Jean Sabatier
Master student at Sciences Po Paris in Environmental Policy
One might assume that France is at the forefront of implementing sufficiency within its policies. Indeed, in a speech at Le Bourget Air Show on 19 June 2023, President Macron emphasized (external link) a "reasonable" and "common sense" sufficiency based on (external link)"transparency" and without "punitive" measures (external link). However, this interpretation fundamentally misrepresents the sufficiency concept. To effectively integrate sufficiency into France's political model, it is essential to return to its scientific definition and core principles.
Sufficiency as defined by Saheb (external link)and included in IPCC 2022 (external link) and 2023 (external link) reports is "a set of policy measures and daily practices that avoid the demand for energy, materials, land, water, and other natural resources, while delivering wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries." This definition makes clear that sufficiency is not about individual daily actions (petits gestes), such as "turning off the light when leaving a room"-as President Macron urged in his speech.
Instead, sufficiency is deeply connected to structural political and economic frameworks. Policies must apply to all citizens-not through a blanket "end of abundance", as stated by President Macron in 2022, but through equity-driven distributive justice. The goal is not to restrict resources indiscriminately, but to raise minimum living standards while curbing overconsumption and environmental exploitation. Measures such as a" 'super-profit' tax (external link) and a universal basic income could be used to act on the (external link)minimum and maximum thresholds of sufficiency (external link), ensuring a fair and sustainable sufficiency model.
The true aim of sufficiency is wellbeing-not mere restriction. This concept aligns with an eudaemonic (external link) vision, focusing on meaning and self-realization. Integrating this perspective into education and employment policies could help resolve France's work crisis, which has led to a growing sense (external link) of professional disenchantment and of loss of meaning in work (external link). In other words, sufficiency is about reinventing the French model by moving away from neoliberal principles (external link)
Crucially, sufficiency requires a systemic change driven by "planetary (external link)boundaries (external link)" approach, not a "reasonable" small-scale reform. With France condemned in 2021 and 2023 for climate inaction, sufficiency must be embedded within policy assessments on environmental impact, particularly as we likely approach the alarming +2.7°C temperature rise by 2050 (external link).
To address this challenge, France must embrace a global sufficiency policy-applicable across all sectors, from urban planning to mobility and food systems. Encouragingly, French public confidence in sufficiency is growing (external link), as reflected in ADEME's transition scenarios, which incorporate sufficiency into three of its four ecological pathways for 2050.
Now is the time to move beyond rhetoric and into meaningful action. The future of sufficiency depends on bold, systemic transformation-not just individual responsibility.