French Failure

France backed off initiative to introduce a carbon tax on domestic polluters:

"We have to amplify measures that help reinforce the competitiveness of our economy," Mr Fillon was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
"In that spirit, I would like to indicate that the decisions we are going to take regarding sustainable development have to be better coordinated with all European countries, so as not to widen our gap in competitiveness with our neighbour Germany."

Pretty disappointing that they didn't follow up on this. It would have been a significant move by one of the largest countries in the world and would send a message to the rest of the world that they are serious about the environment. It's very disappointing that they did not stand up for this, but only understandable because it would probably affect their economy. I hope that they can find a way to better institute this type of legislation that better targets the problem.