Thousands of people march in France for the climate after a record heat summer

After a record summer of heat and fires, thousands of people marched across France on Saturday to demand emergency climate action. Around 260 mobilizations are listed throughout the territory by the site 26september.org, calling for marches “for the climate, for the living, for peace, for social justice”.

Four injured in Clermont-Ferrand

This march comes at the end of a record summer for heat in Western Europe, against a backdrop of global warming caused mainly by the combustion of coal, oil and gas.

In Clermont-Ferrand, the march was interrupted by an accident: a car forced its way into the procession, slightly injuring four people. The motorist, aged 37, was under the influence of narcotics according to initial tests, according to the Clermont-Ferrand public prosecutor.

“Non-assistance, the planet in danger”

In Paris, a few thousand people of all ages gathered from 5 p.m. on Place de la République, displaying signs such as: “Non-assistance, the planet in danger”, “To the citizen trees” or “Landless earthling, you are nothing”.

“It’s a very important subject, we saw the fires in the Arcachon basin, we saw to what extent climate change is wreaking havoc,” underlined Solenn, 27 years old and originally from Bayonne, interviewed by AFP, who did not wish to give her last name.

A little disappointed by the number of people present, she felt that the Parisian demonstration had suffered from the Pope's visit to France.

Marion Eynius, 38, came with her two children, aged four and six, and several friends: "I'm afraid for my children, I'm ashamed when we talk about the future, when they say to me 'why isn't your job saving the planet?'".

Marine Tondelier with her newborn

In Arras, several hundred people marched, including the Ecologist presidential candidate Marine Tondelier, who came with her newborn.

“Global warming is here, everyone sees it, especially this summer, but it has been happening for a while,” declared Nathalie Flautre, 70, retired. “We have gone backwards on many levels, that’s why we are here too, we have to move,” she said, assuring that “ecology will be essential in my choice” for the presidential election of May 2027.

Jean-Paul Dallene, 56, farmer in Oppy (Pas-de-Calais) and member of the national office of the Association for Sustainable Agriculture (Apad), believes that there needs to be “awareness and all citizens need to change their way of life a little, or even a lot, to try to reduce the climate impact”.

The promoters of this day are calling for emergency, adaptation and mitigation plans, financed by the taxation of superprofits from fossil fuels and the arms industry, as well as a tax on the wealth of the richest.

While waiting for the Barbut plan…

“This summer alone, more than 8,000 people died in France due to the heatwave. And at least 500,000 hectares of forest have burned in the European Union,” said Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in a message published on social networks. In Montpellier, the police counted 2,000 people, and 500 in Marseille.

The Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut must submit a national adaptation plan to climate change to the Prime Minister on September 30. This work mobilized numerous ministries on various themes (natural risks, businesses, agriculture, water, etc.) in order to “better prepare for next summer” and “accelerate our adaptation action more generally” according to the minister's office.