Report

The new trajectory for the value of climate action

The socio-economic assessment framework developed by the French government in the aftermath of the Second World War, under the aegis of the French General Planning Commission, is constantly being refined and updated. It is against this backdrop that this report, the fruit of a collegial effort involving some thirty experts from all walks of life at France Stratégie, updates the trajectory of the value of climate action1.

Published on : 20/03/2025

Temps de lecture

3 minutes

As a planning tool, the value of climate action is a benchmark to ensure that we are on the "right path" to decarbonisation at the lowest cost. It should not be confused with a desirable level of taxation: it does not prejudge the optimal combination of climate policy instruments (standards, subsidies, taxes, etc.). Its primary purpose is to help identify and sequence decarbonisation actions over time and to assess the carbon impacts of investment projects. It should help to achieve, as efficiently as possible, the objectives of the third French National Low Carbon Strategy (SNBC): a 50% reduction in gross greenhouse gas emissions (compared with 1990 levels) by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050, i.e. a balance between anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and absorption by carbon sinks.

The value of climate action takes the form of a multiyear trajectory because decarbonisation actions must be conceived, deployed and valued in a long-term logic. Without a long-term framework, decarbonisation measures may be subject to stop-and-go movements or become more costly if households and businesses are "caught short" by poor anticipation of the changes that need to be made.

The new trajectory for the value for the climate reflects the more ambitious 2030 goal set out in the SNBC 3

The more ambitious the decarbonisation objective, the greater the value of climate action, since decarbonised solutions are generally more expensive than carbon-based solutions.

The "net zero emissions" (NZE) target formed the basis of the trajectory for the value of climate action in 2019. This ambitious objective continues to guide the new trajectory. In this context:

Download the full summary report