Publication
Doing your fair share for the climate?
Doing your fair share for the climate?
The power and responsibility of individuals, businesses and the State in the fight against climate change
Even if environmentalism has undeniably increased in people’s minds in recent years, France is still far from managing the acceleration necessary to achieve the objectives set for the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Whose fault is it? Some say it is the consumers that need to adopt a more ecologically responsible behaviour, with common “small actions”, such as recycling. Others say it is the government and companies, because these big players have failed to present serious concrete results. In reality, the battle can only be won if it is fought on all fronts. To know who can act where, and how to manage the priorities, it is vital to have a good understanding of the orders of magnitude.
- What impact can we expect from these “small daily actions”?
- What impact could radical change in individual behaviour have on a French citizen’s average carbon footprint?
- What role should companies and the State play in the transition?
Key messages
1.
GHG: greenhouse gases.
2.
The national carbon footprint is equal to France’s domestic emissions plus imports minus exports.
3.
Each emission of non-CO2 greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide, etc.) is converted to CO2 equivalent using the GWP100 metric.
4.
Source: CGDD – Households & Environment – Key Figures 2017.
5.
Comparison of the “Average Meal” and “Vegetarian Meal” emission factors from ADEME’s Carbon Database. Spillover effects, such as the impact of eliminating the use of animal manure in soil amendments, were not taken into account.
6.
Zeroing out short-distance passenger-kilometers in urban areas, based on data from the Transportation Accounts and the National Transportation and Travel Survey (ENTD).
7.
An increase in vehicle occupancy automatically reduces emissions per passenger-kilometer.
8.
Reducing emissions from international and domestic air travel to zero (approx. 20 MtCO2).
9.
Divide the “Clothing/Textiles” expenditure category for French residents by 3, then convert to CO2 using the “Textiles and Clothing” emissions factor from the ADEME carbon database.
10.
A 90% reduction in emissions related to food freight, according to eco2climat. This figure does not account for the reduction resulting from the cessation of consumption of non-locally produced goods.
11.
A 20% reduction in heating costs across the entire French residential housing stock.
12.
Purchasing used appliances and refurbished high-tech products: emissions associated with the production phase are reduced to zero. For appliances, transportation-related emissions are also reduced to zero. The additional energy consumption caused by used appliances compared to new ones during the use phase is not taken into account.
13.
Reducing the amount of household packaging used in France to zero (source: Ecoemballages).
14.
Achieving energy savings of 10 kWhEF/m²/year.
15.
EpE ZEN 2050 Study - Envisioning and Building a Carbon-Neutral France.
16.
A Level B DPE label corresponds to primary energy consumption of 51 to 90 kWh/m² per year.
17.
Assumption: 80% electric vehicles; 10% natural gas vehicles; 10% plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Made by
With the contribution of
Jean-Marc Jancovici
partner
Alain Grandjean
partner
Alexandre Joly
Senior Manager / Department leader
Roman Ledoux
MyCO2 Director
.jpg%3Fv%3D2026-06-30T09%253A31%253A20.056Z&w=3840&q=75)
