France has passed a major new bill that will deeply transform the country's environmental laws, including its approach to climate change. But while the outcomes of the measure are promising, a variety of criticisms remain.
After an exhausting legislative process, the "Grenelle de l'Environnement," named after the so-called "negotiations of Grenelle" on wages that took place in 1968, ended with the adoption of the "Grenelle 2" bill this May. Enacted on July 13, three years after the process was launched by then-newly elected president Nicolas Sarkozy, the new legislation covers environmental topics such as climate and energy, biodiversity protection, public health, sustainable agriculture, waste management, and the governance of sustainable development. In addition to being a comprehensive environmental bill, Grenelle 2 implicitly defines the French sustainable development strategy for years to come. [+++]