French greens: 6 years to save the world

With an unprecedented 16% of French votes in last Sunday’s European elections going to Europe Ecologie, the French coalition of green parties led by mythical figures such as Daniel Cohn-Bendit and José Bové, France has become the unexpected symbol of environmental hope throughout Europe.

“The election results in France reflect a growing awareness from the public of the environmental emergency”

Antoine Foucher, 39, director of Greenpeace campaigns in France, gives his reactions on the success of the French green party Europe Ecologie at the recent European elections, stressing it as a response to the pressing need for political action and reform:

“The solutions are there.  The problem is not scientific or technological, it is purely political”

 

Would you define the great increase of Green votes in France as a positive move towards greener issues, or as a negative move away from more traditional political parties, say?

First and foremost, I would like to say how satisfied we are of this success.  For us it corresponds to a genuine awareness taking of the French people towards the current environmental crisis in the world

I’d say it is definitely not a reactionary vote.   You can already feel the choice of the French people in the re-orientation of consumer practices for instance and in the increase in climate awareness for example.  Maybe the vote also corresponds to a failure of the European left to present a convincing model, but I think that first and foremost, it is a positive vote.

 

How would you explain this jump in popularity in France, which so much greater than in the rest of Europe?

I think the environment has been a huge popular and media issue in France in recent years. 

This is due to the combination of many factors.  For example, the fact that we have a nuclear energy model which has created a lot of controversy; there have also been many debates surrounding genetically modified products.  Public attention has also been caused by France’s large and destructive fishing industry.  These are a few reasons for which France could be said to have an ecological conscience, although I really feel that the green movement is gaining in popularity and credibility all over Europe, and indeed all over the world.

 

Would you say that Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s film HOME, which was released on a mass multi-media scale just a few days before the elections, influenced the French people’s vote?

It’s mad isn’t it!

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the impact of the film.  It was aired on a national channel on Friday evening and it was shown in front of the Eiffel Tower to a public of 25,000 people.  It is a very moving film too.  I couldn’t say how much it has had an impact but I certainly think it played a role.  The film was good, especially as it brought home the severity of the situation on Earth with hard numbers and pictures.  People often know there is a problem, but rarely the extent of it.

 

The film is quite overwhelming.  Would you say there is a risk that the public feels discouraged and forced into gloom rather than into action?

Well as they say, we have a choice between optimistic action or pessimistic thoughts.  The film is in many ways very hard, but I think Arthus-Bertrand tried to pass a  message: that the situation is catastrophic, but that this is the best reason to start doing things.  Fast. 

There are many solutions that can be put into practice.  At the end of the year we will see what governments sign up to do concretely in Copenhagen. 

 

So you are saying that we already have the solutions?

Yes!  The ecological approach, which is that of Greenpeace and Europe Ecologie, is a pro-active approach full of solutions. 

We have the technological and scientific capacities to change things.  We know what could be done to counteract global warming for instance.  There are mostly very simple solutions to problems, such as models of sustainable agriculture as a response to genetically modified products.  It is just a matter of putting these solutions into practice, which brings us on to the true problem: politics and politicians.  In the end, the problem here is purely political.  We are dependent on our politicians to get things done.

There is a window of opportunity of around10 to 15 years in which we can still give ourselves a chance by reforming completely.

 

That is very little time!

Yes it is very little.  You know, climatologists say that we need to reverse current trends of global warming, notably by curbing greenhouse gasses, by 2015 if we want to avoid uncontrollable consequences such as extreme weather patterns, drastic rising of sea levels.  So that is only 6 years to act for climate.  Either we react now, or we’re finished.

 

Do you think the election of Europe Ecologie and other Green parties across Europe to the European parliament is going to be able to influence laws and fellow politicians from other parties?

Yes, of course.  I think that political parties are starting to realise that they have to integrate green policies to their party policies if they want to continue appealing to citizens.

On a larger scale, I think that Europe is a key economical player and has a lot of power on this matter.  It is the first global importer and exporter, and as such European environmental standards are standards which have huge importance.  The EU has a lot of power on this matter. 

This coming fall, agricultural reforms will be discussed.  The reforms could see the continental bloc going in either of two directions.  Either towards a productivist policy which destroys our environment, or a respectful policy which protects our environment and ourselves.  By this I mean our immediate health, as in the last few years in France the number of cancer cases has doubled.  This phenomenon has been directly linked to environmental degradation.

There are many more debates which are going to happen surrounding these kinds of topics, which is why it is fundamental to have a green voice in the European parliament.  It is for our future, not only for us in France and in Europe, but also for the rest of the world.