A decade since the Paris Agreement: the perspective of the French ambassador to Czechia
Precisely ten years ago, the Paris Agreement was adopted by a record 195 parties – a moment of relief and euphoria for Stéphane Crouzat, who was among the architects of the landmark deal and is now France’s ambassador to Czechia. What does he make of Czechia’s stance on climate change ten years on from the Agreement?
In 2015, at COP21 in Paris, the Paris Agreement was adopted as a legally binding pact. It set in motion worldwide efforts to ensure that human-driven global warming does not exceed 2°C.
France’s ambassador to Czechia, Stéphane Crouzat, played a direct role in forging the Paris deal as a diplomatic adviser to the French environment ministry. He later served as France’s climate ambassador, leading negotiations at three UN climate conferences. Speaking to Czech Radio’s climate correspondent Jan Kaliba, he reflected on what it was like to negotiate a breakthrough global accord ten years ago, and on the context leading up to the COP21.
“It was difficult to accept the challenge in the first place because at the time the momentum for climate diplomacy was at a low point. We had failed in Copenhagen at COP15, where we had genuinely hoped to agree on a new binding treaty - but that completely collapsed. In fact, since the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, there had been little to show in terms of new commitments on climate change
“And so there was a lot of anticipation, a lot of angst, because it was such a difficult challenge to undertake. It was also three weeks after the terrible terrorist attack that took place in Paris and some people were questioning whether the COP21 would even take place.”
In the end, however, more than 150 heads of state and government attended, making it the largest ever single-day gathering of world leaders. Crouzat described the moment the agreement was adopted as truly unforgettable.
“When, finally, on December 12, 2015 the gavel was struck, there was an eruption in the room. I was there at the time, and it was a moment of incredible relief, with the feeling that we had achieved something truly momentous. There was also a sense of hope that we might be able to course-correct a trajectory that looked pretty awful at the time.”
He stressed that the Paris Agreement has not solved the climate crisis, but it has somewhat altered the path the world was on. He described its achievement as managing to make things “less bad” than they would have been without it. Current projections, he noted, point to around 2.3 to 2.5°C of global warming - still beyond the agreement’s aim of staying well below 2°C and ideally limiting warming to 1.5°C. But, as he put it, “it is certainly better than the 4°C we were heading toward before Paris.”
Reflecting on how today’s reality compares with expectations ten years ago, Crouzat said:
“Obviously, we would have hoped to be in a better position. There is so much geopolitical tension, with wars raging and strong pushback from fossil fuel states. At the very moment when we need to move away from them, we are seeing significant resistance. But, of course, the energy transition is so momentous that pushback is inevitable.”
He highlighted complex and sometimes contrasting global trends and addressed the U.S. decision to leave the Paris Agreement in early 2025, when President Donald Trump signed executive orders mandating the U.S.’s withdrawal.
”The Paris Agreement is still there, and it survived a first withdrawal from the U.S. Nobody else has decided to leave. In fact, if anything, it reinforced the pertinence of the Paris Agreement, and everybody was very determined to make it work. We went on to pursue more COPs and we made progress - even though it's always too little, but at least the progress is there.”
Czechia’s climate challenge
France and Czechia share a positive view on the potential of nuclear energy. Yet, Crouzat admitted that he was surprised, upon arriving in Czechia, by how divisive the climate issue is and how heavily the Green Deal is attacked across much of the political spectrum. In the Lower House, for example, only a single MP represents the Green Party.
Crouzet highlighted a major challenge for the country’s energy transition: around one-third of Czechia’s electricity still comes from coal. Although a phase-out is planned by 2033 at the latest, Crouzat stresses that coal-generated power must be replaced in the meantime. Building new nuclear capacity will take too long to fill the gap, he added, making one solution to significantly ramp up renewable energy. In Czechia's current political climate, however, this seems improbable.
Czechia’s incoming environment minister, Petr Macinka of the Motorists’ Party, is known for his criticism of the Green Deal and has expressed scepticism about the human causes of climate change. Asked about Czechia’s broader political approach to climate issues, Crouzat said:
“Well, it’s not for me to judge. I just notice that very few actors in the political sphere defend the Green Deal. Often, it’s easy to blame Brussels for decisions that were made by Member States, the European Parliament, or the European Council. We need to keep the discussion alive. Czechia has no coastline, so climate change may seem distant, but you Czechs love your forests. If temperatures really rise by two to three degrees, will your forests be able to survive?
“I believe Czechia must be part of the effort to address the problem. At the same time, both in France and Czechia, we are aware of the social costs of this transition. Measures are needed to help everyone, including the most modest households. The European Union has introduced a Social Climate Fund, as it is crucial to ensure the money reaches the right people, because many are afraid of the consequences of climate policies.“
The incoming government, a coalition of ANO, the Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD), and the Motorists, however, has stated that it will reject this system and that Czechia will not participate. Open climate scepticism is also increasingly present in society. Asked whether this would make it difficult for him to serve as a diplomat in Czechia, Crouzat replied:
"The purpose of a diplomat’s work is to talk with partners, so we will discuss it. To those sceptics, I would say that they are the kind of people who cannot perceive reality - the harsh reality that science presents to them. In the International Panel on Climate Change, we have a group of thousands of scientists, and they have demonstrated with certainty that climate change is caused by human activity. I believe this is indisputable."
He spoke more specifically on Czech fossil-fuel companies, as Czechia has entrepreneurs who operate not just domestically but also at a European and global level. For example, Daniel Křetínský - a Czech billionaire businessman and lawyer - has recently invested in the French oil company Total Energies, known to be a large polluter. Křetínský’s portfolio also includes some of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the EU and he has faced accusations, for instance, for underreporting emissions. On this, Crouzat gave a measured diplomatic response:
“Well, it was a very important €5 billion deal. Křetínský is set to become the third-largest shareholder in Total, which increases foreign direct investment from Czechia into France. It also creates a new alliance on combined-cycle gas turbines, which help stabilise electricity as renewable energy ramps up. This development is positive for Franco-Czech relations, and I’m hopeful it will come to fruition. I’m focusing on the positive aspects of this deal.”
