'I was not much of an 'eco-type' before, but what I learned was like a slap in the face," Jean-Paul Moreau, from Brittany, said (Photo: Emma Sofia Dedorson)

Feature

The 150 random French citizens advising Macron

EU Political

Green Economy

by Emma Sofia Dedorson, Paris,

'I was not much of an 'eco-type' before, but what I learned was like a slap in the face," Jean-Paul Moreau, from Brittany, said (Photo: Emma Sofia Dedorson)

Dressed up for the occasion, the 150 French citizens of the Citizens' Climate Convention (CCC) walked up the ceremonial courtyard of the Élysée palace. They pose for pictures in front of the porch.

"I feel like Queen Elizabeth" one lady joked, as she waved to journalists.

Last October, French president Emmanuel Macron tasked this randomly-selected group, "in a spirit of social justice", with finding ways to reduce France's carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030, compared with lev...