Demonstrations were held in Menton, Beausoleil and Nice on Sunday by protesters wanting the French government to give more weight to a new climate law conceived by the Citizens’ Convention.

Environmental associations around the Riviera organised the marches on the eve of the examination of the climate bill in France proposed by the Citizen’s Convention for the Climate.

The Citizen’s Convention was dubbed a social experiment of the highest order, involving 150 randomly selected people who made proposals to the government to help lower emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels in “the spirit of social justice.”

On Twitter, Citoyens pour le Climate said, “We recall that the health situation – whose origins are common to climate change – is tense. We will dissociate ourselves from all those who would like to take advantage of the event to disseminate their denialist theories.”

On Facebook, Citoyens pour le Climate published a poster of Marianne, a symbol of France herself, wearing a daisy in her hair with the slogan “let’s take back power over lobbycracy.”

The members of the Citizens’ Convention denounced the “too important influence” of lobbies in government which, according to them, “diluted” their proposals. The fight for the climate is concentrated in the corridors and offices of the National Assembly where lobbyists from industry, companies, unions or economic sectors have stated their concerns about how the new climate laws impact them.

Some of these factions ask for the laws to be watered down or not implemented at all, as they are counter to their purposes. Others ask for stronger implementations.

It is politics as usual say the climate people and a question of whose voices are heard comes down to deep pockets.

 
Photo by Laurent Lanquar-Castiel