Three years ago, thousands of French citizens discovered that fracking exploration permits had been handed out in great secrecy. This quashing of democracy provoked unprecedented mobilization among militants, which stirred up France's southeast region and obliged the oil industry to withdraw. A balance of power was established.
Faced with pressure from gas lobbyists petitioning the government, citizens and local political representatives got ready for civil disobedience. They denounced the illusion of a financial Eldorado and the health and environmental risks fracking incurs. But new explorations got underway.
Will this resistance consisting of solidarity, imagination, and collective intelligence be enough to relaunch the debate about energy requirements in the future and the transitions involved?