The National Rally in limbo in the face of the urgency of the ecological transition

The tide has turned in a summer. After betting everything on purchasing power, Marine Le Pen’s lieutenants are looking for a discourse in the face of the climate crisis. L’“rooted ecology” of the lepenist party has for ten years mixed with an identity and heritage dimension, where the preservation of nature and economic protectionism mingle under the slogan “live well among his own”. But the ecological transition remains an unthought. “We cannot achieve victories over ecology, is moved Jean-Philippe Tanguy, National Rally (RN) deputy for the Somme and energy specialist with M^me The pen. Marine knows that we must not miss the turning point… We must make ourselves better understood. »

Ecology, however, draws a clear line, expressed during the presidential debate between the two rounds. Emmanuel Macron had taxed his challenger of “climatosceptic” ; the latter called him “climatic hypocrite” follower of a “punitive ecology”. The first pretended to want to go “twice as fast” to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, the second braked saying “yes to the transition, but it has to be in time, much slower than what is imposed on the French”. A time that the RN counts in decades.

Read the editorial: Marine Le Pen: a dangerous project for the climate

In terms of energy, Marine Le Pen defends almost all nuclear power by 2050, when Emmanuel Macron is betting on the combination of nuclear and renewable energy. Supporter of a moratorium on wind and solar energy, Marine Le Pen is leading a fierce crusade against existing wind turbines, which the one she would have appointed Minister of Ecology Hervé Juvin compares to minarets, and which she wishes to dismantle. . “Wind turbines spoil the landscape and pollute. Photovoltaics is nothing, we are taking land from farmers”pushes Christophe Barthès, RN deputy from Aude, member of the Sustainable Development Committee. “In France, we don’t need renewable energies”maintains Jean-Philippe Tanguy.

“Luckily we voted for fuel oil”

“Achieving carbon neutrality is impossible without a significant development of renewable energies”however noted the operator of the electricity transmission network (RTE) in its report “Energy Futures 2050”. The RN project would not cover the country’s electricity needs and would increase dependence on foreign countries… at the risk of increasing the energy bill and the carbon footprint. As a symbol, the flagship proposal of the Marine Le Pen camp – the reduction from 20% to 5.5% of VAT on fuel, gas and heating oil – would have led to supporting the demand for fossil energy for all and in the duration. “The biggest hydrocarbon subsidy possible”had quipped Emmanuel Macron in April.

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