In France, the price of fuel will therefore drop to 1.50 euros per liter from September 1. A decision intended to support purchasing power, but it goes against European climate objectives which want to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Hence this question, how to reconcile urgent social measures and long-term measures to fight against climate change?
Lowering the price of fuel may seem interesting from an economic point of view, but it helps to favor fossil fuels, which is more problematic for the environment. “Keeping prices low, even if it responds to economic demands, does not send the right signal to the population,” explains Francesco Contino, expert in energy transition. “The energy transition by 2050 will have to be carbon neutral. This trajectory is very fine. The IPCC reminded us of this again this year. We know that it will be difficult.”
More targeted measures will have to be taken. “Not all people in the population have the same needs. Helping the population uniformly is not an effective way, if we want to get out of it, in terms of CO2”, ajoute Francesco Contino.
Faced with rising energy prices and global warming, experts recommend a change in behavior in terms of mobility. “Do we really need to move that much? This is the sobriety box. The second thing to do is to try to increase the efficiency of these transports. If we really want to do a transport, there are alternatives such as public transport or with better quality vehicles, even electric ones. The third solution is to have renewable alternatives”, concluded Francesco Contino.
Faced with rising fuel prices, several countries in Europe are offering cheaper public transport, such as unlimited train tickets at 9 euros per month in Germany and free on certain train lines in Spain.