France: Tens of thousands march for climate
In the run-up to the French presidential election next month, demonstrations call for a greater focus on the environmental crisis.
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A banner in Paris is in a nod to the film Don’t Look Up, (Anadolu Agency)
Tens of thousands of people marched across France on Saturday to demand that the climate crisis be given more attention in the run-up to the presidential election next month.
"Look up," read one message in giant orange letters held up by demonstrators in Paris, urging politicians to prioritize environmental protection.
The sign was a nod to the Netflix hit Don't Look Up, in which astronomers discover a comet that will destroy the Earth and try in vain to convince politicians to take the threat seriously. Another sign asked, "When are we going to talk about it?"
The climate crisis accounted for only 1.5 percent of talking points in media coverage, according to a recent survey conducted by climate justice NGOs.
Read more: World must brace for 30% more wildfires by 2050: UN
80,000 protesters took part across the country, including 32,000 in Paris, according to the organizers. However, the interior ministry reported that only about 40,000 people demonstrated, with 11,000 of them in the capital.
Lydie Lampin Bernand, a resident of the northern city of Lille, described the climate crisis as "worse than critical."
"I'm only 34 years old, and I've seen the planet slapped across the face with a shovel," she explained.
"We have to protect the land we will leave to our children," Bernand added, but politicians have yet to demonstrate that they are up to the task.
