The south-eastern coast of the Atlantic Ocean is safe, at least until 2022 — residents and wildlife along this stretch of coastline can breathe a sigh of relief. United States president Barack Obama has decided to take a step back and block the plan for gas and oil drilling in the Atlantic that was approved last year.

With this measure, the outgoing president has saved around 800,000 square kilometres of ocean that had been earmarked for seismic surveys and drilling in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. "The measure protects the Atlantic for future generations," said US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell at a press conference held on 15 March. "Drilling could have compromised national security and damaged important economic activities such as fishing and tourism."

It was precisely the strong opposition from local communities — from residents to politicians — that proved decisive in driving out the drills, in the name of respect for residents, commercial activities and marine biodiversity. The Pentagon also came out against drilling, concerned about possible interference from extraction activities with US Navy exercises.

The decision to ban offshore hydrocarbon extraction until 2022 was not welcomed by the governors of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, who had been in favour of drilling. The oil industry was equally unhappy with the news: Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, described the measure as "an extremist decision."

Enthusiastic, by contrast, is Michael Brune, executive director of Sierra Club, the oldest and largest environmental organisation in the United States. "We applaud the Obama administration for listening to the tens of thousands of citizens who called for the protection of the Atlantic Ocean, safeguarding its beaches and coastal economies. Having led the world toward the historic Paris climate agreement and the pact with Canada to protect the Arctic just last week, we hope the administration will continue its efforts and remove the Arctic Ocean from consideration as well, and block new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico."

The Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico are not, however, entirely safe: Sally Jewell stated that the new five-year plan provides for the evaluation of thirteen potential sites, of which ten are in the Gulf of Mexico and three are off the coast of Alaska. Obama's decision nonetheless represents a success and bears witness to the American president's willingness to follow through on his stated intentions to gradually phase out fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy.

While the United States takes this decision, in Italy the 17 April referendum on hydrocarbon exploration and extraction activities at sea within twelve miles of the coast is drawing closer. It is an important opportunity not to be missed for launching the transition towards a more sustainable, oil-free future.