Information
French President Emmanuel Macron plans to propose changes to European Union legislation to address farmers’ concerns in France and across the bloc. Protests by farmers will continue, with plans to establish eight chokepoints along major arteries into Paris on Monday afternoon. In response, the government has ordered the deployment of 15,000 police and paramilitary gendarmes. Many farmers are unhappy about the EU’s 2023 nature restoration law, which requires member countries to introduce environmental measures on a fifth of their land and sea by 2030. To meet this goal, approximately 4% of farmland must remain fallow, which reduces farmers’ production capabilities. “Our target is not to annoy French people or to make their lives difficult, but to put pressure on the government,” said Arnaud Rousseau, head of the FNSEA union. “What we have understood is that as long as the protest is far from Paris, the message is not getting through.” On Friday, the French government abandoned controversial plans to reduce state subsidies on agricultural diesel and promised a reduction in red tape and an easing of environmental regulations. However, Rousseau demanded further concessions, stating that industrial action would continue nationwide “with the aim of securing emergency measures about the core of our business.” On Sunday, two activists hurled soup at the glass protecting the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre Museum to draw attention to the agriculture industry. “What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?” the activists asked.
Source: AFP, Reuters
Assessment
Climate change continues to grow as a focal point for protests around the modern world, with governments caught between the need to maintain food/energy security and the demands of activist groups to lower emissions. It is highly likely that this trend will continue through 2024 and will likely require significant leaps in technology to alleviate issues.
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