The French Senate has adopted a bill to revive oil and gas extraction in overseas territories, a move that ‘dismantles a cornerstone of French climate policy’, according to 350.org.
The environmental group was commenting following the French Senate’s decision to approve further extraction, flying in the face of the 2017 Hulot Law, which prohibits the granting of new exploration licences for oil and gas, and sets a deadline for the cessation of all oil and gas extraction on French soil, including overseas territories, by 2040.
‘Tearing up the Paris Agreement’
“France is shattering its international credibility,” Fanny Petitbon, country manager at 350.org France, commented. “By opening French overseas territories to oil drilling, the Senate is effectively tearing up the Paris Agreement. This isn’t sovereignty, it is a betrayal of the country’s climate diplomacy and its own people.
“The claim that oil and gas extraction ensures energy sovereignty is a cynical lie that rings hollow for frontline communities, where rising seas and devastating cyclones demonstrate the true cost of fossil fuels. Instead of sacrificing these territories, French decision-makers must tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel giants and accelerate the shift to renewables for its energy needs.”
Frontline communities
The group added that the decision by the French Senate is an ‘insult’ to frontline communities that have to deal with the consequences of climate change, and is at odds with scientific evidence and the opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of states with regard to climate change.
“While the Government’s late opposition to this legislative proposal remains necessary, the National Assembly must now hold the line,” Petitbon added. “France cannot pretend to be a climate champion while subsidising destruction at home. It is time to end the era of fossil fuels, not to entrench it further by ignoring the dignity of those on the frontlines.” Read more here.
