Feeling the Heat Again; French Prime Minister Raffarin finally found an issue voters like, but he may have fumbled this opportunity like others.

Byline: Marie Valla and Eric Pape

France's conservative government is under fire for lacking conviction for a reason. Its latest attempt at a dramatic gesture involves slapping a 3,000 Euro tax on SUVs and other gas guzzlers to cut back on air-pollution and subsidize more eco-sensible cars. The idea seemed a slam-dunk with voters (who, unlike Americans, aren't yet hooked on the wheeled behemoths). Air pollution in France claims the lives of 30,000 people annually, according to the World Health Organization. Cardiovascular and respiratory diseases have doubled in two decades--and as many as two thirds of cancer cases have been linked to environmental causes. Half of France's air pollution comes from automotive exhaust.

Yet once again the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin could not pull the trigger. Opposition from conservative lawmakers and the automotive industry has stalled this prominent component of Raffarin's so-called National Environment Health Plan, which aims to reduce diesel emissions and clean up the country's water supply. Last week Ecology and Sustainable Development Minister Serge Lepeltier announced that more consultation would be necessary before the plan could be put in place. And who knows how long that will take. "The measure collided with other interests, especially economic ones," says Jeraud Guibert, the Socialist Party's environmental spokesman.

As the anniversary of last year's deadly heat wave approaches, the SUV flap exemplifies why much of France has lost faith in its government. The administration's response to the tragedy was remarkably lethargic, with ministers essentially caught sleeping at the beach while Paris burned. A report coming out this summer will show that pollution aggravated the deadly heat. Yet despite a subsequent government shake-up, Raffarin remains in office. And his performance in the intervening months has been marred by delays in health-care reform, failed preparations for another potential heat wave this summer, and two electoral debacles. Not surprisingly Raffarin's approval ratings now stand at 32 percent, according to polls.

Many French leftists and environmentalists scowl at SUVs, the urban tanks that spit out two to four times the ...