christophe Galtier, the PSG coach. But his answer to the boss of the TGV lines, who suggested that Parisian players take the train rather than the plane to go and play in Nantes, fell completely flat. A few years ago, no doubt, a majority of French people would have applauded the formula and accused the SNCF of meddling in what was none of their business – if celebrities like PSG players can no longer fly according to their good want, where are we going? From now on, no one laughs anymore, except Kylian Mbappé who, sitting next to his coach and approving him, found himself caught in the flood of criticism. No, definitely, all this no longer happens and not only in militant, young and extremist spheres.
Just three years ago, we took a liking to Greta Thunberg when she lectured the “big guys” for letting the “young guys” down. Who was this young Swedish girl with braids who allowed herself to talk to us like this from the UN platform, we were rebelling? It was 2019, another world, another time. Failing to win political battles, including in her own country (next Sunday’s elections in Sweden should not result in an environmental tidal wave), she has undeniably won the cultural battle.
Even the “not green at all” converts
Is it the effects of Covid and confinement that have made us unaccustomed to easy and cheap travel? Is it energy price that weighs on minds and purses? Are the calls for sobriety beginning to have an effect? We see in our entourage, although made up of moderate greens, even “not green at all” by rejection of the most radical positions, settling reflexes still non-existent at the turn of the decade. We are witnessing dazzling turns. People – often men – who had never wondered before and couldn’t imagine traveling other than by car, including in town, are signing up for electric car sharing apps or investing in bicycles which are worth thousands of euros but keep them in the category of “trendy greens” and not “decreasing sixty-eighters”.
We are surprised to have scruples when taking plane tickets for Italy, Spain or Portugal for a final Indian summer weekend. They get rid of them pretty quickly. The price argument, the time argument often end up leaning the choice towards the side of the plane, but it does not prevent, when passing through the security gates of the airport, we have a little pinch in the idea of the harm we do to the planet for our selfish pleasure. And on the way back, we are careful not to brag about this escapade for fear of arousing ridicule and criticism.
During dinners, the new game is to compare our carbon footprints. We all have a good excuse to explain why we eat meat (that’s fine, I sold my car), why we took a mini-tour of Europe by car during the summer (yes, but this year, I didn’t fly to the United States). Some of our friends are suspected of minimizing their consumption or their trips to reach the ideal standard of two tons that the current life of city dwellers does not allow us to respect. But the test has its small effect and highlights the little lies we tell ourselves.
More and more often, our new good resolutions trigger family or friendly quarrels. Do you really have to skip avocado toast for Sunday brunch? Should we give up the long-held dream of a trip to Japan? Do you really have to turn off the wifi during the day at the risk that it won’t restart when you need it? Everything is sifted through, the important as well as the trivial, everything becomes a question of dosage and negotiations. The children remain silent for once. Yesterday, staunch defenders of sorting and composting, they understood that they had won the battle. Next year, for the holidays, they will go to grandpa and grandma in a sand yacht.