After summer of unprecedented heatwaves and drought, climate activists rally support ahead of French elections

Will the summer of 2026, the hottest ever recorded in mainland France according to national weather service Météo France, revive the climate movement? To remind politicians of their presence, NGOs and unions called for a gathering on Tuesday, September 15, outside the Finance Ministry in Paris. On September 26, marches were scheduled in various cities across the country at the initiative of a collective of activists. “We couldn’t let this new political season be just another one, as has sometimes happened after previous heatwaves,” explained Jean-François Julliard, director general of France Nature et Environnement (FNE).

The gathering outside the Finance Ministry on Tuesday is meant to influence the 2027 budget bill and ensure that urgent climate measures are included. The idea came from FNE employees who, affected personally by the extreme heat, urged their leadership to take action.

Alongside their traditional partners such as Greenpeace France and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF France), FNE was joined by the Foundation for Housing, the French Volunteer Firefighters Union (SSPVF), the National Union of Professional Nurses and the feminist group Nous Toutes. “We are advocating for our own cause, but the main reason for our presence is climate change. Like the nurses, we suffer its consequences,” said Bruno Ménard, general secretary of the SSPVF.

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