22. The urgency of a low-carbon life

In the second volume of its sixth report, the IPCC makes an unequivocal statement: man-made global warming is dangerously disrupting nature and humanity. If the temperature rises above 1.5°C, the consequences will be irreversible. Nothing and nobody will be spared. To keep the Earth's average temperature below 1.5°C, each French person must limit their emissions to 2 tons of CO2 per year. This implies decarbonizing all the activities of his or her daily life: transportation, food, housing, lighting, heating, supplies of various objects, etc.

Decarbonization also applies to all sectors of the French economy: transportation (widespread use of electric vehicles, alternatives to private cars, eco-driving), building (energy renovation), industry, agriculture (carbon storage in soils, agro-forestry, etc.). It could cost 5,000 billion euros by 2050, or 181 billion per year, estimates the Rousseau Institute in its report "2% for 2°C", with the participation of economist Gaël Giraud. The good news is that a low-carbon lifestyle would bring substantial economic benefits in terms of health and quality of life, savings for households and energy efficiency for businesses. What political, economic and industrial responses are we making now, to this injunction and this stimulating project to live without fossil fuels?

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