Reducing exposure to pesticides by eating seasonal fruit and vegetables The toxicity (carcinogenic, reprotoxic, endocrine disruptors, etc.) of certain pesticides on human health has been highlighted by many scientific studies; the active substances are therefore regularly assessed by the health authorities. So, when buying food that has undergone phytosanitary treatment, such as fruit and vegetables, consumers should purchase products containing the least [...]

Green coal-striking a balance between Kyoto and Fukushima When Areva purchased the SME Girondine Thermya in 2012, the leading producer of nuclear energy in France became the first group in the world to have a fully functioning ‘vegetable coal’ production plant. This technology, which is also called torrefaction, transforms biomass into a substance that is very similar to the fossil coal extracted from mines. This is entirely logical, as there are [...]

The debate on palm oil tax needs to be broadened A growing number of States are imposing ‘health’ taxes, such as Denmark, which has introduced a tax on products containing more than 2.3% trans fatty acids, and Hungary, which has introduced a ‘public health’ tax on fruit juices, energy drinks, packaged sweet desserts, snacks, and condiments. In the framework of the 2013 draft bill on social security in France, Jean-Louis Roumegas (the [...]

The genetics of capitalism should lead us to reconsider the meaning of progress Has capitalism been experiencing an economic crisis since 2008 or, in fact, is it undergoing a more profound crisis that is undermining its very foundations? This very question was put to Alain Minc, Nicolas Baverez, and Jean Bernardeau (Director of HSBC France) during a conference on the theme of the issues and principles of a new form of capitalism, which was held in the Cité de la [...]

Could incremental tariffs provide the driving force behind energy transition? The Senate has recently obliged the French government to review its policies when it rejected the first reading of the draft law to introduce incremental energy tariffs. The text proposes the introduction of tariff brackets for all of its energy networks (electricity, natural gas, and heat); the proposed tariffs would be incremental—that is they increase with the household’s energy [...]

The dangerous legacy of CO₂ emissions In early June 2012, atmospheric concentrations of CO2 crossed the threshold of 400 ppm; this was greeted with almost universal indifference. In fact, it came as no surprise, as it has been forecast for some time and is the consequence of greenhouse gas emissions produced several years ago, whose effects are only now being felt. Unfortunately, we have to accept this as a reality. There are a [...]

The reintroduction of hedgerows to counter climatic change and promote economic growth After the post-war ‘Green Revolution', the introduction of increasingly powerful and large agricultural machinery resulted in the reparcelling of agricultural land. This resulted in the removal of hedgerows (a system of hedges and ditches known as bocage) over much of France. Between 1960 and 1980, around 70 per cent of the hedgerows that existed at the height of the agricultural use of bocage [...]