Macron climate agenda in full retreat

Thikn2velvet1

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Macron reverses his fossil fuel tax because of rural yellow jacket protests. As one protester put it, “ Macron worries about the possible end of the planet, we worry about the end of the month.”

Taxing carbon won’t be easy, even revenue neutral carbon taxes.
 

gecko888

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"Climate agenda" definitely needs the quotation marks. The first Environment minister he had chosen was a TV personality, which was mostly to show willing. Since then, that guy quit (live on radio) because -who'd have thought- a government led by a former lobbyist for Areva wasn't too keen on "the environment" and they wouldn't let him implement anything useful. The new minister shouldn't open his big mouth as much, and his second in command is now a former lobbyist for Danone, very much pro-palm oil.

He's also not reversing, just postponing for six months, which isn't likely to change much.
There are some grants to help you buy a brand new car if you send your old car to the junkyard, but many people still cannot afford new cars. There are still many old cars running, it's not that rare to see non-collection cars that date from the 60s or 70s, driven by the people who bought them new. The average age is apparently 12 years.
The cheapest fuel is currently around 1,4€ a litre or US$ 6 a gallon.

Macron worries about the interests of his very rich friends, definitely not about the planet.
 
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Wushi

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What agenda?
Full retreat? Where?

Pretty much all protesters agree on the need to make a change for the climate. What we are arguing is who is going to pay the bill...
 
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Perados

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Macron reverses his fossil fuel tax because of rural yellow jacket protests. As one protester put it, “ Macron worries about the possible end of the planet, we worry about the end of the month.”

Taxing carbon won’t be easy, even revenue neutral carbon taxes.
It's not difficult... look at Scandinavia. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland have such a tax since the early 1990s.
 

ripsrips

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Macron reverses his fossil fuel tax because of rural yellow jacket protests. As one protester put it, “ Macron worries about the possible end of the planet, we worry about the end of the month.”

Taxing carbon won’t be easy, even revenue neutral carbon taxes.

The people wearing yellow vest / jacket is not exclusive to people who live in rural areas! Everyone in France who owns a vehicle must have one in their car at all times. If they need to pull over for such as a flat tire or get out to help with another person who is in need they must wear it in order for them to be seen by other drivers.
So just trying to blame it on rural people is plain wrong.
The protesters were from all over France regardless of demographics or political affiliation.
 

Thikn2velvet1

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The people wearing yellow vest / jacket is not exclusive to people who live in rural areas! Everyone in France who owns a vehicle must have one in their car at all times. If they need to pull over for such as a flat tire or get out to help with another person who is in need they must wear it in order for them to be seen by other drivers.
So just trying to blame it on rural people is plain wrong.
The protesters were from all over France regardless of demographics or political affiliation.

So everyone is protesting? Good to know it is a universally detested tax.
 

Perados

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5 tiny insular insignificant countries is your example?
I could add Canada (BC) and Slovenia, but I guess they are too small - even if I wonder what population has to do it. If it's difficult to introduce such a tax it should be difficult everywhere, independent from the size.

But what about Mexico? Large enough? They have a tax at well.

There are plenty other nations, but all with different variations of such a tax.
 

Road_cyclist

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So everyone is protesting? Good to know it is a universally detested tax.

No. Only a relatively small group of people are protesting. Like, 10s of thousands all over France (but not only rural, as was explained above). However, there are estimates that quite a big part of the French population sympathise with them. And it is about a whole lot more than just the tax. The tax they initially protested for has been postponed until 2020. And they continue to protest because they want more. They don't want to struggle every month with the little income they have. And ultimately the protesters want Macron to resign, whilst Macron is quite democratically trying to implement what he promised he would do during the election campaigns. All the same, the protesters also have a factual point concerning the hardship they suffer, which seems to be getting worse with ever increasing cost of living. In addition to all this, the protesters have created an opportunity for various groups of despicable scum with various agenda's (robbers, vandals, and quite possibly political extremists), to join the protests in order to riot, to plunder, and to destroy properties. That sums it roughly up.

Hope my attempt to explain it sounded neutral, because that's what I am. (except for the despicable scum, of course).
 
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