Hundreds of climate protests set to take place in France this weekend

People from hundreds of French towns and cities are set to take to the streets this Saturday (September 26) calling for action on climate change, with climate activist Greta Thunberg urging people to mobilise. 

The mobilisation is organised by the Mouvement du 26 septembre, with the national map as of lunchtime Friday, September 25, listing 262 mobilisations across 259 towns, cities and villages in France. 

Ms Thunberg has called for people to join the September 26 mobilisation. “After the extreme weather that ravaged the world this summer, people are taking to the streets and demanding real climate action,” she said in a video message posted on the movement’s Facebook account.

“The planet can no longer wait, inaction is no longer an option,” she added.

Meanwhile, more than 50,000 people have also signed the movement’s open letter to President Emmanuel Macron, including 1,180 organisations.

What are protesters calling for?

The open letter asks the government to introduce three separate plans: an emergency plan, an adaptation plan and an emissions reduction plan.

The organisers said an emergency response is needed because extreme heat is already putting people and public services under pressure.

They are calling for accessible cool spaces, better protection for people working in high temperatures and schools written into law, hospitals and care homes that can cope with extreme heat.

The letter asks for “a roof for each and every person”, as well as more resources for emergency services and support for farmers affected by extreme weather.

It also asks for an adaptation plan to help communities prepare for future climate impacts.

This would include restoring funding for local authorities, renovating poorly insulated homes and protecting and restoring forests, soils, hedgerows, rivers and groundwater.

The third part focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The movement is calling for “the end of all subsidies for fossil fuels”, a ban on new fossil fuel projects and greater access to public transport.

It also wants the costs of the proposed measures to be shared by those who have, it says, contributed most to climate change, including through taxes on fossil fuel profits and the wealthiest households.

“It was all on record,” the letter reads, saying that governments have been warned about the risks of climate change for decades.

“Next summer will be hotter than this one,” the letter adds.

The movement is now calling on people across France to join protests and gatherings on September 26.

Its message is: “Let’s march for the climate, for the living world, for peace and for social justice.”

For anyone interested in attending, an online map lists the latest locations and meeting details for events across France.