Emmanuel Macron said loudly “The Telegraph” made it clear that a ban on gas heating in France was not up for debate. The French president defends an “ecology based on progress” that does not require “a cure incompatible with our productive and social model”.

Macron’s pledge of a painless, supply-side green transition came just days after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he would delay the transition away from petrol cars and gas heating due to “unacceptable costs” to the population.

Macron announced that France would end coal use by 2027 and reduce fossil fuel use from 60 to 40 percent over the same period, although he provided no details. “We will not ban” the installation of new gas heating systems, Macron said, “because we cannot leave our fellow citizens, especially in the most rural areas, without a solution.”

Macron wants to keep more heat pumps and car production in France

According to The Telegraph, France will certainly support citizens in equipping themselves with heat pumps because they are intelligent, save energy and greatly reduce emissions. Macron promised to triple the production of heat pumps to “reach one million by 2027.”

In a television interview on Sunday, Macron admitted that the French people “love their cars” and stressed the need to produce vehicles and batteries domestically. Macron supports the construction of four battery gigafactories in northern France to counteract Chinese and American competition.

State funding for leasing of electric cars announced

The French president said on Monday that France’s green plans would strengthen the country as Europe’s “most attractive country” for foreign investment and increase its “ecological sovereignty” and competitiveness. To help lower-income citizens, the government plans to introduce a state-subsidized system by the end of the year that will allow European electric cars to be leased for around 100 euros a month.

France has committed to reducing its emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. To achieve this goal, the country must progress “2.5 times” as quickly as before, said Macron. Despite these efforts, environmental activists criticized Macron’s policies as insufficient. Greenpeace France said the French president “still does not realize the scale of the climate emergency.”