It will be necessary to introduce “sobriety” everywhere in our society, and that the public authorities accompany this movement, “because the question is not to pass the next winter but the next 50 years”, explains Benoît Leguet, director of I4CE, the Institute of the economy of the climate, and member of the High council for the climate (HCC), in the day of the presentation by the government of its plan of sobriety
Why do we need to put sobriety in our modes of consumption and production? consumption and production?
“The Paris climate agreement has translated for the EU and France into a commitment to carbon neutrality in 2050, that is… tomorrow! There are few levers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero. The first is to make low-carbon electricity and heat. The second is energy efficiency: we do the same thing but with less energy, for example heating an insulated house. The third is sobriety: you seek to change the demand. For example, the heating setpoint is 19°C and not 22°C. All the scenarios for achieving carbon neutrality foresee a
mix of these three levers. There are so few of them that one cannot neglect the
sobriety. However, this is not the end of abundance, it is the end of
intoxication. Because the question is not how to get through the next winter but the 50
next few years.”
Isn’t this sacrificing our way of life?
“An economist would talk about marginal utility: in a steak, you will appreciate the first 150 grams; beyond that, it will probably be more painful than anything else! Having a drink with friends can be pleasant, but three or more drinks will pay off the next day. In fact, the idea of sobriety invites us to think about our needs: do I really need this? Do I need to take my car to buy a baguette or can I do something else, like making pasta? This is not synonymous with bad living. It also has an impact on the wallet: a car has a cost, and from a strict usage point of view, can’t an electrically assisted bike do the same job?”
How to do it? Can incentives alone be enough?
“Sobriety cannot be decreed, but it must be accompanied. First, there is information, education. In Japan, when it is more than 25°C, the social norm is not to wear a tie in the office. It is therefore first of all a lot of common sense, turning off the lights… It can be done tomorrow, like those bike paths that blossomed overnight with Covid. But then, investments will be needed. If you want people to ride bikes, you need: bikes, safe routes, and also a whole land use planning. All this requires public money. How much is it? I4CE has studied the investments needed for four energy transition scenarios, and the +sober+ scenario needs the least public money. For a government that applies a tariff shield on energy bills, while wanting to reduce deficits without increasing levies, isn’t this a good option, both for the planet and the finances?
We must also plan, and therefore have a vision of where we want to go, which will raise real questions: what kind of France do we want? How do we get around, how do we feed ourselves? And send clear signals to households, businesses, communities … through standards, taxation, public budgets provided for that the transition is not the adjustment variable … France has this habit of setting objectives without worrying about the means. After five years, we realize that we are not there, so we set even more ambitious objectives, which is absurd!
From this sobriety plan of the government, I expect a budgetary translation to accompany the country, from the 2023 finance bill and at least over the next five years. Because goals without means behind them are hard for me to believe.”
