France, March 12 -- The High Council for the Climate (HCC) - an independent advisory body created in 2019 to assess government climate policy - on Thursday published its opinion on France's updated climate strategy, known as the SNBC-3.

The strategy outlines how the country aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. It was presented in December and is still under public consultation.

"We have a trajectory that is ambitious, but our main concern is how it will be implemented," HCC president Jean-Francois Soussana said.

The government's plan already includes a timetable to phase out fossil fuels in France - coal by 2030, oil by 2040-2045 and fossil gas by 2050.

But the HCC said those targets need stronger political backing and c...