On 17 April the Italian people are called to vote in a referendum. And that is already news in itself, because few people know about it and the mainstream media are ignoring the subject. Yet there would be much to say, given the importance of an issue that is essentially about the energy development of our country's future. The referendum concerns drilling — or rather, the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons at sea, specifically in Italian territorial waters (within twelve miles of the coast) — and the question asks voters to approve the repeal of the provision whereby hydrocarbon extraction activities relating to concessions already granted within twelve nautical miles may continue for the entire productive life of the field, in compliance with the safety and environmental protection standards set out in the 2016 Stability Law, thereby amending the provisions of Article 35 of the June 2012 Development Decree. Although oil companies can no longer apply for new offshore extraction concessions in the future, the exploration and oil activities already under way have, under the current wording of the legislation, no fixed expiry date.

A highly complex issue reduced to a single provision, after the Court of Cassation and then the Constitutional Court had ruled inadmissible the other five questions that the nine Italian regions — the promoters of the referendum — had raised against the provisions of Article 38 of the Sblocca Italia decree, through which the government led by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had placed fossil fuel extraction at the heart of the country's energy future. An unprecedented clash between the state and the regions, which chose to rebel — driven by pressure from local communities — against an energy plan imposed from above that took no account whatsoever of local concerns.

In the Stability Law, the government backed down on every front, but left in place a single provision relating specifically to the duration of extraction concessions. And so here is the single question we will have to answer on 17 April: in essence, it asks us to strike down the provision that allows oil companies to explore for and extract gas and oil within twelve nautical miles of the Italian coastline without any time limit — and by voting yes, these activities will gradually cease (not the day after, as some are claiming while raising the spectre of unemployment), but in accordance with the natural expiry date set at the time the concessions were granted.

Now, setting aside personal opinions, there are two considerations I believe can be shared: we would happily have done without this referendum had the government placed any time limit on extraction. Of course, setting time limits means having a strategic vision for the country's energy future — one that identifies priorities, investments and policies. In short, what is needed is a plan to bring Italy out of the fossil fuel era and towards a future built on renewables, as we committed to doing by signing the Paris Agreement at the COP21 summit. And this plan is precisely what is conspicuously absent, and our greatest concern, whatever the outcome of the referendum. The other consideration concerns the relationship between citizens and politics: you cannot write a country's energy plan through a succession of referendums. In 2011 we rejected the nuclear path; now we must have our say on drilling and hydrocarbon extraction. This is a complex issue that, in its simplification, risks taking on an ideological tone — one that could slow the flow of dialogue and debate which, with great effort over recent years, has opened up in the industrial world around sustainability and sustainable development. Faced with the silence of the media and the complexity of the subject, it is very clear that we are up against a challenge not unlike that of David versus Goliath. But we willingly accept it — first and foremost because this can be an opportunity to inform citizens about energy issues tied to the country's industrial and energy future, and then to remind the Renzi government of the urgency and the importance of equipping Italy with a national energy strategy equal to current challenges and in line with the COP21 agreements. Our sling will be word of mouth and dialogue.

I will vote yes on 17 April, and I will do so for several reasons: first and foremost, the protection of our precious marine and coastal ecosystem, on which exploration, extraction and transportation activities have a significant impact. On this very ecosystem there already exists a well-established and flourishing economic system made up of tourism, fishing, and environmental and cultural heritage. I will vote yes against drilling because I consider it senseless to bet on gas and oil extraction to guarantee our energy independence. It is a good deal only for the oil companies, which pay our country derisory royalties. Finally, my vote will be in favour of renewable energy and, above all, of an energy system that places its bets — at last — on saving energy, on efficiency, on distributed self-production. A system that today comprises 850,000 renewable energy installations across Italian municipalities, employing 60,000 people and generating an economic return of 6 billion euros.

The referendum to halt drilling cannot be interpreted as a nimby syndrome (not in my backyard) or as a battle against an industrial sector. What we want is to give a strong, constructive push towards important and courageous choices in energy policy — not only for the benefit of the environment and of citizens who want less pollution, but above all for the thousands of small and large businesses that are betting on clean energy, or for those municipalities that are building self-production and energy independence from the ground up, creating thousands of lasting jobs distributed across the entire national territory. On this front, a broad coalition of associations, businesses, committees and individual citizens is mobilising: Legambiente and LifeGate are giving everything they have to contribute in terms of information and debate. I admit it — we are in the full grip of nimfu syndrome: not in my future.