France moves ahead with bid to add climate protection to constitution

French lawmakers in the National Assembly approved a plan to change the country’s constitution to reinforce environmental protection.

The bill, adopted with 391 votes in favor and 47 against, proposes to modify the first article of the French constitution and add that France “guarantees the preservation of the environment and of biological diversity, and fights against climate change.”

It comes after President Emmanuel Macron in December took on the idea from the Citizens’ Climate Convention — a group of 150 randomly chosen citizens tasked with advising the government on its green policies — and said he would put it to a referendum.

The bill on Tuesday passed the first step in the constitutional reform process. It will now have to be discussed by the higher chamber, the Senate, which is controlled by the conservative opposition party Les Républicains, who are strongly opposed to the reform. Conservative MPs argued the proposal is unnecessary and will hurt businesses’ competitiveness and freedom.

Both chambers of the parliament have to agree on the exact same wording before the proposed reform can be put to a referendum. If the Senate adopts different wording, the proposal will go back to the National Assembly for approval, until both chambers can agree.

Conservative Senate President Gérard Larcher said he would prefer to use the verb “acts” rather than “guarantees.” But Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti pushed back, arguing that the word “guarantees” has been chosen “because it creates a quasi-obligation [for the state] to deliver results.”

A French court recently condemned the government for climate inaction.