France fights winter shortages with new energy-saving drive

PARIS (AP) — Under the watchword “Every gesture counts,” France’s government has launched an energy-saving drive to get the country through the winter without gas from Russia. The French government’s push for “energy sobriety,” which ministers launched Thursday, is also aimed to speeding France closer to European Union targets of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. To ward off any gas or electricity shortages in the coming winter months, the government is aiming for a swift 10% reduction in France’s energy use with its raft of energy-saving measures and tips. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne says “It’s a new way of thinking and acting.”