Summary – France Upholds Ban on Hydraulic Fracturing

France Upholds Ban on Hydraulic Fracturing by David Jolly October 11, 2013

This article focuses on the ban in France of hydraulic fracturing, also known colloquially as “fracking,” that was initially passed in 2011 by former President Nicolas Sarkozy. This ban is in the news again because on Friday October 11th, the constitutionality of this ban was brought up to France’s highest court, and was deemed constitutional, and therefore was upheld. The ruling on this ban was beneficial for current French President François Hollande, who, with elections coming up next year, looks to maintain the support of the Greens party. This story relates to our topic of environmentalism and sustainability because France, along with other European countries, are trying to move towards more sustainable means of acquiring resources, which includes moving away from fracking, and, as mentioned in the article, moving away from nuclear power in the was that Germany has.

-Max Cohen

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/12/business/international/france-upholds-fracking-ban.html?ref=earth