environmental problems french essay

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Environmental issues in French Reading and translation practice - climate change

Get to grips with French vocabulary about the environment and how to protect it. Develop your listening, reading and speaking skills with practice exercises.

Part of French International and global dimension

Reading and translation practice - climate change

Climate change and global warming.

French Environment and Ecology Vocabulary

The issues of global environmental destruction and ecology have become increasingly urgent over the past few decades. On this page you’ll find a complete list of environment and ecology vocabulary which will help you to read articles and understand TV reports on this topic.

• biodegradable biodégradable
• biodiversity biodiversité f
• environmental biologist biologiste en environnement (m/f)
• coal charbon m
• climate climat m
• ozone layer couche d’ozone f
• deforestation déforestation f
• desertification désertification f
• sustainable development développement durable m
• carbon dioxide dioxyde de carbone m
• ecologist  écologiste (m/f)
• energy conversation économies d’énergie fp
• greenhouse effect effet de serre m
• fumes émanations, fumées fp
• wind energy énergie éolienne
• energy énergie f
• clean energy énergie propre f
• renewable energy énergie renouvelable f
• solar energy énergie solaire f
• environment environnement m
• environmentalist  environnementaliste
• endangered species espèce en voie d’extinction f
• unleaded petrol essence sans plomb f
• extinction extinction f
• waste gaspillage m
• flood inondation f
• carbon footprint l’empreinte carbone f
• oil slick marée noire f
• carbon monoxide monoxyde de carbone m
• NGO  ONG f
• acid rain pluie acide f
• pollution pollution f
• pollutant produit polluant m
• disposable products produits jetables mp
• Kyoto protocol protocole de Kyoto m
• global warming réchauffement climatique m
• recycling recyglage m
• natural resources ressources naturelles fp
• preservation sauvegarde f
• scientist  scientifique (m/f)
• drought sécheresse f
• earthquake tremblement de terre m

More resources:

• French climate change and global warming vocabulary
• French geography vocabulary
• French weather terms
• French names of trees
• French environment vocabulary (PDF)
• French ecology vocabulary (Wiktionary.org)

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David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on FrenchLearner, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.

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➨ 10 things we should do to save the planet in French┃GCSE French Environment questions

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Que devrait-on faire pour sauver notre planète ? 🤭 What should we do to save the planet ? Watch the video at the end of this article 🙂

Get top marks at your French GCSE speaking exam ! In this article you will learn 10 different ways to answer GCSE French environment questions, which is part of your GCSE French Revision. You will also learn how to say should in French.

How to use the conditional in French ? ┃Should in French

To be able to say what we should do to protect the environment, we need to use could or should in French. This is the conditional. Here is a table with two versions of the conditionals in French.

To form the conditional in French , use the stem of the verb for the conditional and add the following endings :

• Il/elle/on ☞ ait
• Nous ☞ ions
• Ils/elles ☞ aient

To know which stem to use, download my free 24 verb conjugation table, check it out here 🙂

To answer the question using the conditional = On devrait/On pourrait + infinitive like the sentences below

GCSE French Environment questions

Que devrait-on faire pour sauver notre planète .

10 things we should do to save the planet in French 🌏

1. Eteindre les appareils électriques

Turn off appliances

2. Baisser le chauffage

Turn down the heating

3. Eviter les produits jetables

Avoid disposable products

4. Acheter des produits verts

Buy green products

5. Utiliser les transports en commun

Use public transport

6. Favoriser le covoiturage

Encourage car-sharing

7. Aller au collège/ au travail en vélo

Go to school/ work by bike

8. Refuser les sacs plastiques

Turn down plastic bags

9. Fermer le robinet pendant que tu te laves les dents

Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth

10. Prendre une douche au lieu de prendre un bain

Have a shower instead of having a bath

In the French GCSE e-learning course, you will find 20 ways to save the environment in French + the complete podcast + The Quizlet link to learn the vocabulary + the quiz to validate your knowledge.

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What we should do to save the planet in video

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French Essays

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Environment

YOU ARE READING

Just some of my 6th Year essays that I thought might help out some others in French. Feel free to use my notes as inspiration :) Please note that these may not be in perfect French, especially since they have been typed up. I have tried my best and...

# essays # examhelp # france # french # leavingcert # leavingcertificate # sixthyear

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Le réchauffement climatique est un souci réel. Actuellement, l'environnement de Terre souffre énormément. La couche d'ozone qui nous protège des rayons nocifs du soleil, est maintenant trouée, ce qui entraîne de graves problèmes comme les cancers de la peau. Les conditions climatiques extrêmes telles que les inondations, la sécheresse, le froid glacial, les canicules sont de plus en plus fréquents. Les glaces se fondent vites et le niveau de la mer est trop élevée. Par conséquent, certains animaux sont en voie de disparition, comme les ours blancs.

La pollution est une des causes du réchauffement climatique. Il y a trop de voitures sur les routes et l'air devient irrespirable dans les villes. Les voitures polluent l'air, et plus il y a des voitures, plus il y a de la pollution. Les gens perdent beaucoup de temps dans les embouteillages et ils sont devenus trop dépendants sur la voiture. Il faudrait qu'on prenne les transports en commun ou qu'on aille a pied, ou à vélo. Notre planète est en danger, il faut la protéger, et je soutiens toute initiative pour sauver la nature et la vie sur notre planète.

Translation

Global warming is a real issue. At the moment, the earth's environment suffers enormously. The ozone layer which protects us from toxic rays from the sun is now torn, causing serious problems like skin cancer. Extreme climate conditions such as floods, droughts, ice, heatwaves, are more and more frequent. The ice is melting fast and the sea level is too high. Consequently, certain animals are in danger of disappearing, like polar bears.

Pollution is one cause of global warming. There are too many cars on the roads and the air becomes unbreathable in the cities. Cars pollute the air, and more cars, more pollution. People lose lots of time in traffic jams and they are becoming too dependent on the car. We must take public transport or walk or cycle. Our planet is in danger, we must protect it, and I support all initiatives to save nature and life on our planet.

Search form

• Cultura Archived Exchanges
• Université de Brest
• Sentence Completion

Protecting the environment is ...

Protéger l'environnement est ....

a growing concern.

a sensible thing to start thinking about, not just something to do because it is fashionable.

a world focus now and should continue to be addressed.

about using only what is needed, not desired.

crucial is we want to l

everyones responsibility.

extremely important although I don't do as much as I could to protect it.

important because it determines the state of our health, facilities, and various other resources upon which we depend.

important but difficult.

important for reasons other than aesthetics and scientific curiosity.

important, but may be a little overblown currently, since given the way society and technology are evolving, it will be very difficult to seriously make any major steps toward improving the environment.

intuitively important. Don't leave something, i.e. the world, in a worse state than you find it.

making a conscious effort to minimize usage of resources. It also means to recycle when possible

necessary, a big issue, and something that most people ignore, not realizing that global warming is occurring now.

necessary. trendy. misunderstood.

nice, but it is easier to destroy it.

of utmost importance for individual and social health.

one of the most significant challenges for the human race that must be addressed in the coming years.

recycling, printing less, proper waste depositing and using alternative means.

The job for our generation

very important.

very important. The world isn't ours to damage, and with any luck will be here long after humanity is gone.

worthwhile, a fad, green.

devenu une composante essentielle de notre mode de vie

important pour l'avenir, pour que nous puissions vivre dans de bonnes conditions dans plusieurs années, mais ne pas essayer d'en faire trop d'un coup.

important pour que les générations futures puissent avoir un avenir convenable.

important si l'on veut garantir une bonne planète pour les générations à suivre.

important, urgent

indispensable et nécessaire

indispensable pour le futur mais implique de changer des comportements.

indispensable pour nos enfants

indispensable pour notre planète, un problème d'actualité, difficile à faire de nos jours

indispensable, essentiel

la principale chose sur laquelle le monde doit se concentrer, sans jamais faiblir

le respecter et le préserver au mieux, afin que les générations futures puissent profiter d'un environnement sain et non pollué. Protéger l'environnement c'est protéger notre terre, notre vie, et celle des générations futures.

nécéssaire, surtout aujourd'hui

nécessaire et urgent.

nécessaire, facile, prendre le vélo

primordial pour nos générations futures, car sans lui plus rien n'existe.

primordial pour pouvoir se projeter dans la vie future.

une nécessité un petit effort quotidien secondaire pour certains

une priorité tout en conservant une agriculture compétitive.

Since environmental awareness and preservation is such a prevelant global issue right now, I thought it would be interesting to examine the answers to this sentence completion.  Both sets of students seem to agree that protecting the environment is very important - the French students mention this idea 17 times, while the American students mention it 12 times.  However, there were some differences in reasoning between the two groups.  The French students put a very strong emphasis on preserving our planet for future generations.  As one student eloquently put it:  "Proteger l'environement est proteger notre terre, notre vie, et celle des generations futures."  While I think all of us would be in agreement with that statement, none of the American students mentioned future generations in their responses.  Instead, the responses focused on the idea that protecting the environment is a problem that needs to be addressed.  One student even went so far as to say that protecting the environment is "the job for our generation."  It seems to me that while all the students consider environmental protection to be an important issue, the Americans tend to approach it more as a problem to be solved.  However I'm sure all the French students will agree - it's simply a difference of statements that I'm pointing out.

Finally, it was interesting to me that the Americans hinted that protecting the environment was trendy.  Generally I would agree - environmental conservation and global warming are hot button issues in the US right now.  But I was wondering - is "being green" considered a trend in France?

One of the French students used the phrase "mode de vie" in their response.  It is my hope that something that is currently an American trend will eventually become a global way of life.

I had the exact same reaction to the responses as Diana had.  The French students speak heavily about the future, while the Americans speak about the present.  One way to look at it is to say that Americans approach it as a current problem and actively seek solutions--Americans are more "proactive".  But from the flip side, does this show that Americans tend to care more about the present and place less emphasis on the future (while the first reaction of the French is to consider future consequences)?  (this could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the situation)

Going further, do we see protecting the environment as such a big issue because it is trendy in America?   I'm also curious, to people outside of America, does it seem like America is at the forefront of protecting the environment?  Or does it seem overblown sometimes?  The "green" movement is certainly expanding, and having grown up in California, it's was everywhere all through high school--you couldn't escape being green if you wanted to.

I think there are cultural reasons behind the differences in response between Americans and French.  French culture appears to be more reverant toward authority and stability (although this is debatable with the protest culture that France has) leading to longevity, whereas America is still nascent and a nation constantly in flux.  Our history is filled with problems and innovative solutions, and thus our mindset is viewing environmental preservation as not something continuous, but a singular problem to solve. 

Je pense qu'il faut réfléchir à l'utilité de penser à l'environnement. Si l'on souhaite préserver la terre, c'est bien pour qu'elle puisse vivre plus longtemps, non? Je ne comprends donc pas bien le point de vue des américains. Pourquoi se préoccuper des problèmes environnementaux en pensant seulement au présent? Quelle utilité? Etes-vous en général plutôt d'accord ou pas sur le fait que l'environnement est le "job for our generation"?

Juste pour répondre à ta question, oui, c'est très à la mode "d'être vert". En France, on utilise plus le terme d'écologiste.

Je suis surpris de voir qu'aucun d'entre vous n'a mentionné le film d'Al Gore, on en a bcp parler ici, et je voudrais savoir s'il a eu le même impact chez  vous?

ne prends pas cela mal, mais tu sembles avoir une vision assez négative de la France (although this is debatable with the protest culture that France has),(Our history is filled with problems and innovative solutions): penses-tu que la France est en retard concernant l'écologie et que vous allez trouver des solutions à ce problème du réchaffement climatique? Il me semble que les US ont longtemps refusé de signer le protocole de Kyoto et d'autres accords du même genre...J'espère que je ne te vexe pas en diasnt cela, ce n'est pas le but, je veux seulement avoir ta réaction...

Following on from Yoan's comments, I think the general European opinion, irrespective of whether it's right or wrong, is that rather than being at the forefront of protecting the environment, America, in general, is one of the targets of blame for environmental problems. Is this something Americans are particularly aware of?

In terms of the responses, I found it quite interesting that some Americans highlighted the difficulty of protecting the environment. Although a couple of the French responses also mentioned this, there were a couple of responses in stark contrast: one response reads 'facile', while another is 'un petit effort quotidien'. I guess this reflects some of the previous comments. Americans appear to view protecting the environment to be a grand challenge to be solved by scientists and engineers, whereas the French perhaps treat it as a potential way of life for everyone. I like the contrast here because both approaches probably have their part to play.

On the subject of An Inconvenient Truth, I was recommended the following French film as an alternative:

http://www.youtube.com/user/homeproject#p/a/f/2/NNGDj9IeAuI

I actually remember it put me to sleep (I blame the music) and I found it a little patronising, but at least it's good listening practice for us French learners and the aerial photography is nice to look at!

I did not mean to imply that France lacked a history of successful problem-solving!  I'm sure that that's not the case.  My opinions are based solely in the responses on the forum.  No, I do not think France is behind in the effort to preserve the environment.  As you point out, it is the United States who has been difficult, especially with respect to Kyoto.  But I think, if you speak to people of our generation, you will find that most of us feel that the US needs to make huge strides in improving our carbon emissions (among many other things).  We feel that this is the problem of our generation - one we hope to solve in the near future.  Indeed, as so many French students point out, if we succeed the world will be better preserved for ourselves and future generations.

J e me trompe peut-être mais je pense qu'en Europe, et particulièrement dans les pays nordiques (comme la Finlande) la protection de l'environnement est déjà quelque chose de bien avancé, elle est ancrée dans les esprits et dans les comportements... Votre pays semble avoir de bonnes ambitions dans la matière depuis quelques temps, et le président l'a prouvé lors de la catastrophe de la station de pétrole BP en condamnant sévèrement l'entreprise.

L e Mondial de l'Automobile a lieu à Paris cette semaine. Vous-êtes vous renseignés sur les nouvelles voitures électriques ou à faible émission de CO2 qui ont été exposées?

My take on the question of thinking ahead vs. in the present is that maybe the reason the American and French responses differ isn't a difference in problem solving ability or tendencies, but rather a difference in understanding of the nature of the problem.  As seen in the French responses, it's mentioned "un petit effort quotidien".  In America, there is definitely this feeling--we have recycling and composting, and we try to carpool whenever possible (in San Francisco, there is a big carpool system for crossing the bridges, where you can go to pick up random people every morning, and then be allowed in the carpool lane to avoid traffic).  I think maybe the French and the Americans place emphasis on different aspects of the environment.

I'm curious as to what types of things are being done in France (besides the showing of the new electric cars) to enhance environmental awareness and activism.

tu as remarqué avec justesse que les français pensent plus à de petites choses pour l'environnement (peut-être notre vieille idée que vous appelleriez "socialiste" que si nous nous donnons tous la main pour faire bouger les choses, nous y arriverons tous ensemble, et pas en ayant des comportements individualistes ou opportunistes); nous avons ce que nous appelons le tri sélectif, des eco emballages, des recharges pour certains produits, etc... Avez-vous la même chose? Nous construisons des maisons basse consommation, nous utilisons des isolants naturels au lieu d'utiliser des isolants à base de laine de verre, qui ont des solvants chimiques, au dernier salon de l'auto, à Paris, la semaine dernière, tpoutes les marques françaises ont présenté des voitures électriques, qui ne polluent pas. Où en êtes-vous de tout cela?

C'est vrai que le film Home est très ennuyeux, moi aussi j'ai failli m'endormir, celui de Al Gore était plus dans l'action et moins dans la leçon de morale...

merci pour ta réponse, c'est vrai que ton pays est souvent considéré par les européens comme ne faisant pas assez d'efforts sur le plan de l'environnement, mais nous nous trompons peut-être.

Pour le film HOME, je suis d'accord avec toi et avec Martine, il est soporifique!

Diana, je suis ravi de voir que les jeunes américians pensent différemment et que la vision que nous avons est sans doute celle des plus anciens, ceux de la génération Bush!

D'ailleurs, comme le dit Elodie, votre président a eu le c ourage de tenir tête à BP!

Kenneth - I had no idea they did that in SF!  I rarely drive to the city, but what an interesting idea.

There are certainly many things that we can do on a daily basis to protect the environment.  Recycling, composting, driving less and biking more, driving more fuel-efficient cars, buying organic produce and eliminating the use of styrofoam are just some of the steps one can take.  However, there certainly are bigger aspects of environmental change that need to be considered and handled.  What will be the eventual effects on our planet if we continue along this path?  What are the worst of these?  How can it be prevented most effectively?  There is, in fact, a whole budding field of environmental engineering which considers large-scale methods of eliminating the atmospheric rise in carbon levels.  I personally am very uncomfortable with most of the proposals made by this group of researchers - I feel that we don't understand our environment well enough to tamper with it on a large scale; we already did this by accident and it's working out badly - but they do exist.  (There are positive examples as well, I just think this one is interesting).

One more note of interest:  I read a recent National Geographic article about the effects of global warming in Greenland.  While the rest of the world is concerned about the melting ice caps and warming temperatures, Greenland, due to global change, is suddenly being able to grow it's own crops for the first time in history.  The natives are hopeful that one day they'll be able to grow enough to sustain their own, independent economy.  But for now, they're greatest hope lies in oil deposits that are opening up off-shore.  I felt absolutely torn about this - how ironic that at the very heart of climate change, the locals would find hope in oil!

D iana vas-tu utiliser le "carpool" dont Kenneth a parlé maintenant que tu c'est que ça existe?!

Diana, je suis d'accord avec toi, je trouve aussi que se réjouir de la possibilité de trouver du pétrole facilement n'est pas très écologique!!!

Concernant le climat, avez-vous remarqué des changements dans votre région?

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Climate crisis: generational and political divides in France

• 27 October 2021

The first part of the 2021-2022 EIB Climate Survey explores people’s views on climate change in a rapidly changing world. The results from this release focus on citizens’ perceptions of climate change and the actions they expect their country to take to combat it. 

• 83% of French people think that climate change and its consequences are the biggest challenge for humanity
• 74% believe that they are more concerned about the climate emergency than their government
• 71% feel that climate change has an impact on their everyday lives
• 40% think the country will succeed in drastically reducing its carbon emissions by 2050, as pledged in the Paris Agreement
• 73% are in favour of stricter government measures that impose changes on people’s behaviour (seven points higher than last year)
• 70% would welcome a tax on products and services that contribute most to global warming

83% of French people think that climate change and its consequences are the biggest challenge for humanity in the 21 st century. This figure is greater than 70% across all age groups and political leanings of the French population.

However, this apparent consensus hides significant gaps between different groups of the French population. There are very diverse levels of concern and expectations on the topic of the climate among younger and older citizens, as well as among people who have left-leaning and right-leaning political views.

These are some of the results from the first release of the 2021-2022 Climate Survey published today by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB is the lending arm of the European Union and the world’s largest multilateral lender for climate action projects .

Perception of the climate crisis

The vast majority of French people (71%) feel that climate change has an impact on their everyday lives. While this is particularly marked among 15-29-year-olds (78%), this figure drops 16 points (62%) for people older than 64. 76% of people who have left-leaning political views say they feel this impact in their everyday lives, which is 10 points higher than for those who have right-leaning political views (66%).

74% believe that they are more concerned about the climate emergency than their government. As a consequence, they are fairly pessimistic regarding their country’s capability to undergo an ambitious green transition. Only 40% think that France will succeed in drastically reducing its carbon emissions by 2050, as pledged in the Paris Agreement. The generational gap here is particularly telling, with a 22-point difference between people younger than 30 (51% of them believe France will succeed) and people older than 64 (29%). 71% of people over 64 believe France will actually fail to meet the 2050 deadline. 66% of people with left-leaning political views share this pessimism, which is seven points higher than the figure for people with right-leaning political views (59%).

As a consequence, almost three-quarters (73%) of French people are in favour of stricter government measures that impose changes on people’s behaviour (seven points higher than last year, 66%).

Meanwhile, only 5% of French people who have left-leaning political views believe that global warming is not due to human activities, which is 11 points below the figure for people with right-leaning political views (16%). Furthermore, 22% of French people who have far-right political leanings are still sceptical about humans being the main cause of the climate crisis.

The energy debate

When asked about the source of energy their country should rely on to fight global warming, the majority of French people favour renewable energies (54%) to address the climate emergency. This sentiment is shared even more by Europeans as a whole (63%). Support for renewables in France is seen strongly among people younger than 30 (63% in favour). This figure drops 22 points for people over 64 (41%). French people with left-leaning political views support renewables more strongly than those with right-leaning political views (61% compared to 48%, a difference of 13 points).

French people overall are slightly more supportive of nuclear energy than other Europeans (16% vs. 12%). In France, men (23%) and people older than 64 (27%) are much more in favour of nuclear energy than women (9%) and people younger than 30 (8%). People with right-leaning political views in France are much more in favour of the development of nuclear energy (24%) compared to those with left-leaning political views (11%).

Finally, French people are slightly more likely to think that their country should rely on energy savings than other Europeans (20% vs. 17%). French respondents over 64 are particularly in favour of this option (28%). This is 16 points more than for respondents younger than 29 (only 12% in favour of saving energy as a priority).

Most popular solutions to fight climate change among French respondents

The majority of French people (70%) would support – similar to other Europeans (69%) – the introduction of a tax on products and services that contribute most to global warming. Even 66% of respondents with lower incomes would be in favour of such a tax in France. They are also in favour of a 5-year minimum warranty on any electric or electronic product (92%) and replacing short-distance flights with fast, low-emission trains (88%). They also favour softer measures like strengthening education and increasing youth awareness of sustainable consumption (91%).

EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said: “Despite clear generational and political divides, a strong majority of French people would like stricter measures and tools, such as cleaner energy sources, to help them fight climate change. In the perspective of COP 26, this strengthens our determination to increase our efforts and accelerate the ecological transition. As the European climate bank, the role of the EIB is to finance projects focused on clean energy, energy savings, sustainable mobility solutions and innovations that will help limit the rise in temperature to 1.5 ° C or less.”  

Download the Excel spreadsheet with the raw data for all 30 countries surveyed here . Please click  here  to access the EIB website that presents key findings of the EIB Climate Survey IV.

About the EIB Climate Survey

The European Investment Bank has launched the fourth edition of the EIB Climate Survey, a thorough assessment of how people feel about climate change. Conducted in partnership with market research firm BVA, the fourth edition of the EIB Climate Survey aims to inform the broader debate on attitudes and expectations in terms of climate action. More than 30 000 respondents participated in the survey between 26 August and 22 September 2021, with a representative panel for each of the 30 countries polled.

About the European Investment Bank

The European Investment Bank is active in around 160 countries and is one of the world’s largest multilateral lenders for climate action projects. The EIB Group has recently adopted its Climate Bank Roadmap to deliver on its ambitious agenda to support €1 trillion of climate action and environmental sustainability investments in the decade to 2030 and to deliver more than 50% of EIB finance for climate action and environmental sustainability by 2025. As part of the Roadmap, all new EIB Group operations have also been aligned with the goals and principles of the Paris Agreement since the start of 2021.

BVA is an opinion research and consulting firm recognised as one of the most innovative market research firms in its sector. Specialised in behavioural marketing, BVA combines data science and social science to make data inspiring and bring it to life. BVA is also a member of the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN), a global network of some of the world’s leading market research and survey players, with over 40 members.

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Wednesday, May 15, 2024 10:10 am (Paris)

Environmental issues have been marginalized by the French media

Stéphane Foucart

The media's reluctance to consider climate change as a major political issue partly explains why it has not been a campaign topic, explains 'Le Monde' journalist Stéphane Foucart in his latest column.

Published on April 18, 2022, at 9:49 am (Paris), updated on April 18, 2022, at 10:47 am 4 min read Lire en français

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Column. All one had to do was spend a few minutes a day listening to the radio or television during the French presidential campaign to hear this question: "How do you explain why the environment and climate didn't break through into public discourse?"

In the mouths of political interviewers, the question may seem as disingenuous as a pyromaniac surprised at a resurgence of wildfires. As the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) gathered in L'Affaire du siècle ("The Case of the Century," a coalition of climate-focused NGOs which successfully sued the State for climate inaction) have repeatedly noted, the questions posed to the various candidates or their representatives have only very rarely addressed the climate issue. The issue of the collapse of biodiversity was completely ignored, as well.

According to L'affaire du Siècle's estimates, climate questions only occupied about 5% of speaking time during the debates presented by the major media outlets in the current presidential campaign. This near-absence has major effects on our collective perception of the real risks of climate change.

The lack of representation of the climate issue points to the idea that political interviews are, in fact, just performative. Questions that are not asked by the media disappear from the public conversation, and lose their importance in all levels of society. Essentially, what is not talked about cannot be all that important.

But what about the very livability of our planet, which is at risk within a few decades? That is a low-priority question, apparently. How about organizing the adaptation and resilience of society and economies to what is already inevitable? A non-issue, seemingly. In terms of political tactics, there is little interest for the candidates to work on a subject that has been reduced to a bare minimum during the debates. The Shift Project – a think tank not generally concerned with environmentalist agendas – classified only two of the 12 candidates initially in the running as having a policy platform "close" to France's climate objectives. They were leftist candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Green candidate Yannick Jadot.

Hence this paradox: While opinion polls show that the environment is a major concern for the French – often ranked in second or third place – three quarters of the votes cast on April 10 went to platforms that had no ambitions in this area.

But this is not so surprising. For decades, the intellectual training and professional culture of political journalism have led to a focus on economic issues, immigration, and insecurity, not to mention the drama of party strategies, ego clashes and the tactics of the political machine. Environmental issues, which are technical and daunting, are never touched upon more than lightly.

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GCSE French Environment sentence builder and translation

Subject: French

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Other

Last updated

25 March 2024

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Comment résoudre les problèmes de l’environnement ? A comprehensive sentence builder and translation text using environmental issue and solutions topic-specific vocabulary for new GCSE French spec.

This is perfect for bringing and together and practising vocab around local/global environmental problems and solutions. It contains topic-specific vocabulary as well as structures that will improve quality, complexity and range of language. Ideal for pupils taking the Higher paper, but also useful for confident Foundation pupils.

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Melinda French Gates to Resign From Gates Foundation

The co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will chart her own course as a philanthropist focused on women’s rights and gender equality.

By Anupreeta Das and Santul Nerkar

Melinda French Gates is leaving the behemoth foundation she and her former husband, Bill Gates, founded nearly a quarter-century ago to devote herself fully to her work on behalf of women and girls, which has been the focus of much of her recent philanthropy.

Her move, announced on Monday, marks the end of an era for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — henceforth known as the Gates Foundation — which she and her former husband founded in 2000 and transformed into a juggernaut that shook up the world of philanthropy and reshaped the fields of global public health and development.

“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,” Ms. French Gates, 59, said in a post on X. She added that the foundation was “in strong shape,” and that it was the right time for her to move “into the next chapter of my philanthropy.” Her last day will be June 7.

Ms. French Gates will get $12.5 billion in resources to direct toward her philanthropic work. In a statement, she said she would use the money she was leaving with to “commit to my work on behalf of women and families.”

Already one of the world’s most influential female philanthropists, Ms. French Gates has long argued that the uplift of women benefits all of society. Her pivot to women’s rights and gender equality is likely to have a meaningful impact on the world of giving.

“It’s a milestone in the evolution of arguably the most important foundation of our time,” said Amir Pasic, the dean of Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Mr. Pasic noted that Ms. French Gates’s potential contributions to women’s issues, from the $12.5 billion she is taking with her, could be influential. According to the school’s index , contributions to women’s and girls’ organizations in 2020 represented just 1.8 percent of all giving in the country.

So far, the main vehicle for Ms. French Gates’s work has been Pivotal Ventures, a firm she founded in 2015. Pivotal is not a foundation; rather, it is a limited liability company, a type of entity that can make grants to nonprofits as well as for-profit investments and engage in advocacy work. With dozens of employees, the firm, in Kirkland, Wash., targets issues such as paid family and medical leave and increasing female representation in politics, and invests in funds led by women.

In 2021, Pivotal was among the firms that called on the Biden administration to appoint a “caregiving czar.” Ms. French Gates has also worked with Michelle Obama, the former first lady, and Mackenzie Scott, who is the ex-wife of Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, and is also a philanthropist.

So far, Pivotal has made a commitment of $1 billion toward its causes; the new funds are likely to give it far more heft.

On X, Mr. Gates said that he was “sorry to see Melinda leave,” but that she would “have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work.” He said that Ms. French Gates was “instrumental” in helping shape the foundation’s vision, and that he remained “fully committed” to its work.

Mr. Gates, who is the world’s seventh-richest man and has an estimated net worth of $130 billion, according to Forbes , will become the sole chair of the Gates Foundation, Mark Suzman, the foundation’s chief executive, said in a statement released Monday.

Ms. French Gates has “new ideas about the role she wants to play in improving the lives of women and families in the U.S. and around the world.” Mr. Suzman said. He added that she would be dedicating her time to altering the trajectory of “women’s rights rolled back in the U.S. and around the world” over the past few years.

When the foundation got its start, Ms. French Gates played more of a behind-the-scenes role, although she was engaged from the beginning. As her children grew older, she started spending more time at the foundation’s offices, staking a claim for herself. She became its voice on family planning, maternal care and other development-related issues that specifically affected women.

Ms. French Gates’s departure is the latest step in the evolution of the Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private foundation. From public health and development to agriculture and education, the foundation is a highly influential player, giving away billions of dollars annually.

Its future direction was thrown into doubt momentarily when Mr. and Ms. French Gates announced their plans to divorce in May 2021, after 27 years of marriage. At the time, the foundation said that she would continue working with Mr. Gates as a co-chair, and that if either of them decided that they couldn’t work together, Ms. French Gates would step down in May 2023 or later.

Ms. French Gates considered her working relationship with her ex-husband to be challenging, according to a person with knowledge of her thinking. After her divorce, Ms. French Gates said publicly that she and Mr. Gates maintained a friendly relationship, but that they weren’t friends.

In “The Moment of Lift,” her first book, published in 2019, Ms. French Gates wrote about how difficult it was at times to stand out alongside her husband. “I’ve been trying to find my voice as I’ve been speaking next to Bill,” she wrote, “and that can make it hard to be heard.”

After the couple’s 2021 divorce, the foundation introduced several changes as it sought to introduce stronger corporate governance mechanisms and professionalize its operations. Despite the foundation’s size — an endowment of $75 billion as of 2023, around 2,000 employees and roughly a dozen offices around the globe — it had long remained a tightly controlled entity where Ms. French Gates and Mr. Gates, the two co-chairs and co-trustees, oversaw much of the decision making, according to former employees and those who have worked with the foundation.

In 2021, soon after the divorce, Warren E. Buffett, who had joined the foundation as its third trustee after announcing in 2006 that he would give to it a majority of his fortune, stepped down from his role, saying that his participation was not needed, but that he would continue to make contributions. The next year, the foundation added six trustees to its board.

Anupreeta Das is the finance editor of The New York Times, overseeing broad coverage of Wall Street, including banking, investing, markets and consumer finance. She was previously the deputy business editor of The Wall Street Journal. More about Anupreeta Das

Santul Nerkar is a reporter covering business and sports. More about Santul Nerkar

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