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The French are demanding change in climate policy – 400 demonstrations to be held in September
Over 36,000 French people have signed an appeal for climate justice after multiple heatwaves tormented the country this summer. The appeal, directed to President Macron, is a plea to keep the climate policies on an international agenda, says the coordinator of the new climate movement.
Last summer in France was both the hottest and the second least rainy since the measurements began, reports the French national weather service Météo-France. The latest heatwave ended just recently, at the beginning of September.
A new climate movement, 26 Septembre, was born from the ashes the summer left behind.
The 26 Septembre is a civic movement run by volunteers, and it has drawn wide support in France, collecting over 36,000 names in its appeal by mid-September. The name of the movement stands for the day when the French are supposed to lace up their boots and march. So far, over 400 cities and towns all over France have signed up.
“We are not climate experts or politically affiliated – just regular people frightened by the events of this summer”, explains Mattia Geonget, a coordinator at the organization.
People in France were shocked by what happened, but the widespread wildfires and other severe signs of climate change also awakened an acute need for action.
Inequality in protection from extreme heat
26 Septembre claims, among other things, more cooling places in every living area, protection for workers from the heat, and more equal protection measures.
“Over 7,000 died from the effects of the extreme heat – many of them children, elderly and people living in poor conditions”, Geonget says.
More frequently occurring extreme weather conditions have indeed put on the agenda how existing inequalities have become even more distinct when it comes to protecting people.
The socioeconomically disadvantaged bear the highest cost from all temperature-related impacts – from both cold and heat – but counterintuitively, wealthier regions have the highest mortality rate from heat due to the so-called urban heat island effect.
Take Paris, for example: a densely populated city where many of the old buildings lack proper insulation, leaving people from all sides of the socio-economic spectrum vulnerable to sweltering in their homes.
The difference is that not all have equal options to leave their homes to cool off.
Eyeing the presidential elections in April 2027
The aim of the 26 Septembre demonstrations is to gather as many as possible together and show publicly that the French are demanding change. The chance for that is coming next April.
“It’s a bit of a clickbait to direct the appeal directly to the president, but we have already started to look forward to the next presidential elections, adding pressure to keep the issue on the agenda also at the international level”, says Geonget.