07.06.2011 2

Provence & Côte d'Azur: Region drops to 15th place after recent study

PACA falls behind in reducing CO2 emissions

Efforts are being taken across the world to reverse global warming, and France is no exception. French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s “Grenelle Environnement” initiative, launched in 2007, planned to cut carbon dioxide emissions from transport by 11 per cent by 2020. However, the Provence Alpes Côte-d’Azur (PACA) region is falling behind in this battle.

Cars stuck in traffic
Using personal vehicles instead of public transportation is causing the high gas emissions © Peter Lloyd

PACA is ranked 15th out of 22 regions in France for carbon efficiency, according to recent statistics released by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). The study reports that active students, for example, emit 129 kg of carbon dioxide travelling from activity to activity.

The frequent use of private vehicles in towns and for long trips, as well as a stubborn attachment to older and bigger cars are two of the main reasons why the region is falling behind, explains the report. Some 53 per cent of CO2 emissions in France are linked to journeys of between five and 35 km, 5 per cent of which come from travel between Nice and Antibes.

The study predicts that by 2020 there will be 7 per cent more employers and students in the region. With more people, traffic will increase, thus the study predicts the level of CO2 emissions will increase by 6 per cent raising energy costs for everyone in the region.

If the trend is to be reversed, regulatory action needs to be taken to increase public transport along the coast and persuade people to use it. In the Alpes-Maritimes for example all bus journeys are priced at 1 euro, a costly initiative for the local councils but it has attracted many more people to hop on a bus.

Nathalie Miraval

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Comment by Klaus HINST | 10.06.2011

I suggest it is high time to urge Le Conseil General PACA to introduce measures that forbid fires of garden waste on private and public grounds between September and May. The permanent ommission of carbon dioxide through this old habit is appalling and very counterproductive to Sarkozy's Grenelle Environnement intitiative, probably much more than active students travelling.

Comment by Frank Schiesser | 10.06.2011

I can only agree to this proposal! And, please tell our French "activist" from St. Paul that the key principle of leaving peacefully together is "you can do what you feel approriate to do privately as long as your doing is not harming or disturbing the ones living next to your door."

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