France recalls ambassador to Italy as diplomatic row deepens - Polidicks

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47161500

Maybe dont blame your people for climate change then france?

You say the first step has to be taken somewhere, but where? Isn't the yellow vest movement just that?

Its not these peoples fault, they need to use cars and consume to live under capitalism. Its the leeches and corporations that caused this.

I think they meant the first step against over-proliferation of cars and the pollution they cause

Yeah, see, the issue with rising fuel prices is it punishes the poor who cannot afford to pay those prices while doing nothing to the rich CEOs that are commanding the sources of the bulk of it. That's why people protest fuel cost rises, they...and rightfully so....don't want to have to choose between driving to work and eating one week.

The protests aren't aimed at the corporations, they're aimed at the government and other people. The corporations aren't indestructible, through governmental authority they can be regulated and kept in check.

How do I cope with it? Shitposting, anxiety and cynicism. Also anger, if there was a chance at guillotining these fucks I would take it.

to be honest, the french state wasn't doing it for environmental reasons. raising the fuel tax is an easy and quick way to get more money lol

How are government regulations a band-aid?? Tax funded regulation is the only solution I can think of and I don't see how it's a bad one either to be honest.

It's necessary, but it has to be a two-pronged initiative. Low-carbon alternatives must be funded and expanded before the fuel costs are increased. Except the opposite is what is happening. In fact, many areas where individual vehicles are pretty much vital are getting more and more deserted by indispensable public services. Hospitals, post offices, administration building are progressively disappearing from the more rural areas - thanks to the government's austerity-driven defunding - further increasing the distance necessary to reach those services, and thus people's gas consumption. This is actually one of the major complaints made by the current protests. Public transportation or carbon-neutral transportation methods such as cycling are only viable if the area they cover is somewhat dense. Current government polices are effectively reducing that density, so you can't possibly hope that increasing fuel taxes will somehow make people change their way of getting around. Public transportation isn't getting nearly enough funding as it is, and even peri-urban areas are lacking in coverage. Ditto for cycling lanes. So no, the government's policy of "tax and forget" is nothing short of terrible when it comes to tackling CO2 emissions. While gas prices are increased, peri-urban and rural citizens are forced to rely even more on their vehicle, and no satisfying alternative is provided, nor is any attempt made to do so. It's effectively an additional flat tax, akin to an increase in VAT, which thus disproportionately affects the poorer parts of the population.