A key part of the global fight to tackle global warming is the idea of carbon neutrality – a state of net zero carbon dioxide emissions. Like many countries and institutions around the world, France has committed to going carbon neutral by 2050. So how exactly is the country planning to get there and, crucially, how is it going so far?
France currently derives 70 percent of its energy from nuclear power – making the country the largest consumer of nuclear energy per capita in the world.
The French government insists that nuclear energy is a key piece of the carbon neutrality puzzle, and has vowed to invest €1 billion in nuclear power by the end of the decade. But while energy is going to be a central theme in the run-up to next year's French presidential election, not everyone is on the same page.
Investing in green energy projects like wind turbines requires a huge amount of state resources, not to mention political consensus. Increasingly, private citizens are bypassing the authorities in a bid to produce their own energy – locally and sustainably.
To delve into the issue further, we speak to sociologist Michel Wieviorka.
