Air quality, transport, biodiversity … ·how regions can contribute to the ecological transition

If the main guidelines for climate, air and energy are defined nationally, community or international, it is local communities that are responsible for deploying the measures taken in the field directly on the ground.In this regard, their mission was revalued in 2015 by law on the new territorial organization of the Republic (Our), then by the anti-winning law and circular economy (AGEC) in 2020. The regions have indeed seen theirSkills extend, to carry, among other things, the transition as close as possible to the territories.

A problem that returns today to the front of the stage with the examination of the climate bill which started Monday in the Senate - the elected officials of the High Chamber pleading to devote a "major" role of the regions in the fight against theclimate change.And that we find in the speeches of a good part of the candidates for the regional elections, the first round of which will be held this Sunday.

But what are their means really in the matter?Overall, the main lines are fixed by the Territorial Climate-Air-Energy Plan (PCAET), compulsory for the largest intercommunalities.This declines and implements the ambitions defined for air quality, energy and climate on the territories, which define objectives and a program of concrete actions.In addition, each region must present a regional plan for development, sustainable development and territorial equality (SRADDET) with objectives in terms of balance and equality of territories, housing, transport development but alsoenergy efficiency, fight against climate change and air pollution, etc.

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Apart from the energy transition, for which the ecological factory pointing last May a lack of means, despite their planning power in this area, the regions can rely on this common framework to act in several areas.

Since 2014, the regions have first been leaders of air quality in the territories.A major mission, while European standards are not yet respected for four pollutants: particles, nitrogen oxides, ozone and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HAP), constituents of coal and oil.

To remedy this, the prefect is expected to develop an atmosphere protection plan (PPA) in the agglomerations of more than 250,000 inhabitants, or for those which exceed - or are in the process of exceeding - the fixed regulatory limit values.And it is the regions that are responsible for the implementation of some of the actions of this plan, for which they must present a follow -up report each year.

In order to anticipate possible solutions and avoid pollution, the regions are based on the rise of players in the field: they have full capacity to organize consultation with communities, the exchange of good practices and the harmonization of evaluations. The solutions thus adapt to local issues: while in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, for example, the territory remains far from the values ​​recommended by the WHO for fine suspension particles, the region has signed an agreement with An overall budget of 45 million euros to support emission reduction projects. In Guadeloupe, these are the algae stranded on the coasts which are a priority, these generating pollution with sulfuré hydrogen and ammonia. Faced with this problem, the Region has set up an air quality monitoring network, in order to assess the exposure of residents to fumes, and launch the alert in the event of exceeding the fixed regulatory threshold.

And their role is also educational: they must participate in the democratization of the understanding of air pollution among populations, in particular by support provided to air quality monitoring agencies.

Strongly linked to pollution challenges, transport management is another major mission in the regions.It even constitutes their first budgetary position, since they are the organizing authority for collective transport of regional interest, with skills that extend from rail to the road.

Concretely, through state-of-state plan contracts (CPER), they finance numerous network modernization projects.In the railway, first: they are in charge of the organization and financing of regional rail services, and can fix their prices, in compliance with the national SNCF system.To encourage residents to take the train, Jean Rottner, LR candidate in the Grand-Est, offers, for example, line reopening and a price drop for users, with the creation of a half-tight card-in a contextnext opening to the competition of TERs.In Burgundy Franche-Comté, Marie-Guite Dufay (PS) pleads for the end of the diesel for the TER.

Apart from the railway, the regions are the organizing authorities for interurban transport, and manage intermodality and complementarity between the modes of transport, within the framework of the SRADDET.Hence the theme of gratuitousness which returns to the front of the stage during the new elections, found in the programs of Audrey Pulvar (PS) in Île-de-France or Aurélie Filippeti in the Grand-Is, for example - justified by ecological but also social patterns.In this last region, Brigitte Klinkert puts on the promise of a "transport revolution", to "move quickly, easily and at the lowest possible price".

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Because while the cessation of fossil energy engines is planned for 2040, the role of the regions is essential, for the deployment of adapted infrastructure, and requires anticipating future behavior - by the financing of public transport, but alsoelectric charging stations or hydrogen stations, for example.

And the bike does not escape it: in Île-de-France, over the 680 kilometers of cycle paths, half was co-financed by the region.An important subject in the current campaign: while Valérie Pécresse ensures that he wants to install a series of cycle paths in order to create a "RER bicycle", Julien Bayou repeats his wish to set up a large network of 1,700 km of protected cycle paths,isolated from road traffic.

The regions also appear as essential actors for the development of more circular models, especially since the anti-winning law and circular economy of 2020 (AGEC).This widens their skills in "animation and coordination of the circular economy", in order to promote "eco-mobilization".Concretely, they must be placed in a logic of resources rather than waste, by reuse and reuse, via the structuring of the business fabric and various incentive tools.In fact, the regions all participated in the movement: in 2020, each of them mobilized to deploy a label, in partnership with ADEME, so as to identify the projects to be accelerated in this area.Some remain more advanced than others: the Pays de la Loire, for example, will now go so far as to apply purchasing eco-unit, in particular via public procurement.

The question is inseparable from that of waste management, most of which have seized, by the adoption of 12 regional plans between 2019 and 2020. Burgundy Franche-Comté, for example, voted it two years agoIn order to "accelerate sorting, waste re -use, reduction in landfill and incineration".And, since early 2018, the regional project leaders can apply for a Circular Economy Call for Projects if they wish to obtain additional means - to promote eco -design, promote the development of recycleries or even accelerate work on theBulk.Objective: "Produce better, by reducing waste and waste".

Again, the regions play an educational role.For example, Ile-de-France organized in 2019 the first regional day on the fight against wild deposits, as part of the "Île-de-France clean" system.The proper funds received 7.6 million euros in support from the region between 2016 and 2019, with 120 project for the fight and resorption of wild deposits.

Restoration of aquatic environments, flood management, preservation of water quality, or even economic development linked to water: the regions are also competent in matters of water policy.Four of them are particularly at the top on the subject, and have been assigned the "animation and consultation mission in the field of water" - a competence transferred by the State -: Brittany, the Grand-It, the Pays de la Loire and La Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

A "Breton water plan" has for example been set up, a place to share information on the issues related to this resource.And in the Grand-Est, it is a "water" mission that was created in September 2019, whose role is to make the region a management model to become "a resilient territory to climate change".

Finally, their role has been accentuated in the fight for the preservation of flora and fauna.In 2020, no less than seven regional biodiversity agencies (ARB) were created, in order to generalize good practices for preserving ecosystems.This year was also marked by the implementation of the Territories Program committed for nature (TEN) by 15 voluntary regions, in partnership with the French Biodiversity Office.

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Because the Region, responsible for the implementation of the regional biodiversity and SRADDET strategy which integrates biodiversity issues, has become a leader in the matter.And acts by quantifying the potential of employment in this field, by identifying the actors who work on the subject or by working on the structuring of sectors to enhance the resources of the territory.

But in this common framework, not all advance at the same speed: in recent years, part of the regions have been carrying out more and more financing actions with communities, businesses and citizens to promote ecology.Some even opened the work to apply a green budget method, and classify their expenses according to their impact on the environment.In particular Occitanie, the first region of Europe to have presented its "green pact" last November-a measure which is part, among other things, of the program of candidate EELV in Île-de-France, Julien Bayou, or thatde Mélanie Boulanger (PS, Greens), head of the list in Normandy.

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