France faces carbon challenge
President Macron will survive the yellow-vests protests, but his energy policy may not
Even when protests evolve into wider and more complex movements, they tend to be remembered for their initial demands. May 1968 was about sexual liberation, right? If the same goes for the yellow-vests protests, they will go down in history as an uprising against climate-change mitigation and as a turning point for French energy policy. To understand why the protests will have long-lasting impacts on French energy policy we have to look back to the 2017 elections when Emmanuel Macron was an unlikely presidential contender. By setting his energy programme in line with the 2015 "Loi de Transition Energétique pour la Croissance Verte" (Energy Transition Law for Green Growth), he appeared more p
Also in this section
17 July 2025
US downstream sector in key state feels the pain of high costs, an environmental squeeze and the effects of broader market trends
16 July 2025
Crude quality issues are an often understated risk to energy security, highlighted by problems at a key US refinery
15 July 2025
Government consultations on the windfall tax and the exploration licence ban are positive steps, but it is unclear how long it will take for them to yield tangible outcomes
15 July 2025
A brutally honest picture about the potential role of oil and gas in 2050 should prompt policymakers to not only reflect but also change course to meet vital energy needs
