What is the “energy sobriety” defended by Jadot and Mélenchon? – 20 minutes

With the rise fuel prices, gas and electricity, the energy question was invited into the
presidential 2022. While France has set itself the goal of carbon neutrality in 2050 (zero net CO2 emissions), the paths to achieve this are at the heart of this start of the campaign: to keep this commitment, do we have to bet on nuclear power, which today represents 70% of
electricity produced in France, or favor renewable energies?

On the left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Yannick Jadot plead for an exit from the atom, which they consider costly and potentially dangerous. To defend this “100% renewable” approach, rebels and ecologists invoke the need for energy “sobriety”, requiring changes or even a “radical” change in our lifestyles. “A catch-all word” denounce their opponents.

” VSa implies constraints or even prohibitions on our lifestyles “

Let’s recap: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, France must reduce its energy consumption by 40%, today two-thirds based on fossil fuels. That is to say, regain its level of energy consumption at the end of the 1960s. The country will also have to massively electrify (transport, heating, industry) to replace gas and oil.

With this in mind, and in the midst of the pre-electoral campaign, the report of the Electricity Transport Network (RTE) on the electric future of France
was therefore eagerly awaited. After two and a half years of work, the operator of the transmission network draws up this Monday the possible evolutions (nuclear / renewable mix, 100% renewable…) of our electricity production system for the next thirty years. In all the scenarios considered, he estimates that France will consume much more electricity in 2050 than today.

“RTE’s reference scenario therefore relies on a 30% increase in electricity consumption. This low-carbon strategy is already based on energy efficiency, notably with the renovation of buildings. So the candidates must clearly explain to the French what they put behind this catch-all word of sobriety. Because in reality, that implies profound changes, constraints, even prohibitions concerning our lifestyles, ”suggests Jean-Charles Colas-Roy, LREM deputy from Isère and referent for the ecological transition.

“We are not going to go back to the candle”

“They try to caricature us in Amish, but let’s not go back to the candle, replies Matthieu Orphelin. In our 100% renewable scenario, electricity consumption increases in 2050, but at 543 terawatt-hours [contre 645 TWh pour le scénario de référence RTE], because there are very concrete levers of sobriety to use, which also offer advantages for purchasing power, ”continues the spokesperson for Yannick Jadot. “It is a question of reducing the vehicle fleet, recourse to teleworking, the development of massive carpooling, insulation of housing, unit sizes of households which increase a little less… ”, lists the environmentalist deputy of Maine-et-Loire, ex-LREM.

To keep a sobriety scenario [555 TWh], the RTE report mentions other necessary constraints, such as limitations on the consumption of heating, air conditioning or hot water, and housing with shared spaces (see below).

On the rebellious side, we talk about more structural changes. “We have to give ourselves the technical and human resources to limit our consumption, by renovating 700,000 homes per year for example, but also radically change our way of living and our production model,” says Eric Coquerel, LFI deputy for Seine- St Denis. “This involves reducing working time, rethinking land use planning by stopping the sprawl of large metropolises, putting an end to unnecessary productivism …”

“We must not forget the human. Otherwise, he will charge you dearly for it ”

For the macronist Jean-Charles Colas-Roy, EELV and LFI “remain in dogma and incantation. Because they do not dare to expose the sacrifices imposed by the French. This sobriety would have an impact on our freedom of movement, with the 30% drop in the vehicle fleet. It would also limit our ability to reindustrialize the country, ”he said, while RTE’s“ deep reindustrialisation ”scenario is counting on 752 TWh, far from the sobriety scenario.

“Behind the word sobriety, some people put in reality degrowth, a revolution in our way of living, but these are hypotheses without taking into account social acceptability”, assures Julien Aubert, LR deputy for Vaucluse pro nuclear. “What are you going to say to the farmer who doesn’t want to reduce his herd?” The guy who can’t afford to change his car? To those who do not want to install wind turbines at home? We need voluntary objectives in the energy transition, but without forgetting the human aspect. Otherwise, he will make you pay dearly, as we have seen with the “yellow vests”. These questions have not finished agitating the campaign, while the head of state should speak on the energy future from France by the end of the year.