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At a time when the climate crisis has never been more urgent, the French Senate on Thursday, January 29, 2026, adopted a bill to revive oil and gas extraction in French overseas territories, in an unprecedented move to dismantle a cornerstone of French climate policy.
The proposal tramples on the legacy of the landmark 2017 Hulot Law, which prohibits the granting of new licenses for the exploration of oil and gas and mandates a complete end to all oil and gas extraction on French soil, including overseas territories, by 2040.
At odds with scientific evidence and the opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States with regard to climate change, the decision has been described as an insult to frontline communities who bear the brunt of climate impacts. At a time when every tenth of a degree counts, the bill severely undermines the credibility of France’s climate leadership.
Fanny Petitbon, 350.org France Country Manager, said: “France is shattering its international credibility. 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.
“While the Government’s late opposition to this legislative proposal remains necessary, the National Assembly must now hold the line. 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.”
