France's green bill is 'dead'

GREEN campaigners have walked away from the government’s latest environmental bill pronouncing it dead.

They say the original ideas of the Grenelle de l’Environnement – a highly publicised green summit championed by Nicolas Sarkozy just after his election in 2007 – have been watered down and abandoned.

Green MP Noël Mamère said the bill is dead and suggested environmentalists come up with an “alternative Grenelle” while campaigner and TV presenter Nicolas Hulot says he has suspended his foundation’s participation in government talks.

The government climbdowns include ditching plans for congestion charges, a tax and bonus scheme for consumer products and the taxe carbone. The government has said it will shelve the tax (on fossil fuels producing CO2) until the rest of Europe agrees to introduce it too.