PARIS — The "yellow vests" in France are worrying greens around the world.
The worst riots in Paris in decades were sparked by higher fuel taxes, and French President Emmanuel Macron responded by scrapping them Wednesday. But taxes on fossil fuels are just what international climate negotiators, meeting in Poland this week, say are desperately needed to help wean the world off of fossil fuels and slow climate change.
EU sets goal to be 'climate neutral' by 2050
The European Union on Wednesday urged government, businesses, citizens and regions to join it in an ambitious plan to cut emissions and make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050. require(["medianetNativeAdOnArticle"], function (medianetNativeAdOnArticle)
{
medianetNativeAdOnArticle.getMedianetNativeAds(true);
}); "True, there are many challenges on the road," warned EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said. "But status quo is not an option.
PARIS PROTESTS: French riot police and protesters wearing yellow vests clashed in Paris for the second weekend in a row over rising fuel taxes in the “Our purchasing power is severely diminishing every day. And then: taxes , taxes and taxes ,” Paris resident Hedwige Lebrun told reporters.
There are riots in socialist France because of radical leftist fuel taxes . Media barely mentioning this. the riots by saying that protesters were chanting their support for Trump through the streets of Paris green tax is emblematic of the difficulty of government-sponsored efforts to fight global warming
"The events of the last few days in Paris have made me regard the challenges as even greater than I thought earlier," said Stanford University environmental economist Lawrence Goulder, author of the book "Confronting the Climate Challenge."
Economists, policymakers and politicians have long said the best way to fight climate change is to put a higher price on the fuels that acre causing it — gasoline, diesel, coal and natural gas. Taxing fuels and electricity could help pay for the damage they cause, encourage people to use less, and make it easier for cleaner alternatives and fuel-saving technologies to compete.
These so-called carbon taxes are expected to be a major part of pushing the world to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and try to prevent runaway climate change that economists say would be far more expensive over the long term than paying more for energy in the short term.
French police deployed amid new round of protests over taxes
French authorities have deployed thousands of police on Paris' Champs-Elysees avenue to try to contain protests by people angry over rising taxes and President Emmanuel Macron's government. The so-called yellow jackets have called for new demonstrations and road blockades Saturday across France, including the capital, where a demonstration last weekend turned violent. Hundreds of people gathered at the top of the Champs-Elysees on Saturday morning. Access to the avenue was closed to cars and strictly monitored by police with identity checks and bag inspections.
Full scale riots described as “urban warfare” and “the worst riots in a generation” took place on Saturday BREAKING: WATCH: Paris : A group of French police officers remove their helmets to show solidarity While anger at Macron’s gas tax hikes to fight global warming was the factor that
WIDESPREAD suburban rioting spilled into central Paris last night as hundreds went on the rampage over the alleged rape of a young black man by French police. PARIS ON FIRE: Riots reach capital's centre - buildings set ablaze and police attacked.
But it's not so easy for people to think about long-term, global problems when they are struggling to get by.
Macron said the higher tax was his way of trying to prevent the end of the world. But the yellow vest protesters turned that around with the slogan: "it's hard to talk about the end of the world while we are talking about the end of the month."
The resistance to the fuel tax is a personal blow to Macron, who sees himself as the guarantor of the 2015 Paris climate accord, its strongest defender on the global stage. He has positioned himself as the anti-Trump when it comes to climate issues.
The French government quietly fears a Trump-led backlash against the accord could spread to other major economies whose commitment is essential to keeping the deal together.
Protesters angry over high fuel prices have taken to the streets of France since Nov. 17, forming roadblocks across the country. So far, over 400 people have been injured, including one fatality.
Paris protests: Hundreds arrested in third week of demonstrations
More than 200 people were arrested and dozens were injured in Paris on Saturday after clashes erupted between police and protesters, according to a police spokesman. require(["medianetNativeAdOnArticle"], function (medianetNativeAdOnArticle)
{
medianetNativeAdOnArticle.getMedianetNativeAds(true);
}); The spokesman told CNN at least 92 people had been injured, including 14 police officers, after protesters with the "gilet jaune" or "yellow vest" movement took to the streets to demonstrate against rising gas prices and taxes on polluting forms of transport.
" Paris shows that Western elites may be reaching the limits of their political capacity to impose major In Katowice, Poland, all the signers of the 2015 Paris climate accord are gathered to assess how In October came that apocalyptic U.N. report warning that the world is warming faster than we
The November 2015 Paris attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris , France and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis.
(Pictured) Demonstrators destroy cars near the Champs Elysees in Paris, on Dec. 1.
Demonstrators stand in front of a makeshift barricade on Dec. 5.
Students gather inside the closed Tobiac University in Paris, on Dec.5.
Protesters block the traffic near the French oil giant Total fuel depot in Gennevilliers, outside Paris, on Dec. 5.
French riot police officers remove a barricade that was set sup outside the French oil giant Total fuel depot in Gennevilliers, outside Paris, on Dec. 5.
Protesters wearing yellow vests, occupy a roundabout in Somain, France, on Dec. 5.
This image grab taken from AFP TV on Dec. 4 shows French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announcing new concessions in response to 'yellow vest' protests, during a televised statement at the Hotel Matignon in Paris. New concessions included the suspension for six months of planned tax increases raising the price of fuel. He also announced that increases in the cost of gas and electricity, also set to take effect from January 1, would be suspended for three months during the winter months. Philippe added that a tightening of the technical assessment for cars, which was set to penalize heavily polluting older vehicles, would also be suspended for six months.
A demonstrator stands in front of a makeshift barricade set up by the so-called yellow jackets to block the entrance of a fuel depot in Le Mans, western France, on Dec. 5, with banner reading "Stop the Government racket."
French parliament members applaud as French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, bottom left, speaks at the National Assembly during the questions to the government session in Paris, on Dec. 4. The French government's decision to suspend fuel tax and utility hikes Tuesday did little to appease protesters, who called the move a "first step" and vowed to fight on after large-scale rioting in Paris last weekend.
A demonstrator wearing a yellow vest waves the French flag while another one sets up a barrier on a motorway near Aix-en-Provence, southeastern France, on Dec. 4.
Cars wait in line to fill their tanks on a filling station in Quimper, western France following blockade of Lorient oil depot by "yellow vest" protesters, on Dec. 4.
Trump Was Only World Leader to Reject Climate Change
All other 19 members of the G20 support efforts to fight climate change.
Images of riots , protests and violence over fuel tax rises in France have gripped the headlines in recent weeks and appeared to come to a head on Saturday. Thousands of protesters hit the Paris streets with cars being torched, stores being looted and multiple injuries to both protesters and police.
FRENCH riot police were called in to combat violence in France as riots erupted on streets and left two fans dead hours after their football team won the World Cup in Russia. French riot police were called out to deal with clashes in Paris as World Cup celebrations turned into chaos. Play slideshow. EPA.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (C) arrives to announce the suspension on rising fuel taxes in Paris on Dec. 4, a few days after the protests by the 'yellow vest' (gilets jaunes) movement.
A message reads "Out of Service", indicating no more gas, at a station in Reze, near Nantes, France, on Dec. 4.
A protester wearing a yellow vest, the symbol of a French drivers' protest against higher fuel prices, holds a flag near burning debris on Dec. 4.
A car burns on Dec. 3 in the north of Paris' suburb of Aubervilliers.
Ambulance drivers burn tires as they protest against their working conditions, near the French National Assembly in Paris, on Dec. 3.
French ambulance drivers face off with French riot police during a demonstration in Paris, on Dec. 3.
French ambulance drivers hold blue, white and red smoke bombs during a demonstration in Paris, on Dec. 3.
French police take security measurements as ambulance drivers protest against their working conditions, near the French National Assembly in Paris, on Dec. 3.
French conservative party Les Republicains (LR or The Republicans) leader Laurent Wauquiez talks to journalists after a meeting with French Prime Minister as the "yellow vest" nationwide protests continue, in Paris, on Dec. 3.
French riot police take position during clashes with French ambulance drivers as part of a demonstration in Paris, on Dec. 3.
France's President Emmanuel Macron, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, Secretary of State to the Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and Paris police prefect Michel Delpuech arrive to visit firefighters and riot police officers the day after a demonstration, in Paris, on Dec. 2.
Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with a firefighter during a visit in the streets of Paris, on Dec. 2.
Workers clean up the street as they remove burned motorcycles, near the Arc de Triomphe, on Dec. 2.
Emmanuel Macron talks with riot police officers as he looks at the damage of the 'Yellow Vests' protest a day earlier, next to the Champs Elysee, on Dec. 2.
Cleanup operations to remove graffiti scrawled at the Arc de Triomphe continue the day after clashes with protesters in Paris, on Dec. 2.
Emmanuel Macron assesses the damage of the 'Yellow Vests' protest a day earlier, next to the Champs Elysee in Paris, on Dec. 2.
Firemen extinguish burning cars set afire by protesters during clashes near the Place de l'Etoile in Paris, on Dec. 1.
Protesters protect themselves against fire tear gas and water cannon during clash with riot police on Rue de Rivoli, as part of demonstration against rising fuel taxes in Paris, on Dec. 1.
A general view shows police forces and protesters, during clashes as part of a demonstration near the Place de l'Etoile in Paris, on Dec. 1.
A broken sculpture of Marianne, symbol of the French Republic, appears damaged in the gallery inside the Arc de Triomphe during a demonstration on Dec.1 in Paris.
Police officers intervene protesters with tear gas as they gather to protest against rising fuel taxes near Arc de triomphe de l'Etoile in Paris, on Dec. 1.
Protesters hold a French flag as they attend a demonstration at the motorway toll booth in Antibes, France, on Dec. 1.
Protesters walk among tear gas during clashes near the Place de l'Etoile in Paris, France, on Dec. 1. The slogan reads "The lower class of France".
French riot police stand guard near a barricade during clashes with protesters at the Place de l'Etoile in Paris, on Dec. 1.
Demonstrators, called the yellow jackets, gather around the Arc de Triomphe as they protest against the fuel taxes. French police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators, as thousands gathered in the capital and staged road blocks across the nation to vent anger against rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron's presidency.
Trump Retweets False Claims About Paris Protesters
Although protesters have taken to the streets to demonstrate against fuel taxes, the criticism of President Emmanuel Macron is actually the opposite of what right-wing commentators have claimed. Opposition political leaders have actually called for increased taxes on the wealthy, while demonstrators have taken to the streets against rising costs as they’ve also seen some of their social support curbed by the government. Kirk’s claim that people are chanting “we want Trump” appears to be based on a trending video of demonstrators appearing to mock the U.S. president.
France just suspended carbon taxes on fuel after riots roiled Paris and other major cities. The French government announced Tuesday it would delay implementing a carbon tax on diesel and gasoline after protests swept the streets of Paris and other major cities in opposition.
On the night of 13 November 2015, Paris suffered a series of terror attacks. In reaction to those events, many individuals, governments, and other organisations around the world expressed their solidarity with France and with the victims.
Police operate a water canon during clashes with demonstrators, on the famed Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, on Nov. 24.
Protestors clash with riot police officers in Paris, on Nov. 24.
In a cloud of tear gas, demonstrators try to set up makeshift barricades in Paris, on Nov. 24.
Demonstrators gather around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, on Nov. 24. Banner reads : Macron = Deposition, Government = Resignation, System = Abolition.
Demonstrators set up a makeshift barricade in Paris, on Nov. 24.
A demonstrator throws a stone to police forces past a burning barricade on Nov. 24 in Paris.
Police officers fire tear gas during a "Yellow vest" protests in Paris on Nov. 24.
Demonstrators of the "yellow vests" movement stand near a barricade blocking the traffic on Caen's circular road on Nov. 18 in Caen, western France, a day after a protest against high fuel prices.
Demonstrators block the traffic on Caen's circular road on Nov. 18 in Caen, western France.
45/45 SLIDES
The fuel tax was not originally Macron's idea; it dates back to previous administrations. But he vigorously defended it and won the presidency in part on a promise to fight climate change.
Protesters demand tougher action at U.N. climate talks
Negotiators aim to smooth deadlocks, finalize the details of the 2015 Paris Agreement despite oil exporters' rejection of climate reports.
Difficult to measure. For researchers, confusion about the true level of temperatures in the 1750s, when the industrial revolution began and fossil fuels became widely used, means that an accurate assessment of the amount the world has warmed since then is very difficult .
The poll tax riots were a series of riots in British towns and cities during protests against the Community Charge (colloquially known as the "poll tax "), introduced by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
So what went wrong?
Yale University economist William Nordhaus, who won this year's Nobel prize for economics, said the tax was poorly designed and was delivered by the wrong person. "If you want to make energy taxes unpopular, step one is to be an unpopular leader," he said. "Step two is to use gasoline taxes and call them carbon taxes. This is hard enough without adding poor design."
Macron, like French presidents before him, made environmental and energy decisions without explaining to the public how important they are and how their lives will change. He's also seen as the "president of the rich" — his first fiscal decision as president was scrapping a wealth tax. So hiking taxes on gasoline and diesel was seen as especially unfair to the working classes in the provinces who need cars to get to work and whose incomes have stagnated for years.
The French government already has programs in place to subsidize drivers who trade in older, dirtier cars for cleaner ones, and expanded them in an attempt to head off the protests last month. But for many French, it was too little, too late.
The French reaction to higher fuel prices is hardly unique, which highlights just how hard it can be to discourage fossil fuel consumption by making people pay more. In September, protests in India over high gasoline prices shut down schools and government offices. Protests erupted in Mexico in 2017 after government deregulation caused a spike in gasoline prices, and in Indonesia in 2013 when the government reduced fuel subsidies and prices rose.
In the United States, Washington state voters handily defeated a carbon tax in November.
"Higher taxes on fuel have always been a policy more popular among economists than among voters," said Greg Mankiw, a Harvard economist and former adviser to President George W. Bush.
Even proponents of carbon taxes acknowledge that they can disproportionally hurt low-income people. Energy costs make up a larger portion of their overall expenses, so a fuel price increase eats up more of their paycheck and leaves them with less to spend. And because energy costs are almost impossible to avoid, they feel trapped.
Climate talks extended as island nations demand action
Weary officials from almost 200 countries faced another day of negotiations at the U.N. climate talks to bridge their last remaining differences as small island nations on Friday demanded an ambitious stance against global warming. The talks in Poland were supposed to end Friday but Michal Kurtyka, a senior Polish official chairing the negotiations, told delegates to resume talks on a revised draft text at 4 a.m. Saturday.
WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Thursday that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, weakening efforts to combat global warming and embracing isolationist voices in his White House who argued that the agreement was a pernicious threat to the economy
It is also not lost on them that it is the rich, unbothered by fuel taxes, who are hardest on the environment because they travel and consume more.
"The mistake of the Macron government was not to marry the increase in fuel taxes with other sufficiently compelling initiatives promising to enhance the welfare and incomes of the 'yellow vests,' said Barry Eichengreen, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley.
Now the question is "How can we address the climate problem while also avoiding producing political upheaval," Goulder said.
The key is giving a good chunk of money back to the people, Wesleyan University environmental economist Gary Yohe said.
Many economists back proposals that would tax carbon, but then use that money to offer tax rebates or credits that would benefit lower-income families.
The protests, while sparked by fuel prices, are also about income inequality, populism and anti-elitism, experts say, not just about carbon taxes.
"Is it a death knell for the carbon tax or pricing carbon? I don't think so," economist Yohe said. "It is just a call for being a little bit more careful about how you design the damn thing."
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AP science writer Seth Borenstein reported from Washington. AP economics writer Christopher Rugaber contributed from Washington and Frank Jordans contributed from Katowice, Poland.
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Read more stories on climate issues by The Associated Press at https://www.apnews.com/Climate .
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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears and Angela Charlton at @acharlton .
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Macron says France will delay cap on nuclear energy
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday the country will move more slowly than promised to cap the amount of energy it derives from nuclear energy. Amid daily protests about high energy prices, Macron said France will shut down 14 nuclear reactors by 2035 out of 58 now in order. Yet he said France would cap the amount of electricity it derives from nuclear plants at 50 percent by 2035. That is a delay compared with the goal of 2025 set by his predecessor, Francois Hollande. France depends more on nuclear energy than any other country, getting about three-quarters of its electricity from its 19 nuclear plants.
