French Minister for Ecological Transition Monique Barbut announced on\nWednesday (22 July) that she would \u201csubmit her resignation today\u201d to\nPresident Emmanuel Macron in protest against a decision to re-authorise\nthe use of pesticides that scientists consider dangerous to humans and\nbees. However, Macron did not accept her resignation, and Barbut will\nremain in her post due to \u201cthe urgent need to tackle the impacts of\nclimate change,\u201d according to a statement from her team cited by AFP\nnews agency. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon later confirmed that\nBarbut would continue in her role.<\/p>\n
In a LinkedIn post, Barbut wrote that \u201ccontrary to commitments\npreviously made to me, the government is blocking a debate on the repeal\nof this policy.\u201d She added that there had been \u201cone environmental\nsetback too many\u201d since her appointment in October. \u201cThe political world\nis not my world, and if this is how politics works, then it clearly\nnever will be,\u201d said the former head of WWF France and former executive\nsecretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification\n(UNCCD).<\/p>\n
Barbut\u2019s statement came shortly after lawmakers approved a bill\nallowing the use of the pesticides acetamiprid and flupyradifurone,\nwhich have been banned in France since 2018 and 2019 respectively.\nScientists say these chemicals are harmful to human health and can\ndamage bee populations, which are essential for agriculture. Supporters\nof the bill argue that French sugar beet, apple, and hazelnut farmers\nneed these pesticides to compete with farmers in other European Union\ncountries. The substances are not banned across the entire EU, but some\nmember states restrict their use.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/french-environment-minister-resigns-over-pesticide-reversal-macron-refuses-1784778878", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }