In a major victory for the planet, French parliament passed a law on Tuesday that bans all exploration and production of oil and natural gas by 2040 within France and all its overseas territories.
The ban states that France will not grant new permits nor renew existing licenses that allow fracking or the extraction of fossil fuels.
French President Emmanuel Macron showed his pride for the approval of the law on Twitter:
Very proud that France has become the first country in the world today to ban any new oil exploration licences with immediate effect and all oil extraction by 2040. #KeepItInTheGround #MakeOurPlanetGreatAgain
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 19, 2017
The plan is part of France’s commitment to the Paris climate agreement, and their larger plan of weaning the French economy from fossil fuels.
Although some consider the ban “symbolic” due to the fact that France already is 99 percent dependent on hydrocarbon imports and only produces about 16,000 barrels a day, the country is still leading the way in the fight to curb emissions.
Socialist lawmaker Delphine Batho stated she hopes that the ban will be “contagious.”
France’s other major pledges under the Paris climate agreement include a 40 percent emissions reduction by 2030 and a a 75 percent emissions reduction by 2050. The United States could use to follow their example, rather than attempting to wiggle out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
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