Last weekend, we took a group trip to Île de Porquerolles, a small island off the coast of France. Apparently, in 2018, it was home to the best beach in Europe, so clearly we had to go. The water was so clear, blue, and stretched out (seemingly) infinitely. I went in with some friends and while it was a bit chilly, it was refreshing enough to dunk my head underwater. This place is a protected one and we had to take an extremely forested path to reach the rocky, sandy area. It’s important to note that this island is a huge hotspot for tourism, which evidently has an impact on the environment.  One article from Var-Matin particularly pointed out the ways that the large number of boats that come to anchor by the beaches has a harmful impact on the Posidonia, a type of seagrass native to the Mediterranean. In recent years, the government has enacted policies that not only restrict the number of boats that can come visit the island but also implemented a system of buoys to prevent anchoring that tears up the seafloor.

Only a few days later, I ended up on another nature walk, this time with my host dad and host dog. The forested area offered views of Sainte-Victoire (that mountain I mentioned in my last post) in the distance and my host dad pointed out a number of the different plants: wild thyme, wild lavender that have not yet flaunted their fragrant blooms, even orchids that sported white and plum-spotted blooms. Protected places like these are incredibly important, as one plaque touted in the park, but climate change puts all the life within them at risk. It’s worth asking how France is working against this omnipresent threat.

Generally, France receives both high marks and criticism for its climate policies. In 2024, there was an 11.6% decrease in emissions from the energy industry. Not to mention there was the loi pour la reconquête de la biodiversité, de la nature et des paysages from 2016, which empowers property owners to environmentally protect their land, planting wildflowers and other native plants, thus encouraging biodiversity. At the same time critics argue that France has not done nearly enough to combat climate change pointing out the way these same drops in emissions have not been seen in the transport or building sectors, and the way recently France has been pulling back on an EU initiative that would hold big companies responsible for their climate impacts. Looking at France a lot of the news circle around ambition and narratives around addressing climate vs. the reality of continued exploitation of the environment.