In June and July uel consumption is bullish

In June and July, uel consumption is bullish. The Economist Alain Grandjean, Member o the ondation Nicolas Hulot and co- ounder o carbon 4 calls or the creation o a tax on carbon.

rance uel deli eries increased by 7.7 June and 2.1 per cent in July rom the same month o 2008. or gasoline, the consumption reached its July high since July 2003. That you based on these igures

irst, it must be care ul and say that they traced the e olution o the consumption o hydrocarbon on two months. But on the merits, the consumers are rational. They react to changes in prices and again to dri e when the price o oil down. There is now a di use eeling that the economy est emerging out o the crisis. Clearly, the decline in consumption obser ed last summer was not bound to an awareness o the danger o global warming. Only the creation o a climate-energy contribution to create a su icient price signal or a chance to meet the objecti es o the CO emissions drop by the rance.

The commission Rocarda worked in July on the climate-energy contribution.Where is it

The Prime Minister made a commitment to establish a debate on the climate-energy contribution. The Rocard commission worked in July and the report lays down rules and principles, but does not constitute a inal proposal. We expect the public authorities in September a comprehensi e study with speci ic tools to answer the questions remained unanswered. The important thing is to make pedagogy, because whate er happens, the price o oil will go up in the years to come. It is already spent more than 70 euros these days and it would be worse in the case o pro en reco ery. The public must understand that it is better to bear a tax which is progressing e ery year and we change beha iour rather than continue to uel oil-producing countries unds. The Swedes, who currently hold the EU Presidency, grow them also to the creation o a tax on carbon.

It all depends on the le el o tax...

This issue is crucial and will gi e any credibility to the project. Seen with the example o gasoline this summer. Establish a too low tax, as the rance has always done with en ironmental taxes, does not change. The public has the eeling that this tax is made or the State co ers. Must be a su icient price signal, otherwise there will be too o set with the speech making climate a major issue. Economists ha e estimated would rom a base o 32 euros.

The Budget Minister, Eric Woerth, seems to think that it is too. What do you propose

I the Go ernment hesitate and ixed rom the outset a price too low, it will be possible to mo e orward. Rather than to all below the required threshold, he must ind compensation mechanisms. or businesses, it may be the decline o business tax. or households, the oundation Nicolas Hulot has proposed the creation o a lump sum allowance. The commission Rocard considers that should be the modulate according to income. It proposes not to grant the pri ileged, to assist in priority rural households who mo e more to go to work and li e in high proportion in houses heated with gas or uel oil. It is also necessary to encourage people working with staggered schedules, because they cannot take public transit. These proposals pose us no problem, but beware, the system must be easy to understand.