In what is being seen as a major blow to the president, environmental activist Hulot has resigned in the face of many failed attempts to address several environmental issues, most prominently climate change, which has led to a great deal of frustration for the minister.
It was on the radio station ‘France Inter’, that Nicolas Hulot took the decision to leave his position, with the reason he presented being that he felt “alone” in the fight for our environment. No one knew of the decision he was about to take, not the president, not prime minister Edouard Philippe, not even his own wife.
“I am going to take the most difficult decision of my life….I am taking the decision to leave government”
It seems Mr. Hulot was not wrong in never accepting any invitations to join political parties with regards to the environment. He had already declined invitations from the previous three presidents, on the same line of thought, but it seems this one had convinced him, Macron had gotten him on board.
And in his first year, it is safe to say that Hulot has done a considerable deal of work. From a law that will ban all oil and gas exploration in France by 2040, to plans for new renewable energy auctions, and a major roll out of electric vehicle and energy efficiency upgrades, steps have been taken.
That said, it was not nearly enough for the minister, and “out of honesty and responsibility”, he realised that climate change and the environment were being given a much lesser priority than the “make the earth great again” approach taken by Macron back when the United States pulled out of the Paris Agreement. Indeed Hulot did not hide his thoughts from the public, and was amongst the most outspoken in the EU institutions, saying that what was once an urgent threat is now a day to day reality, and that we must adapt and fight against climate change, before the situation spirals out of control.
“I don’t even know whether the word urgency means anything anymore”
Dubbed the final straw, his resignation comes to surface only a day after government gave in to lobbyist pressure groups and relaxed hunting laws. Hulot expressed his sense of realisation of the true power lobbyists have, to even weaken a government and force it to take action against its own proclaimed goals.
But, like all dedicated people with a burning passion for the cause they’re fighting for, Mr. Hulot said that his leaving government is not and should not be seen as an act of resignation, but indeed should be taken as a call for mobilisation.
At this point, where politics itself seems to be the main driver in restricting even the most willing of governments, we ask, do we really want to change? Do we really want to be the radical generation that amends the damaging actions taken by our predecessors? Do we seriously understand what has been done, what we are doing and what we will do to our home if we keep nonchalantly languishing on social media rather than take a stand? Are we genuinely concerned about that which we depend on? Or are we simply happy to conform to society by seeming thusly, for the sake of no one but our pitiful selves?
The answer lies within the coming decades, where humanity will take one of two paths, and the choices we make today, are the catalysing factors that will make all the difference.
Written by: Gianluca Vella
A Bird's Eye View 