Brice Lalonde
Encyclopedia
Brice Lalonde is a former green party leader in France
, who ran for President of France in the Presidential elections, 1981
. In 1988 he was named Minister of the Environment
, and in 1990 founded the green party Ecology Generation. He is a cousin of American
politician John Kerry
.
, Hauts-de-Seine
, the son of Fiona (née Forbes) and Alain-Gauthier Lévy Lalonde. His maternal grandparents were Americans Margaret Tyndal (Winthrop) and James Grant Forbes
. He is John Kerry's first cousin, sharing the same maternal grandparents. His father changed the family name from Lévy when he was a child. His (and Sen. Kerry's) g. grandfather Forbes was a poppy
botanist and opium
dealer in the China trade during the Opium War, who wrote a book on Chinese plants.
Lalonde was a student leader during the May 1968 student uprisings in France, when riots and upheaval scared the French population away from Revolution and the old Left, but toward an adaptive and calmer socialism.
In 1968, Lalonde was President of the Union nationale des étudiants de france
(UNEF), the French National Students' Union, which brought France to a standstill with protests and riots. Lalonde, with David McTaggart
, an activist involved in the Greenpeace
protests against French nuclear test
s at Mururoa, helped create the confrontational strategies of boarding ships at sea in the 1970s. In July 1973, he was arrested by the French Navy
during protests against nuclear tests in Mururoa, along with the General Jacques Pâris de Bollardière
, the priest Jean Toulat and the writer Jean-Marie Muller.
In the Summer 1999, Brice Lalonde went to Afghanistan
to support the commander Massoud, called by some the Afghan de Gaulle
, against the oppression of the Taliban. He was candidate for President of France in 1981 and later Environment Secretary of France (1988–90) and Environment Minister of France (1990–92). From 1995 to 2008, he was the mayor of Saint-Briac-sur-Mer
, a small Breton village where the Forbes family
keeps an estate
.
In 2007 Brice Lalonde was designated by President Sarkozy French Climate Ambassador and has been heavily invested in the multilateral climate change negotiations until the end of 2010, when he was designated by the UN Secretary-General Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), which is to be held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in June 2012.
Lalonde founded in 1990 the party Ecology Generation, which enjoyed a runaway electoral success in 1992 but soon declined in front of the French Green Party's competition. He failed to run for president in the 1995 and 2002 elections, being unable to obtain the necessary 500 signatures of French mayors or MPs and had to leave the leadership of his own party. Close friend of several right-wing figures including Alain Madelin
, his current positions are fairly center right-wing, and he has been criticized as being a bit of a turncoat
. He had strongly denounced leftist entryism
in the French Green party.
Brice lives at the Forbes family estate in Saint-Briac. See Forbes family
of China
and Boston
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, who ran for President of France in the Presidential elections, 1981
French presidential election, 1981
The French presidential election of 1981 took place on 10 May 1981, giving the presidency of France to François Mitterrand, the first Socialist president of the Fifth Republic....
. In 1988 he was named Minister of the Environment
Minister of the Environment (France)
The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing is an agency of the government of France, centred around a cabinet member who is often referred to as the "Minister of Ecology". This position is occupied by Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet...
, and in 1990 founded the green party Ecology Generation. He is a cousin of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
.
Life and career
Lalonde was born in Neuilly-sur-SeineNeuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
, Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine is designated number 92 of the 101 départements in France. It is part of the Île-de-France region, and covers the western inner suburbs of Paris...
, the son of Fiona (née Forbes) and Alain-Gauthier Lévy Lalonde. His maternal grandparents were Americans Margaret Tyndal (Winthrop) and James Grant Forbes
James Grant Forbes
James Grant Forbes was a Scottish-American businessman, a member of the Forbes family. He was the son of Francis Blackwell Forbes, the brother of William Hathaway Forbes and the husband of Isabel Clark....
. He is John Kerry's first cousin, sharing the same maternal grandparents. His father changed the family name from Lévy when he was a child. His (and Sen. Kerry's) g. grandfather Forbes was a poppy
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
botanist and opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
dealer in the China trade during the Opium War, who wrote a book on Chinese plants.
Lalonde was a student leader during the May 1968 student uprisings in France, when riots and upheaval scared the French population away from Revolution and the old Left, but toward an adaptive and calmer socialism.
In 1968, Lalonde was President of the Union nationale des étudiants de france
Union nationale des étudiants de france
The National Union of Students of France is the main national students' union in France....
(UNEF), the French National Students' Union, which brought France to a standstill with protests and riots. Lalonde, with David McTaggart
David McTaggart
David Fraser McTaggart was a Canadian-born environmentalist who played a central part in the foundation of Greenpeace International....
, an activist involved in the Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
protests against French nuclear test
France and weapons of mass destruction
France is known to have an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. France is one of the five "Nuclear Weapons States" under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; but is not known to possess or develop any chemical or biological weapons. France was the fourth country to test an independently...
s at Mururoa, helped create the confrontational strategies of boarding ships at sea in the 1970s. In July 1973, he was arrested by the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
during protests against nuclear tests in Mururoa, along with the General Jacques Pâris de Bollardière
Jacques Pâris de Bollardière
Jacques Pâris de Bollardière was a French Army general, famous for his non-violent positions during the 60s.-Early life:...
, the priest Jean Toulat and the writer Jean-Marie Muller.
In the Summer 1999, Brice Lalonde went to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to support the commander Massoud, called by some the Afghan de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
, against the oppression of the Taliban. He was candidate for President of France in 1981 and later Environment Secretary of France (1988–90) and Environment Minister of France (1990–92). From 1995 to 2008, he was the mayor of Saint-Briac-sur-Mer
Saint-Briac-sur-Mer
Saint-Briac-sur-Mer , is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine Department of Brittany in north-western France.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Saint-Briac-sur-Mer are called Briacins.As of the census of 1999, the town had a population of...
, a small Breton village where the Forbes family
Forbes family
The Forbes family is a wealthy extended American family originating in Boston. The family's fortune originates from trading between North America and China in the 19th century plus other investments in the same period. The name descends from Scottish immigrants, and can be traced back to Sir John...
keeps an estate
Les Essarts, Forbes family estate
is the Forbes family estate at Saint-Briac, France, and the international family seat of the descendants of James Grant Forbes , a member of the Forbes family of China and Boston who settled in Brittany at...
.
In 2007 Brice Lalonde was designated by President Sarkozy French Climate Ambassador and has been heavily invested in the multilateral climate change negotiations until the end of 2010, when he was designated by the UN Secretary-General Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), which is to be held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in June 2012.
Lalonde founded in 1990 the party Ecology Generation, which enjoyed a runaway electoral success in 1992 but soon declined in front of the French Green Party's competition. He failed to run for president in the 1995 and 2002 elections, being unable to obtain the necessary 500 signatures of French mayors or MPs and had to leave the leadership of his own party. Close friend of several right-wing figures including Alain Madelin
Alain Madelin
Alain Madelin is a French politician and a former minister of that country.Madelin, a strong supporter of laissez-faire economics, was a candidate in the 2002 French presidential election as the leader of the Démocratie Libérale party, where he scored 3.91% on the first round...
, his current positions are fairly center right-wing, and he has been criticized as being a bit of a turncoat
Turncoat
A turncoat is a person who shifts allegiance from one loyalty or ideal to another, betraying or deserting an original cause by switching to the opposing side or party...
. He had strongly denounced leftist entryism
Entryism
Entryism is a political tactic by which an organisation or state encourages its members or agents to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits, or take over entirely...
in the French Green party.
Brice lives at the Forbes family estate in Saint-Briac. See Forbes family
Forbes family
The Forbes family is a wealthy extended American family originating in Boston. The family's fortune originates from trading between North America and China in the 19th century plus other investments in the same period. The name descends from Scottish immigrants, and can be traced back to Sir John...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Timeline
- 1968 - President of the National Student Union (at the SorbonneUniversity of ParisThe University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
) and leader in the May 1968 student uprisings - 1971 - Founded and led environmental organization, "Amis de la Terre" (Friends of the Earth)
- 1974 - Directed presidential campaign of ecological politician René DumontRené DumontRené Dumont was a French engineer in agronomy, a sociologist, and an environmental politician.He was born in Cambrai, Nord, in the north of France. His father was a professor in agriculture and his grandfather was a farmer. He graduated from the INA P-G, as an engineer in agronomy...
- 1975 - Founded a Green radioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station - 1976-1977 - Journalist for Le SauvageLe SauvageLe Sauvage is a 1975 French film starring Yves Montand and Catherine Deneuve. The film was a commercial success with a total of 2,373,738 admissions in France and was the 12th highest grossing film of the year....
- 1981 - Ran for President of France on the Green ticket
- 1981 - Member of the national ecological commission of the Territorial Planning and Management Ministry
- 1982-1985 - Administrator for the European Bureau of the Environment
- 1986 - Expert on the pollution of the Rhine by SandozSandozFounded in 2003, Sandoz presently is the generic drug subsidiary of Novartis, a multinational pharmaceutical company. The company develops, manufactures and markets generic drugs as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnological active ingredients....
- 1988-1992 - French Minister of environment
- 1990-2002 - Leader of the Génération EcologieGénération ÉcologieEcology Generation is, together with the Greens , the Independent Ecological Movement and Citizenship, Action, Participation for the 21st Century , one of the four "green" parties in France...
party.
Selected publications
- “Ecoliberalism Lives”. Telos 61 (Fall 1984). New York: Telos Press.