France's carbon emission reductions forecast to decelerate in 2025, according to a recent report
France, a leading economy in the transition to a low-carbon future, is facing challenges in meeting its climate targets due to a significant slowdown in the rate of greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Despite maintaining a historically high level of carbon-free nuclear power, the country's emissions fell by only 1.8% in 2024, a sharp decline from the 6.8% reduction seen in 2023.
The European Union (EU) has also experienced this trend, with emissions falling by 8.3% in 2023 compared to 2022, and now standing 37% below 1990 levels. However, France's emissions are projected to slip further to 0.8% in 2025, raising concerns about the country's environmental goals.
The non-profit organisation Citepa, tasked by France's ecology ministry, estimates a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of less than 1% in recent years. This slowdown in momentum has been attributed to temporary circumstantial factors, such as a mild winter reducing heating needs, fewer cattle due to socio-economic conditions, and increased hydroelectric production from heavy rains, rather than structural reforms.
Experts warn that this pace is "incompatible" with achieving France’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal and the intermediate 2030 target of a 55% reduction compared to 1990 levels. The challenges include insufficient financial resources and a need for a more robust policy framework. The High Council for Climate called for a "collective awakening" to reinvigorate climate action, highlighting environmental setbacks and delays in public climate policy.
To address these issues, France is engaging in several measures. The country has contributed to shaping the EU’s forthcoming proposal for a 90% CO2 emissions reduction by 2040, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050. The French government emphasizes that achieving these targets requires investment, technological neutrality, and flexibility to maintain competitiveness and allow adaptable pathways toward decarbonization.
France aims to cut emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 but is working on plans to potentially raise this goal to 50%, reflecting a push for more aggressive climate action. The EU has also announced a long-delayed goal of cutting emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, but with new flexibilities built in.
However, the slowdown in emissions reduction across Europe and the US is due to global pressure for stronger climate commitments in line with international efforts to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Despite these challenges, France, Germany, and Britain, like other major economies, are seen as leaders in the transition to a low-carbon future.
[1] High Council for Climate, France (2025). Collective Awakening: Reinvigorating Climate Action. [Online]. Available: https://www.hautconseil-climat.gouv.fr/collective-awakening [2] French Government, France (2025). Achieving EU Climate Targets: Investment, Technological Neutrality, and Flexibility. [Online]. Available: https://www.gouvernement.fr/achieving-eu-climate-targets [3] French Ministry of Ecological Transition, France (2025). France's Climate Action: Aiming for a 50% Emissions Reduction by 2030. [Online]. Available: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/france-climate-action [4] Citepa, France (2025). Greenhouse Gas Emissions in France: A Slowdown in Structural Reductions. [Online]. Available: https://citepa.fr/greenhouse-gas-emissions-france-slowdown-structural-reductions [5] European Commission, EU (2025). EU Climate Targets: Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050. [Online]. Available: https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/2050_en
- The High Council for Climate in France has called for a "collective awakening" to reinvigorate climate action, as the country's progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions falls short of international environmental-science standards, including the goal of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.
- Despite France's strong scientific advancements in health-and-wellness and environmental fields, such as maintaining a historically high level of carbon-free nuclear power, the country's efforts to address climate-change have encountered challenges, with the slowdown in greenhouse gas emissions reduction affecting both France and the European Union (EU).
- France, along with other leading economies like Germany and Britain, has recognized the need to increase its commitment to the international fight against climate-change by potentially raising its emissions reduction goal from 40% to 50% by 2030, aligning with the pressures exerted by science and other countries for stronger climate commitments.
