From the article:

The decision followed crisis meetings yesterday between Mr Miliband and his aides after The Telegraph asked for updates on outstanding drilling licence applications.

Just days earlier the British Government announced they were committing to ending all new licences and consents for fossil fuel exploration and extraction, thanks in part to advocacy by radical climate activism by Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, and GreenPeace UK.

If you read between the lines - France made this snap decision at least partially based on anti-British chauvinism. They didn’t want to be outdone by Britain in signalling their commitment to fighting climate change. Which isn’t the greatest reason, but we’ll take a win where-ever we can.

But it also highlights how change locally can spread globally. Three cheers for radicals!