France wants to be greenest of all

PARIS -- No more incandescent light bulbs in chandelier-filled chateaux or French cafes. No more energy-wasting cars and televisions, and no more drafty windows.

These proposals are part of an "ecological New Deal" that President Nicolas Sarkozy laid out Thursday to push France toward the vanguard of the fight against global warming. At Sarkozy's side, former Vice President and Nobel laureate Al Gore urged the world to follow France's example in tackling what he called a "planetary emergency."

Environmental groups welcomed the gestures but said they were only a first step in catching France up to its "greener" neighbors. They criticized Sarkozy for defending nuclear energy and steering clear of a carbon tax and a ban on genetically modified crops that many had wanted.

"We have waited too long. We cannot wait any longer," Sarkozy said in closing three months of often tense talks among activists, farmers, unions, businesses and government officials aimed at changing the way the French treat the environment.

"France wants to be ahead, and it wants to be exemplary," he said.

The unprecedented environment talks produced about a dozen measures to be sent to parliament for a vote early next year. Parliament, dominated by Sarkozy's party, is likely to pass them, though activists fear lawmakers will try to water them down.

Gore called Sarkozy "a great friend of the people of this planet because you are providing leadership."

"We must realize that increases in global warming pollution anywhere now threaten the viability of human civilization everywhere."

Sarkozy said by 2020, all new buildings would be required to be "energy positive, meaning they will produce more energy than they consume." He did not provide details.

By 2010, all incandescent light bulbs would be banned, and single-paned windows would be replaced by better-insulated double panes. That would put France ahead of U.S. states such as California that are phasing out the traditional bulb starting in 2012.

Older models of televisions and other electrical equipment considered to consume too much energy will be banned "as soon as an alternative exists at a reasonable price," Sarkozy said.

Drivers who buy cars that use little gasoline will be entitled to discounts, while those who buy gas-guzzlers will have to pay extra. Vehicle owners will be encouraged to trade in older, more-polluting cars for cleaner models.

Road construction will be drastically slowed while high-speed train service will be extended with another 1,200 miles of new tracks, he said. River traffic also will be expanded.

Most agriculture measures were strongly watered down under pressure from farming unions, though Sarkozy agreed that all cafeterias at schools and other public buildings will be required to offer organic food once a week.

He proposed a temporary freeze on the planting of genetically modified crops pending expert analysis of their effects -- short of the outright ban activists had wanted.

Sarkozy urged study of a much-disputed carbon tax, but he stopped short of a full endorsement of taxing products from countries that do not adhere to the Kyoto Protocol -- including the United States. The conservative president has sought to cut the heavy taxes the French face.

Sarkozy said he wanted to make France a leader in renewable energy, but stuck to his support for nuclear energy. France is more reliant on nuclear power than any other country.

"The truth is that it is illusory in France to want to meet the climate challenge, our primary challenge, without nuclear energy. Today, we have no other choice, without renouncing growth," Sarkozy said.

Nuclear plants emit far less greenhouse gases than do plants fired by fossil fuels, but many environmentalists have concerns about their waste.

"If the president thinks we need to develop renewable energy, we hear the message: It means that we have to stop the nuclear reactors," said Greenpeace France campaign director Yannick Jadot.

The discussions provoked discord over biofuels, with some activists warning that they were causing more environmental damage than good, forcing up grain prices worldwide and encouraging continued use of cars.

The national secretary of the Green Party, Cecile Duflot, called Sarkozy's announcement "propaganda and a grand publicity show."

------

Associated Press writers Christine Ollivier and Emmanuel Georges-Picot contributed to this report.