The French parliament has approved a bill of law banning exploration and production of all oil and natural gas by 2040 within mainland France and all overseas territories, reports EcoWatch.
Under the new law, France will not grant new permits or renew existing licenses that allow fracking or the extraction of fossil fuels.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has cast environmental protection as a key presidential policy, celebrated the vote."Very proud that France has become the first country in the world today to ban any new oil exploration licences with immediate effect and all oil extraction by 2040. #KeepItInTheGround #MakeOurPlanetGreatAgain," he tweeted.
Some, however, consider the gesture largely symbolic as the country is 99 percent dependent on hydrocarbon imports and extracts very little of its own oil and gas. According to Quartz, France produces about 16,000 barrels a day, much less in comparison to Saudi Arabia's output of 10.4 million barrels or Russia's 10.5 million barrels.
Still, the move from the world's fifth largest economy sends a signal to other nations. Socialist lawmaker Delphine Batho said she hoped the ban would be "contagious".