Thousands protest in French cities in fight against climate change

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Paris and other French cities on Sunday to call for stronger action against man-made climate change.

Reports of the demonstrations on social media indicated that protesters marched in Paris, Nancy, Toulouse, Rennes, Lyon, Grenoble and other towns in support of stronger measures to combat climate change than are currently included in a bill addressing the issue currently under consideration by France’s legislature.

A Grenoble, Toulouse, Rennes, Lyon, Paris et dans de nombreuses villes de France, les bénévoles d’Oxfam France se sont mobilisé•e•s pour la #MarcheClimat.

Défendre une #LoiClimat ambitieuse, ça se passe dans la rue, auprès des député•e•s, par tous les moyens ! pic.twitter.com/FGGSQrXDIO

— Oxfam France (@oxfamfrance) May 9, 2021

As it stands, the current bill would ban some shorter domestic commercial flights where rail or other travel alternatives are available, while also includes measures to encourage the growth of electric vehicles and energy-efficient buildings, according to the Associated Press.

“As it stands, the law is a climatic and social failure,” organizers said in a statement obtained by the AP.

“We are calling for a law that really takes into account the dangers of global warming and the fact that the climate and social justice are closely linked. It is not always for the citizens to act, it is for the legislators,” added a Greenpeace official in a statement to a local news service, which reported that demonstrations occurred in at least 150 townships on Sunday.

France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has reportedly pledged to keep the bill on track without significant changes while vowing that climate change would remain a priority of his government.