When you adjust economic performance for climate footprint (which we should do for every country), France leads all of its peers. Whereas the US generates 0.28 tonnes of greenhouse gases to produce $1,000 of GDP, France does the same with only 0.14 tonnes of emissions.
I wonder what the reason is, and why the Guardian would omit it.
The reason is nuclear power, and the statement is only true if "emissions" is defined to exclude incredibly dangerous stuff that we bury somewhere in the hopes that it won't surface again as long as anyone we care about is still alive.
Comments
I wonder what the reason is, and why the Guardian would omit it.
I wonder what the reason is
Multiple factors, including transportation, land use, and yeah, what you're hinting at. The Guardian isn't especially anti-nuke these days, btw.
The reason is nuclear power, and the statement is only true if "emissions" is defined to exclude incredibly dangerous stuff that we bury somewhere in the hopes that it won't surface again as long as anyone we care about is still alive.
One could burn dioxygen difluoride for power and produce no carbon!