Louise Sallé, with AFP 10:57 a.m., March 12, 2022

The international context, with the war in Ukraine, makes certain topics disappear from the electoral campaign, such as the climate emergency.

As a reminder, "Look up" marches, as the name of this Netflix film, will be held this Saturday all over France.

Less than two weeks after a new warning from UN climate experts and one month before the presidential election, demonstrations on Saturday call on the candidates for the Elysee Palace to take into account the climate emergency, which is largely absent from the electoral campaign.

Nearly 150 (according to the organizers) of these marches, called "Look up" in reference to the film "Don't look up", a metaphor for the climate crisis which was a hit on Netflix, are to take place across France, supported by more than 450 NGOs, associations or other collectives.

Unions and parties have also called for participation.

"The greatest threat ignored"

"In France in 2022, the greatest threat that humanity has ever known is passed over in silence in the middle of an election period, when our future is at stake. (...) Let's not let our rights and our future remain hostage to those who are leading us to disaster. (...) With their irresponsible passivity, governments tell us that nothing more can be done. This is untrue," the organizers write in a "united appeal".

“We want to bring an ecology connected to social issues,” underlines Elodie Nace, spokesperson for Alternatiba and ANV-COP21, two of the organizing movements.

"The total absence of the climate in the electoral debate seems quite dramatic to us".

>> Find Europe morning weekend 6-8 in podcast and replay here

According to a "climate barometer" set up by the NGOs carrying out the "Case of the Century" legal action, which obtained a condemnation from the State for its unfulfilled climate commitments, "climate issues have occupied 1.5% of speaking time in the media", over the last week studied (February 28 to March 6).

A figure down on the previous week (2.8%).

"While the war in Ukraine has obviously focused media attention and rightly so, it should be emphasized that this minimal treatment of the climate emergency was already in place before the outbreak of the conflict", underline for their part the organizers of the "Look up".

>> READ ALSO

- "The debate of the century": Twitch puts ecology at the center of the presidential campaign

Several presidential candidates, such as the ecologist Yannick Jadot, or the socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo, are expected in the parades on Saturday.

In Paris, the procession will leave at 2:00 p.m. from Place de la Nation in the direction of Place de la République.

Another mobilization for the climate is planned between now and the presidential election, on March 25, at the call this time of youth movements within the framework of the "global strikes" initiated by the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.