PRESS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 23rd March 2022

The French capital sets an example by joining the Treaty initiative and calls on the government to end support for oil, gas and coal.

In the face of President Macron's double talk about ending fossil fuel production, we are pleased to announce that Paris has joined six other French municipalities (Poitiers, Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Besançon and Greater Paris) as well as the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region, all committing to take concrete action to tackle fossil fuel production. 

The Paris City Council voted in favour of a motion to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, also calling on the French national government to support the initiative through the strict end of support for fossil fuels without the use of carbon capture and storage technologies or offsetting mechanisms, as well as an end to exploitation projects both domestically and abroad.

As France begins its presidency of the European Union with the objective of "building a climate-neutral, ecological, equitable and social Europe", it is high time to walk the talk and go beyond rhetoric that leaves behind pro-gas and pro-nuclear diplomacy. In this sense, networks of cities are trying to build both local and international diplomacy to promote a just transition away from fossil fuel production.

To date, national action has been underwhelming and the upward pressure from these French municipalities is critical. Despite the Minister of the Ecological Transition stating that "the success of the Paris Agreement and the fight against climate disruption necessarily involve turning the page on fossil fuels," the government continues to approve new fossil fuel projects.

As the host city for the historic 2015 climate negotiations, Paris continues to strengthen its climate commitments. At COP 26 in Glasgow, the City was awarded the United Nations Climate Prize for its Climate Plan, a roadmap that sets out the path to carbon neutrality, the exit from fossil fuels and 100% renewable energy by 2050.

As Dan Lert, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of the ecological transition, noted: "Like all major cities, Paris has an essential role to play in building a decarbonized world, free of its dependence on fossil fuels. Faced with the climate emergency, we are accelerating the energy transition by aiming for energy sobriety and massively developing renewable energies. We need new international mechanisms for climate, human rights and peace. Therefore, Paris joins the initiative for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty."

During the debates at the City Council, Chloé Sagaspe, city councillor of Europe Ecologie les Verts who initiated the wish, underlined the role of cities and of France in the exit of fossil fuels: "Faced with the criminal climate inaction of governments, cities around the world are mobilizing to call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.... And at a time when we are about to take over the presidency of the European Union, our country must therefore set an example and take the lead. And just as it was done with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968, 50 years ago, it's time to really start the global exit from fossil fuels."

In the wake of the US abandoning the landmark Paris Agreement, then-newly elected President Macron catapulted himself onto the world stage with demands to “make our planet great again”. Five years later, he is now being pegged “as the president of climate inaction” and his record is still far from sufficiently responding to the climate emergency just three months out from the next election. Under his mandate, the French state was even ordered to repair the damage caused by its climate inaction by 2022. 

Despite positive moves by France such as joining the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) and an international coalition to stop financing fossil fuels abroad, their legitimacy will depend on the established date of exit from fossil fuel production, as well as concrete actions to stop new concessions and promote international cooperation for a fair phase-out. At the same time, France has discussed plans to authorize a non-conventional gas extraction project in Lorraine, acting in total contradiction to its climate commitments.

Abroad, France withdrew from the Arctic LNG 2 project but the current export guarantee policy still allows the French government to support other fossil fuel extraction and combustion projects. Moreover, despite the law on duty of care adopted in 2017, France continues to let its national companies, especially Total, operate with impunity, whether in the Arctic or in Africa. The Minister of Ecological Transition has remained silent about Total's major role in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project that will displace communities, endanger wildlife and tip the world closer to catastrophic climate change.

Seble Samuel, Cities Lead for the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty said: “Like many, France is a country drenched in climate hypocrisy. While touting itself as a climate superstar, the French multinational Total is planning to build the world's longest heated oil pipeline, slicing through forests, river basins and communities in Uganda and Tanzania. French cities are demanding an end to France's profound climate hypocrisy, making clear that the only liveable future is one free of fossil fuels.”

The campaign for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty was inspired by treaties that addressed the threats of nuclear weapons, landmines and other dangerous substances. Over the past year the campaign has been supported by 101 Nobel Laureates, 2,600 academics, 170 parliamentarians, hundreds of prominent youth leaders, a growing group of faith leaders, and more than 1,300 civil society organizations, including Amnesty International, Fridays for Future France, Réseau Action Climat France, Energy Cities and Climate Action Europe. 

Media Contacts:

Viviana Varin
Senior Communications Associate, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (France), viviana@fossilfueltreaty.org +33 6 63 48 52 67 

Jemma De Leon
Communications Strategist, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (USA), jemma@fossilfueltreaty.org +1 909 536 9714