French minister resigns, protesting Macron’s anti-environment policies

This 28 August 2018 video says about itself:

French environment minister quits live on air: ‘I don’t want to lie to myself any more’

Emmanuel Macron‘s climate commitment to ‘make this planet great again‘ is on shaky ground after his environment minister dramatically quit during a live radio broadcast.

Nicolas Hulot, an environmentalist and former TV personality, announced his resignation during a breakfast show on radio France Inter, saying the French president wasn’t doing enough on climate and other environmental goals.

‘For the first time I’m going to take the hardest decision of my life’, said Hulot: ‘I don’t want to lie to myself any more.’ The French president was not informed of his resignation beforehand.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

French environment minister resigns immediately, he says live on radio

The French Minister for the Environment Nicolas Hulot has announced his departure. He says he did not inform President Macron or Prime Minister Philippe in advance about that.

Hulot is disappointed that there is little progress in the fight against climate change. On radio station France Inter, Hulot said he feels that ecology is not a priority for the government, while “this subject is a condition for everything else”. Among other things, he is frustrated that it is not possible to reduce CO2 emissions and about the relaxation of the hunting law.

This video is about godwits. The Macron government wants to make it legal for hunters to kill these beautiful threatened birds, and also beautiful, threatened curlews.

Already when he was a minister in the previous Hollande administration, Macron clashed repeatedly with his Environment colleague, Ms Ségolène Royal, because of his anti-environment pro-fossil fuel corporations plans.

Already before becoming president, Macron planned environmentally destructive gold mining next to a national park in the colony French Guiana.

“We strive to maintain an economic model that is responsible for all climatic problems“, he said. …

On the way Hulot announced his departure, [government spokesman] Griveaux said that it is “his way of doing things”. “I think it would have been polite to warn the president and the prime minister.” …

President of the rich

Hulot’s departure is detrimental to Macron and the government, says correspondent Frank Renout. “He has harsh criticism, so in terms of content it is a big blow, but he was also one of the most popular ministers, and actually all government members.”

He was known as the ‘left-wing conscience’ of the government. “That also shone on Macron; when that left-wing conscience disappears now, the image of a right-wing president, a president of the rich, is confirmed”.

Activist and presenter

Before Nicolas Hulot became a minister, he was a well-known climate activist and presenter of nature programs on television. In his documentaries he often asked for attention for climate change.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron’s government announced a new raft of austerity measures focused on pension cuts, continuing the social attacks of the first year of his term. … Macron is stepping up his offensive aiming to destroy basic social rights established at the Liberation from Nazi Occupation in 1945: here.

Macron loses absolute majority after defection of 7 MPs: here. And here.

Voici la composition du 9eme groupe à l’Assemblée.
Ils ne sont plus que 17 deputés « Ecologie, démocratie, solidarité » après le désistement de dernière minute de 4 élus sous forte pression.
Mais Emmanuel Macron n’aura plus la majorité absolue uniquement avec son parti, LREM. pic.twitter.com/Nzc6N8sTkl

— Paul Larrouturou (@PaulLarrouturou) May 19, 2020

Centre-left/Green split from Macron's Parliamentary group, 20 strong. President loses absolute majority in National Assembly https://t.co/zZVKYhowxq

— Andrew Coates (@Pabloite) May 19, 2020