France’s parliament has passed legislation requiring all oil and gas exploration and production on French territories to end by 2040.
The bill, presented in September, bans the renewal of any existing concessions beyond the proposed date. New exploration permits will no longer be granted from now.
President Emmanuel Macron has sought a leading role for France in the fight against climate change and stressed at a summit last week that not enough was being done.
Lawmakers from Macron’s Republique En Marche party and several other centrist and left-leaning forces voted in favour of the new law in parliament on Tuesday 19 December, while the hard-left group France Unbowed abstained.
Most representatives from the conservative Republicans voted against the bill.
France also plans to end the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040.
Macron, who has worked to establish his role as a global leader since his election win in May, presided over a climate summit in Paris last week to breathe new life into a collective effort to fight climate change.
But renewable energy only amounts to a tiny share of French electricity production, which is dominated by nuclear for 75% of it.
Macron said he wants to boost the growth of renewable energy but would wait for the French nuclear watchdog’s opinion before shutting ageing nuclear reactors or upgrading others.
