Macron to work for environment if re-elected

MARSEILLE, Apr 17 (AFP): President Emmanuel Macron promised to put the environment at the heart of his government if he is re-elected next weekend, in a speech in southern France on Saturday designed to appeal to young and green-minded voters.
Macron held a major rally in the port city of Marseille while his rival, far-right leader Marine Le Pen, visited a village west of Paris.
Polls show Macron stretching his lead over Le Pen, with a fresh survey on Saturday by Ipsos Sopra/Steria suggesting that Macron would triumph with 55.5 percent versus 44.5 percent for Le Pen.
"I hear the anxiety that exists in a lot of our young people. I see young people, adolescents, who are fearful about the future of our planet," Macron told the rally.
He acknowledged the "powerful message" sent in the first round of elections on April 10, when nearly eight million voters backed hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon and his ecology-heavy programme.
"It's up to us to react and up to us to take action," Macron said.
As well as promising to make France "the first major nation to abandon gas, oil and coal", Macron said he would appoint a prime minister who would be formally tasked with "ecological planning".
He also promised new investments in renewable technologies, energy-saving residential renovations and organic food production, while pledging crackdowns on air pollution and single-use plastics.
The speech was a clear pitch to the young and left-wing voters who backed Melenchon and Greens nominee Yannick Jadot in the first round who will be crucial in the second round on April 24.
The idea of a prime minister tasked with "ecological planning" was first proposed by Melenchon.