French Environment Minister Quits In Live Interview: 'World Is Not Doing Enough'

Shortly after the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the Paris accord, a global pact to combat climate change, French President Emmanuel Macron assumed the mantle of environmental crusader with a pointed rebuke of the Trump administration: "Make our planet great again," he declared just hours later. Nicolas Hulot, a TV celebrity and one of the most respected members of the cabinet among the public, announced the news on France Inter radio, taking both his interviewers and government colleagues by surprise. The minister, Nicolas Hulot, an environmental activist and former television star who regularly ranked as one of Mr. Macron’s most popular ministers, made the surprise announcement during a live interview on France Inter radio in which he said he no longer wanted to “lie to myself.”

“I don’t want to create the illusion that my presence in the government means that we are up to the task on these issues, and so I have decided to leave the government today,” Mr. Hulot told the stunned radio hosts, one of whom asked him whether he was being serious. “We’re taking little steps, and France is doing a lot more than other countries, but are little steps enough?… the answer is no,” he added. The former minister caught everyone by surprise, telling France Inter that he had not informed either the French President, Emmanuel Macron, or the Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, of his decision when making his announcement.
Nicolas Hulot resigns as Minister of Ecology during a live interview on France Inter radio, citing French President Emmanuel Macron's record on environmental issues and his own frustration over feeling alone in prioritizing reform.