Monique Barbut, France's environment minister, during an Environment European Council meeting in Brussels, November 4, 2025. VIRGINIA MAYO / AP
A new talking point has been gaining traction in climate diplomacy. After repeatedly stating that France's share of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is marginal (less than 1%), some political figures are now applying the same logic to the European Union (EU). They argue that the 27 member states pollute very little compared to other countries, so their climate action matters less. "Europe accounts for 6% [of global emissions] and in a few years, we'll account for 4%. What difference will that make to climate change? None," said French Environment minister Monique Barbut at an Environment European Council meeting on November 4.
Therefore, Barbut justified resorting to international carbon credits, which are supposed to help the 27 member states reach part of their new 2040 climate target by funding the energy transition in developing countries. "Our disasters in Europe are not linked to our European emissions, but to global emissions. As long as we don't address those, nothing will change in terms of [limiting] climate change," she insisted.
