30 CENT - not quite fifty
President Sarkozy has braved public opposition to impose a carbon tax that he hopes will transform the way France uses energy. The levy, which will take effect next year, means France will adopt sweeping financial levies on carbon emissions more similar to those found in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The new levy will mean that personal and business users of gas and electricity will pay approximately E17 per tonne of carbon emitted into the atmosphere and this means about 4 cents per litre of petrol and a 5% rise in the cost of household gas. Electricity will be exept as most of France’s electrcity comes from nuclear power – the tax is meant to push French consumers and businesses away from fossil fuels althouhg certain business sectors will be exempt including agriculture, fisheries and transport. President Sarkozy has also announced that he wants France to be “the world leader of non-carbon energies” and said thsat he has plans for a clean car programme that will offer up to E5,000 to consumers who buy environmentally friendlier cars. So President Sarkozy talks the green talk but does he walk the green walk …. hmmmm, well he has increased the Presidential car fleet, flies around A LOT and drives a 4×4 but at least a carbon levy might do something positive to move away from a dependence on fossil fuels – so it’s a start.