(h/t David) France is to stop granting licenses for oil and gas exploration as part of a transition towards environmentally-friendly energy being driven by Emmanuel Macron’s government.
Nicolas Hulot, the “ecological transition” minister said a law would be passed in the autumn.
“There will be no new exploration licenses for hydrocarbons,” he told BFMTV.
The minister, previously famed in France for his environmental activism and nature documentaries, also outlined proposals to increase the taxation on diesel and to “make decisions faster” to curtail pollution.
Mr. Macron said he was opposed to exploration for gas and favored a ban on fracking during his election campaign, particularly in the overseas territory of French Guiana.
But Mr. Hulot was among those warning that any ban would trigger lawsuits from energy companies and saying change must be imposed gradually.
Around 75 percent of France’s electricity is currently provided by nuclear power stations, with the industry employing around 200,000 people and led by state-owned EDF.
A law was passed last year to reduce the nuclear proportion to 50 percent by 2025, sparking controversy over potential job losses and the closure of up to 20 reactors.
Mr. Macron reinstated his commitment to the law last month but has evaded concrete targets for the ultimate aim of making France run completely on renewable energy.
The President is also planning a huge renovation program for French homes to reduce energy consumption, cut carbon dioxide emissions, reduce energy poverty and create jobs.
He and Mr. Hulot discussed renewable energy schemes and global warming with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor and former Governor of California, as part of his trip to France on Friday.
Mr. Schwarzenegger said he was honored to speak to Mr. Macron and ministers about “how we can work together for a clean energy future” and was seen posing with a T-shirt reading “Make Our Planet Great Again” with Mr. Hulot.
Read more at Independent
That sound you hear in Paris is the sound of Charles DeGual spinning in his grave
France is chasing Germany down a rabbit hole . You know they are screwed if they are talking to Arnie . Yeah shut down those nukes and become dependant on Russia and imports of fuel . Brilliant .
The next time France surrenders who are they going to call ?
This story demonstrates again how the traditional definitions of left, centrist, and right have changed. Nowadays, if a politician says that governments should balance budgets, that person is immediately called a right wing extremist and derided. Repeatedly during his election campaign, Macron was referred to as a centrist. By traditional definitions, he is far to the left of a centrist. The labels sure have shifted.
Artificial Intelligence is a seismic shift worldwide. Why should the political spectrum stand still?
AI has increased productivity by displacing people. Who will buy your products? How would they pay? Thinking out loud, but it looks to me like humans are wooed as consumers and voters, not as employees.
The French pronounce the word “idiot” E D O. Can you say that? E D O.
So he will shut down the carbon free nuclear power plants.
Stop winning new hydrocarbons.
Build renewables.
Au revoir France.
A great feat of leadership; these actions are to be expected when a country begins to devolve toward a banana republic. Soon France will not appear in America’s rear view mirror.
Let the french go ahead with its idiotic plans the french rooster is getting dumber every day and a roll model for the eco-wackos