The French president continues to firmly believe in the decarbonisation of the European economy. But strangely, the candidates in the European elections do not seem too interested in dealing with the disaster of the European decarbonisation policy mandated by the Green Deal. Is it to hide the destructive failure of our competitiveness?
On April 24, Emmanuel Macron gave a speech at the Sorbonne as a candidate for the presidency of the EU, not as Charles Michel is president of the European Council, but as the real president of a future federal union. In a speech that lasted nearly two hours, he announced, without saying so, that the states should be merged into a single entity whose president—he, himself?—will lead the whole Union. It will be democratic, of course, but the decisions will apply to everyone, even if they do not correspond to the culture, to the foundations of the merged nations. For he wants to merge nations as he has merged companies. He spoke of sovereignty, but never of national sovereignty; it will be purely European. Can you imagine that a Maltese will think and act like a Latvian, a Bulgarian like an Irishman?
Regarding energy and climate, he said: “We want the climate, with carbon-free energy, as I said, but we are the only geographical area that has made the rules to get there. The others don’t go at the same pace.” In other words,
everyone else is wrong, we’re right. … So, yes, carbon-free energy produced in Europe is the key to reconciling climate, sovereignty and job creation. And so, we need a combined strategy: energy efficiency, deployment of renewables, and deployment of nuclear. This is what will make Europe a true electric powerhouse. And that’s the key.
In fact, for more than 40 years, this has been exactly what has been said about energy policy (with the exception of nuclear power for a few Member States).
Growth, not decarbonization
The president brags about the strategy of the past while our competitors use what the president thinks is a force to weaken us. On April 9, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, posted a tweet on X which must have angered climate defenders.
“A remarkable feat!” The crossing of a billion tonnes in the coal and lignite production marks a historic milestone for India, reflecting our commitment to ensuring a vibrant coal sector. This also allows India to progress towards Aatmanirbharta in a vital sector.”
India boasting of use more carbon is not a surprise, but this strange word was to me:
Aatmanirbharta!
It is an Indian word that evokes resilience, autonomy. The Atmanirbhar Bharat Project Abhiyaan supports the Prime Minister’s vision for India’s self-reliance. He launched it on May 12, 2020, with a budget equivalent to 10% of GDP. The initial objective was to fight against the COVID pandemic, but the project then became the goal of making the country and its citizens independent and autonomous in every sense of the word. Aatmanirbharta became synonymous with self-reliant India. This project aims to enable India to play an important role in the global economy by being more efficient and more resilient.
This goal can only be achieved by using much more energy; the country is going to therefore favor abundant and cheap energy, and in their case, it is coal. In 2022, India emitted 2.6 billion tonnes of CO (GtCO2/year) and the EU 2.7 Gt, but for a population three times smaller. As I show in my latest book, Energie, mensonges d’état, la destruction organisée de la compétitivité de l’UE (L’Artilleur), if India continues to grow at the same average rate as in recent years, it will reach 5.2 Gt CO2/year in 2050, but if it reaches current levels of EU emissions per capita and, which is unlikely, the Indian population remains stable at 1.3 billion inhabitants, it will emit 7.5 Gt CO2. Whether is 5 or 7 GtCO2/year, the key message is that India alone will cancel several times over all the costly and painful efforts that the French president aims to impose on all Europeans.
Actually, Emmanuel Macron is satisfied with the energy policy that has increased the price of electricity and undermined the competitiveness of businesses, and he intends to continue wasting our taxes by promoting unprofitable renewable energy projects, but which benefit the caste of profiteers. He talked about hydrogen, of course; I’m coming back from the conference Flame 2024 in Amsterdam on LNG, and some of us laughed at the simpletons who dream of hydrogen energy (see my book L’utopia hydrogen).
After his late conversion to nuclear power, one wonders if the president persuaded the Austrians to amend their constitution, which prohibits nuclear energy. Is he insolent enough to consider changing the constitution of a merged country? Is it possible that he doesn’t see that his energy strategy is a failure? The Flame 2024 conference confirmed the extraordinary development of gas production, trade and use of natural liquid gas (LNG), a fossil fuel that the EU refuses to produce, but which it buys with enthusiasm from the United States. American gas has replaced Russian gas; Macron boasts of no longer buying Russian gas, without mentioning that we are dependent on American gas, much more expensive and of which France is the leading importer.
It’s hard to keep dreaming
Elsewhere, however, the lies of the State are more and more visible. As Mr. Macron spoke, British Energy Minister Claire Coutinho wrote:
“Countries around the world are realizing that it is not possible to impose costs to families in difficulty to achieve climate objectives. Throughout this European campaign, this message should be repeated constantly: ecological objectives will not be achieved because we cannot afford to continue to impoverish people.”
The Scottish coalition government has just collapsed, with the Greens unable to accept that the government of Humza Yousaf admits that it will not succeed in reducing carbon emissions by 75% by 2030 and 100% by 2045. How is it possible to announce such extravagant goals?
Note that the EU’s 50% target is equally extravagant, not to mention the 90% for 2040 that Ursula von der Leyen plans to impose if she is re-elected. To measure the denial of realism, the European Commission announced this insane plan while the farmers demonstrated with their tractors in the European Union’s capital in Brussels.
Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, who wanted to make the electric car mandatory from 2035, will not even be ashamed of this other failure: European ports are filled with Chinese electric vehicles that cannot find a buyer, because it is obvious that they do not want them, despite prices both subsidized by the Chinese to seize the European market and sold off by dealers. This week, Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, once again attacked arbitrary electric vehicle emissions targets. He had the merit of denouncing the error—the lie—from the start, unlike the German manufacturers who are kicking themselves.
The lie of the German environmental minister
In an article published in the German magazine Cicero, journalist David Gräber reveals that Green party members, including Minister Robert Habeck, misled the German public by saying that nuclear power plants are too expensive and too dangerous, while the German government’s internal analysis showed that they produce cheap electricity and are safe to operate. The matter is serious, because the lie, the manipulation, took place in the midst of an energy crisis following the explosion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
I titled my last book “Energy Insecurity,” but upon reading the manuscript, the editor wisely suggested that I call it “Energy, State Lies”, because there are so many in the energy field. It’s not just about lies, it is about our future as Europe, as nations, as industries and as citizens. The situation is so worrying that it is easy to understand why politicians do not dare to look at the reality that they helped to create with their Green Deal; they convince themselves that the world will eventually follow us, so even though they have resolutely abandoned decarbonization, as the conclusion of COP28, Emmanuel Macron’s energy policy will have the effect of accelerating the organized destruction of EU competitiveness that is already underway. We must put an end to this on June 9.
This article was originally published on May 6, 2024 by Atlantico. It has been translated into English and appears here with kind permission.
The President of Decarbonistan
President Emmanuel Macron of France.
Photo: Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AF
The French president continues to firmly believe in the decarbonisation of the European economy. But strangely, the candidates in the European elections do not seem too interested in dealing with the disaster of the European decarbonisation policy mandated by the Green Deal. Is it to hide the destructive failure of our competitiveness?
On April 24, Emmanuel Macron gave a speech at the Sorbonne as a candidate for the presidency of the EU, not as Charles Michel is president of the European Council, but as the real president of a future federal union. In a speech that lasted nearly two hours, he announced, without saying so, that the states should be merged into a single entity whose president—he, himself?—will lead the whole Union. It will be democratic, of course, but the decisions will apply to everyone, even if they do not correspond to the culture, to the foundations of the merged nations. For he wants to merge nations as he has merged companies. He spoke of sovereignty, but never of national sovereignty; it will be purely European. Can you imagine that a Maltese will think and act like a Latvian, a Bulgarian like an Irishman?
Regarding energy and climate, he said: “We want the climate, with carbon-free energy, as I said, but we are the only geographical area that has made the rules to get there. The others don’t go at the same pace.” In other words,
In fact, for more than 40 years, this has been exactly what has been said about energy policy (with the exception of nuclear power for a few Member States).
Growth, not decarbonization
The president brags about the strategy of the past while our competitors use what the president thinks is a force to weaken us. On April 9, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, posted a tweet on X which must have angered climate defenders.
“A remarkable feat!” The crossing of a billion tonnes in the coal and lignite production marks a historic milestone for India, reflecting our commitment to ensuring a vibrant coal sector. This also allows India to progress towards Aatmanirbharta in a vital sector.”
India boasting of use more carbon is not a surprise, but this strange word was to me:
Aatmanirbharta!
It is an Indian word that evokes resilience, autonomy. The Atmanirbhar Bharat Project Abhiyaan supports the Prime Minister’s vision for India’s self-reliance. He launched it on May 12, 2020, with a budget equivalent to 10% of GDP. The initial objective was to fight against the COVID pandemic, but the project then became the goal of making the country and its citizens independent and autonomous in every sense of the word. Aatmanirbharta became synonymous with self-reliant India. This project aims to enable India to play an important role in the global economy by being more efficient and more resilient.
This goal can only be achieved by using much more energy; the country is going to therefore favor abundant and cheap energy, and in their case, it is coal. In 2022, India emitted 2.6 billion tonnes of CO (GtCO2/year) and the EU 2.7 Gt, but for a population three times smaller. As I show in my latest book, Energie, mensonges d’état, la destruction organisée de la compétitivité de l’UE (L’Artilleur), if India continues to grow at the same average rate as in recent years, it will reach 5.2 Gt CO2/year in 2050, but if it reaches current levels of EU emissions per capita and, which is unlikely, the Indian population remains stable at 1.3 billion inhabitants, it will emit 7.5 Gt CO2. Whether is 5 or 7 GtCO2/year, the key message is that India alone will cancel several times over all the costly and painful efforts that the French president aims to impose on all Europeans.
Actually, Emmanuel Macron is satisfied with the energy policy that has increased the price of electricity and undermined the competitiveness of businesses, and he intends to continue wasting our taxes by promoting unprofitable renewable energy projects, but which benefit the caste of profiteers. He talked about hydrogen, of course; I’m coming back from the conference Flame 2024 in Amsterdam on LNG, and some of us laughed at the simpletons who dream of hydrogen energy (see my book L’utopia hydrogen).
After his late conversion to nuclear power, one wonders if the president persuaded the Austrians to amend their constitution, which prohibits nuclear energy. Is he insolent enough to consider changing the constitution of a merged country? Is it possible that he doesn’t see that his energy strategy is a failure? The Flame 2024 conference confirmed the extraordinary development of gas production, trade and use of natural liquid gas (LNG), a fossil fuel that the EU refuses to produce, but which it buys with enthusiasm from the United States. American gas has replaced Russian gas; Macron boasts of no longer buying Russian gas, without mentioning that we are dependent on American gas, much more expensive and of which France is the leading importer.
It’s hard to keep dreaming
Elsewhere, however, the lies of the State are more and more visible. As Mr. Macron spoke, British Energy Minister Claire Coutinho wrote:
“Countries around the world are realizing that it is not possible to impose costs to families in difficulty to achieve climate objectives. Throughout this European campaign, this message should be repeated constantly: ecological objectives will not be achieved because we cannot afford to continue to impoverish people.”
The Scottish coalition government has just collapsed, with the Greens unable to accept that the government of Humza Yousaf admits that it will not succeed in reducing carbon emissions by 75% by 2030 and 100% by 2045. How is it possible to announce such extravagant goals?
Note that the EU’s 50% target is equally extravagant, not to mention the 90% for 2040 that Ursula von der Leyen plans to impose if she is re-elected. To measure the denial of realism, the European Commission announced this insane plan while the farmers demonstrated with their tractors in the European Union’s capital in Brussels.
Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen, who wanted to make the electric car mandatory from 2035, will not even be ashamed of this other failure: European ports are filled with Chinese electric vehicles that cannot find a buyer, because it is obvious that they do not want them, despite prices both subsidized by the Chinese to seize the European market and sold off by dealers. This week, Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, once again attacked arbitrary electric vehicle emissions targets. He had the merit of denouncing the error—the lie—from the start, unlike the German manufacturers who are kicking themselves.
The lie of the German environmental minister
In an article published in the German magazine Cicero, journalist David Gräber reveals that Green party members, including Minister Robert Habeck, misled the German public by saying that nuclear power plants are too expensive and too dangerous, while the German government’s internal analysis showed that they produce cheap electricity and are safe to operate. The matter is serious, because the lie, the manipulation, took place in the midst of an energy crisis following the explosion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
I titled my last book “Energy Insecurity,” but upon reading the manuscript, the editor wisely suggested that I call it “Energy, State Lies”, because there are so many in the energy field. It’s not just about lies, it is about our future as Europe, as nations, as industries and as citizens. The situation is so worrying that it is easy to understand why politicians do not dare to look at the reality that they helped to create with their Green Deal; they convince themselves that the world will eventually follow us, so even though they have resolutely abandoned decarbonization, as the conclusion of COP28, Emmanuel Macron’s energy policy will have the effect of accelerating the organized destruction of EU competitiveness that is already underway. We must put an end to this on June 9.
This article was originally published on May 6, 2024 by Atlantico. It has been translated into English and appears here with kind permission.
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