France

country's climate policy

The national framework is based on legally established objectives and several planning instruments covering mitigation, energy, and adaptation. The Environmental Code notably provides for carbon budgets, defined as national emission caps set for successive five-year periods, as well as a National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC) designed to define the emissions reduction trajectory. Carbon neutrality by 2050 constitutes the long-term objective, while SNBC 3, adopted in July 2026, sets a target of a 50% reduction in territorial emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels (French Republic, 2026).

Planning is structured around the French Energy and Climate Strategy (SFEC), which combines three main instruments. The SNBC 3 defines carbon trajectories and budgets by sector; the Multiannual Energy Program (PPE 3), published in 2026 for the period 2026–2035, frames the evolution of the energy system; and the third National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC-3), adopted in 2025, organizes the adaptation of territories, infrastructure, economic activities, and populations to the effects of climate change. These instruments cover, in particular, transport, buildings, industry, agriculture, energy, and land use (Ministry for Ecological Transition, 2026).

Implementation involves the State, regions, inter-municipal bodies, and local authorities, particularly through territorial planning documents and Territorial Climate-Air-Energy Plans (PCAETs). This structure allows for the local adaptation of national guidelines, but it also raises coordination challenges between national, sectoral, and local objectives. An analysis of 477 local climate plans reveals discrepancies between territorial emission reduction targets and national trajectories, as well as significant differences in sector coverage and action monitoring, highlighting the role of coordination and evaluation in their implementation (Bouillass et al., 2025).

• Bouillass, G., Baltazar, J., & Yannou, B. (2025). On the path towards carbon neutrality? A comprehensive analysis of local climate plans in France. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 212, 115240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.115240
• Ministry for Ecological Transition. (2026). National Low-Carbon Strategy: The French Climate Roadmap. French Government.
• French Republic. (2026). Environmental Code: Carbon budgets and national low-carbon strategy, articles L. 222-1 A to L. 222-1 E.Legifrance.

National climate policy timeline

The instruments studied in France