CSR News – October 31, 2025: Climate and Greenwashing

601 Fossil Projects Threaten the Paris Agreement

• A consortium of associations has identified 601 major fossil energy extraction projects, known as “carbon bombs,” mainly located in China, Russia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia, with strong involvement from TotalEnergies in France.
• Financial investments, supported by 65 banks (including four French ones), have reached $1.6 trillion since 2021, with most new projects focused on coal.
• Despite stricter legal frameworks following a 2025 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, corporate and state actions remain insufficient given the projected emissions.

Source: Reporterre – “These 601 Carbon Bombs That Jeopardize the Paris Agreement”

Citizen Observatory Aims to Fight Advertising Greenwashing

• Seven French associations have launched the Citizen Advertising Observatory, a participatory platform allowing anyone to report environmentally misleading advertisements through an online form requiring visual proof or a link.
• In a context where commercial communications represent €34 billion in annual spending in France, an inspection report published in September 2025 highlighted documented environmental and health impacts, calling for reforms that have yet to be applied.
• The associations aim to strengthen the regulation of the advertising sector by involving citizens to prevent cases similar to TotalEnergies’ greenwashing conviction.

Source: Vert le Média – “Greenwashing, Sexism… A New Citizen Tool to Flag Problematic Ads”

Ecological Transition Faces Political Backlash in France

• Political scientist Théodore Tallent noted that a backlash against environmental policies emerged in early 2025 in France, with 43 policy reversals identified by Réseau Action Climat under pressure from conservative and far-right parties.
• This phenomenon reveals a gap between the population’s strong support for ecology—especially when perceived as fair—and the political underestimation of this issue.
• Tallent emphasized that the success of the ecological transition depends on fair, well-supported measures linked to daily concerns such as health and employment.

Source: Vert le Média – “Parties Underestimate the Ecological Issue’s Potential Among Their Voters”

Ecological Sobriety: Growing Rejection Among the Poor Toward Public Policies

• Sociologist Thomas Mattei, co-director of the study “Sobriety and Poverty” published in September 2025, analyzed through surveys and interviews the perception of people living at or below the poverty line regarding the ecological crisis and transition policies in France.
• The study found that despite strong concern for ecology and responsible daily practices, these populations criticize the gap between their reality and policies, which fosters feelings of injustice and distrust toward institutions.
• It highlights a demand for co-constructed, concrete, and inclusive policies to improve the effectiveness and social acceptance of environmental transitions.

Source: Reporterre – “For the Most Vulnerable, Sobriety Policies Are Often Paternalistic and Disconnected”

2026 Budget: Plastic Tax Faces Lobbying and Political Divisions

• In the 2026 budget, the government plans a tax on non-recycled plastic packaging and bottles, ranging from €30/t in 2026 to €150/t in 2030, to catch up on EU recycling targets and reduce penalties (€1.5 billion in 2023).
• Based on the polluter-pays principle, the measure has met strong opposition from the plastics industry and some MPs, while others defended stricter benchmarks.
• Environmental associations stressed that reducing the volume of plastic packaging remains the main challenge for addressing the plastic waste crisis.

Source: Reporterre – “2026 Budget: Plastic Tax Sparks Lobbyist Uproar”

La Poste–Temu: A Controversial Partnership with Social Impacts

• La Poste and Temu have signed a framework agreement to intensify deliveries in France of low-cost products sold on the platform, formalizing logistics collaboration already established since 2023 via Colissimo and warehousing.
• This initiative has raised union concerns about increased workload, growing job insecurity, and worsening working conditions for postal workers.
• The agreement, criticized on social, political, and economic grounds, comes amid EU regulatory changes aiming to control the influx of small parcels from China that could threaten jobs in France.

Source: Novethic – “La Poste–Temu Agreement: Workers Worried Over Surge in Deliveries”

France Faces a Dual Budgetary Challenge: Defense and Climate

• France has been forced to increase military spending by one GDP point, while its public deficit reached 6% and public debt exceeded 110% of GDP in 2024.
• A National Bureau of Economic Research study revealed that the economic damage of climate change could reach 10–12 GDP points per +1°C of warming—six times higher than previously estimated.
• Despite financial tensions, the unilateral decarbonization of the European economy remains economically profitable.

Source: Le Monde – “Even Unilateral, the Decarbonization of Europe’s Economy Is Profitable”

CO₂ Emissions of the Ultra-Rich Exceed Those of 118 Countries Combined

• An Oxfam study published on October 29, 2025, revealed that the planet’s 308 billionaires generated more greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 than 118 countries combined, mainly through investments in polluting energy sectors and high-consumption lifestyles.
• This concentration of emissions poses major challenges for the global carbon budget, which could be depleted within three years without drastic emission cuts from the ultra-rich.
• Oxfam called for urgent measures, including taxing extreme wealth and banning fossil fuel lobbying, to meet Paris Agreement goals and protect vulnerable populations.

Source: Reporterre – “The World’s 308 Billionaires Emit More Than 118 Countries Combined”

French Guiana Faces Oil Spill Risk Amid France’s Silence

• On October 20, 2025, Brazil’s environmental authority authorized Petrobras to explore Block 59, located 175 km off the Brazilian coast, exposing French Guiana to a major environmental risk in the event of a spill, according to scientific studies and Petrobras simulations.
• The project threatens fishing—a local economic pillar—as well as mangroves and marine biodiversity, while transparency and cooperation between France and Brazil remain limited.
• The region’s oil boom also creates social and economic pressures for French Guiana, balancing job prospects against strains on public services.

Source: Reporterre – “The Damage Would Be Irreversible: France Turns a Blind Eye to Oil Spill Risks in French Guiana”

Off-Peak Electricity Reform Disrupts Power Usage in France

• Enedis has implemented a reform of off-peak electricity hours, effective from November 2025 to November 2027, changing schedules for more than 11 million households with the peak/off-peak option.
• This reform directly impacts domestic habits by encouraging consumers to shift part of their electricity use to daytime hours, better aligning with solar production peaks.
• It is the largest reform of the pricing system to date, aimed at aligning tariffs with the energy transition and improving grid demand management.

Source: Reporterre – “Electricity: Off-Peak Hours Adjusted to Support the Energy Transition”

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