France to revise carbon emissions target after missing 2016 goal

Thomson Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) - France will revise its carbon emissions target by the end of this year to align it with its pledges in the Paris climate agreement after failing to meet the goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in 2016, the ecology minister said on Monday.

France is leading efforts to keep the momentum going on the landmark 2015 climate agreement but its carbon dioxide emission's rose 3.6 percent over the targeted 447 million tonnes of CO2 emissions equivalent, the ministry said.

Ecology Minister Nicolas Hulot said in the statement that the revision of the France's low-carbon strategy to set new targets, will take into account the plan to further reduce emissions and make France carbon neutral by 2050.

Hulot said he will present measures at the end of the month as part of the strategic revision, which will help accelerate France's energy transition.

He added that policies in the transport, housing and forestry sectors, where emissions targets were largely missed in 2016, would need to be substantially reinforced if France were to meet its emissions target.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)

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