Monique Barbut, a climate negotiations expert, was appointed ecological transition minister ten days ago amid a tense political context. At 69 years old, she admits not feeling at home in politics but plans to fight for everyday ecology. Her appointment aims to signal renewal without excessive risks.
Monique Barbut takes up her role as ecological transition minister until 2027 under Emmanuel Macron's presidency. Appointed to the Hôtel de Roquelaure just ten days ago, she enters a political minefield with difficult budgetary prospects and a delicate context.
"I am part of all those French people who live their lives and watch, sometimes with a bit of bewilderment, what is happening, confides this 69-year-old woman. Politics is not my world... I have neither that culture nor the appetite to be part of it. But the prime minister was very clear in telling me to do environmental politics. And there are a number of issues and messages I want to fight for."
Having advised Emmanuel Macron for years without being a 'evening visitor,' as she puts it, Barbut was not planned for the first government lineup of fall 2025. Agnès Pannier-Runacher had been reappointed, but the team lasted only one night. As the president's special envoy for the One Planet Summit on biodiversity in 2021, and on climate since 2022, she remains unknown to the general public. The executive couple chose her in urgency for this reason, to signal renewal without taking too many risks on the political line.
Despite the challenges, Barbut, from civil society, intends to promote an 'everyday ecology' in this potentially short-lived role.