French "green" consciousness, in the past lower than that of Germans or Britons, has been rising. The Seine has been cleaned up, the size of buildings on the south coast is now controlled and air pollution is carefully monitored in Paris. The state policy of backing big projects ("gigantisme"), such as the Grande Motte tourist complex in Languedoc, has been reversed. The exception is nuclear policy. France's testing program in the Pacific continues despite strong opposition.
