France’s highest administrative court on Thursday ordered the government to take immediate action on climate change, in order to comply with a call to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or face fines.

Last November, the Conseil d’État, which acts as legal adviser to the executive and the Supreme Administrative Court, gave the government three months to prove that it was pursuing a climate policy that would realistically meet the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

Almost eight months later, it announced that the target still seems unachievable unless additional measures are taken quickly.

“The Conseil d’État, therefore, calls on the government to take additional measures to achieve the target by 31 March 2022,” it said.

It will assess the country’s measures after the deadline and may impose fines if no measures are taken by the deadline, the Council spokesman said.

The Conseil d’État position has raised questions about President Emmanuel Macron’s credibility as a champion of the fight against climate change and reaffirms the binding nature of the targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in France between 2015 and 2018 was about half of what was needed to meet the 2030 target.

The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 is mainly because of a reduction in economic activity as a result of COVID-19, according to a report published Thursday by the independent High Council for Climate.

Prime Minister Jean Castex’s office said the government has complied with the council’s mandate and that the government’s subsidies for electric cars and more energy-efficient homes, as well as climate legislation passed by parliament, demonstrate the government’s commitment to reducing emissions.

The case was originally brought by the municipality of Grande-Synthe in northern France. The town is built on reclaimed land and local authorities claim it is at risk of flooding because of rising sea levels caused by global warming.

The Council has the power to award compensation.

Greenpeace France welcomes what it calls a “clear ultimatum against the government’s inaction on climate change”.