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France’s National Audit Court or Cour des Comptes is clear about its verdict: the Sarkozy administration has seriously failed to meet its environment protection and green energy targets.
The biggest cause for concern: expensive and non-productive environment protection policies. Just after Nicolas Sarkozy was elected in 2007, he held the Environment Round Table Conference. A series of policies were laid out, along with a special budget and a set of targets.
But the audit court says: it all went wrong after President Sarkozy’s party lost regional elections in 2010. Several green taxes were pulled back, and in citing economic downturn, the government stopped investing in energy efficient housing like this one. Built with some rare materials like quartz and compact cement, these buildings reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints by almost 50 percent.
Housing projects like the one right behind me were to start all over France this year, but many have been stalled because of the ongoing economic downturn.
Wind energy too is facing a credit crunch. The Audit court blames the current government for not investing enough money.
As elections draw closer, most parties want their share of spotlight on topics like this. All political parties are promising avant garde ideas on green energy. The question is how they will do it in a shrinking economy.