L’énergie : au cœur de la lutte contre le changement climatique

Commissariat général au développement durableAug 13, 2025

Se loger, manger, se chauffer, s’éclairer, se déplacer, fabriquer des objets… Tout cela demande de l’énergie. Mais utiliser de l’énergie a de gros effets sur le changement climatique, surtout quand on utilise du pétrole, du gaz ou du charbon. Ces énergies, qu’on appelle « fossiles », car non renouvelables et issues de la décomposition d’organismes pendant des millions d’années, sont les principales sources de gaz à effet de serre dans le monde. Pour protéger le climat, il faut donc consommer moins d’énergie et choisir des énergies qui produisent peu ou pas de CO2.

Housing, eating, heating, lighting, traveling, manufacturing objects… All of this requires energy. But using energy has major effects on climate change, especially when using oil, gas or coal. These energies, called "fossil" fuels because they are non-renewable and come from the decomposition of organisms over millions of years, are the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. To protect the climate, we must therefore consume less energy and choose energies that produce little or no CO2.

1 chapter

Essential energy, but with climate impact
Energy sources
• Transport, heating, industry, electricity… many human activities require energy. • There are several types of energy: • fossil fuels, which contain a lot of carbon: coal, oil and natural gas, which exist in limited quantities and must be imported by France; • nuclear energy produced from uranium, a mineral not found in our country; • renewable energies, which come from natural sources that renew quickly: wind (wind power), water (hydropower), sun (photovoltaic), biomass (wood, plant or animal waste), heat from the earth (geothermal), etc. • Why does energy increase CO2 emissions worldwide? Primary energy consumption has doubled in 40 years globally. It was 171,650 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2021, compared to 83,550 TWh in 1980 (Source: SDES 2024). • Note: • primary energy is energy in its natural form (such as crude oil, wind or sun); • final energy is what we actually use (electricity, gasoline, etc.); • between the two, energy often needs to be transformed, which causes losses. • Why such an increase? • The world population is growing. • More and more people have access to energy. • Some countries have developed and industrialized significantly. • Residents of developed countries have become accustomed to using large amounts of energy.
Greenhouse gas emissions
• Result: greenhouse gas emissions have also increased sharply. These gases cause climate warming. Between 1900 and 2022, global emissions increased by 62%, mainly due to fossil fuels. • Note: between 1990 and 2023, greenhouse gas emissions decreased in Europe and France by over 30%. This reduction is the result of several actions: • oil and coal were partly replaced by energies that emit less CO2 (gas, nuclear, renewable energies); • industrial production (which consumes a lot of energy) decreased and services (which consume less) increased; • industries consume less energy to produce the same thing (better energy efficiency). • Greenhouse gas emissions and France's carbon footprint • Adapting to climate change
Energy used in France
• In 2023, France used 2,523 terawatt-hours of primary energy distributed as follows: • Distribution of primary energy consumption in France in 2023 (%) • In France, two sectors consume the most energy: • transport (cars, trucks, etc.): 34% of final consumption in 2023; • housing (particularly heating homes): 28% of final consumption in 2023. • These two sectors mainly use fossil fuels: • transport uses 90% oil; • housing uses 35% fossil fuels (including 26% natural gas). • Final energy consumption for energy use in France in 2023

Further reading

Related articles