Macron unveils plan to address climate change ahead of French electionhttps://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2022/04/17/macron-unveils-plan-to-address-climate-change-ahead-of-french-election_5980777_5.htmlPresident Emmanuel Macron promised to place the environment at the heart of his government if he is re-elected next weekend, in a speech in southern France on Saturday, April 16, designed to appeal to young and green-minded voters. Mr. Macron held a major rally in the port city of Marseille while his rival, far-right leader Marine Le Pen, visited a village west of Paris.
"I hear the anxiety that exists in a lot of our young people," Mr. Macron told the rally. "I see young people, adolescents, who are fearful about the future of our planet." He said a "powerful message" had been sent in the first round of elections on April 10, when nearly eight million voters backed hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon and his ecology-heavy programme. "It's up to us to react and up to us to take action," Mr. Macron said.
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The idea of a prime minister tasked with "ecological planning" was first proposed by Mr. Mélenchon and Mr. Macron's team said adopting the idea was part of efforts to "enrich" the president's platform. Mr. Macron accused Ms. Le Pen of being "a climate change sceptic" and attacked her for proposing to dismantle wind turbines, which the far-right leader views as being costly, inefficient eyesores.
Surveys show the environment as one of French voter's main priorities, but it has been overshadowed as an issue during the election campaign by the war in Ukraine and the spiraling cost of living. Several hundred activists from the Extinction Rebellion climate activist group blocked a main road in the center of Paris on Saturday to denounce the "inaction" of political leaders. "This is the only way of ensuring that everyone talks a bit about climate change," said Antoine, a young Extinction Rebellion activist who declined to give his surname.