Areas to defend, a new form of opposition to large-scale equipment projects

The phenomenon 'Areas to defend' (ZAD) has imposed itself as a new form of environmental contestation, which is mainly due to 3 factors. First this contestation involves anti-globalization people from various movements and backgrounds, secondly this contestation is made through the permanent occupation of the construction site to block works over a long period of time, and thirdly a large part of opponents' speeches is based on the rejection of costly, useless projects that are damaging the environment. After a 10 year long fight the French government has given up the new Nantes airport project while local politicians and local populations were for the project, this renunciation may open the way for a stronger opposition to the Cigeo project whose purpose is to bury high-level radioactive waste in deep geological layers. (A.C.)