“Two months before the presidential election, the climate and social emergency has been passed over in silence by the candidates and the media,” the Together for the Climate group said in a statement.

“While our lives are at stake, they prefer to close their eyes. We can act. We must remind them of the order of priorities and make 2022 the year when France has finally taken the path of a fair and sustainable future for all. We won’t wait another five years.”

According to the Climate Action Network, climate change today is a “capital issue” for 94 percent of French people polled in a recent IPSOS survey, with 47 percent saying it should be a priority. 

Marches are planned in France’s major cities on Saturday, March 12th – Paris’ will start at 2pm at Place de la Nation, while key protests are set to take place in Nice, Toulouse, Marseille, Nantes, Strasbourg and Lyon. 

The Climate Action Network has produced an interactive map showing where the marches are taking place – and their start times. Most marches are due to begin at 2pm.

The motto for this year’s march is Look Up, adapted from the Netflix satire Don’t Look Up, which – MarchClimat said on its website – “draw an obvious and chilling parallel with climate change and its catastrophic consequences on our lives”.

The group added: “the climate emergency is now undeniable; but instead of looking the truth in the face and taking their responsibilities, political leaders and multinational corporations are looking away or even sabotaging any hope for a just and sustainable future.”