PARIS, France – Speaking on LCI this Sunday, June 21, 2026, Green Party national secretary Marine Tondelier advocated for the immediate implementation of “climate leave” to protect citizens from climate-induced disruptions. To build political pressure, the Greens have launched a nationwide petition on their official website, urging the government to create a legal safety net for workers facing dangerous heatwaves, floods, and infrastructure closures.
Establishing an “Ecological Social Security”
The proposal draws heavily from the emergency labor protections introduced by Madrid following the catastrophic 2024 Valencia floods, where the Spanish government granted up to four days of state-paid leave for employees under severe weather alerts.
Tondelier argued that France must build a similar framework: « Climate leave is about saying: if weather conditions prevent you from going to work, it shouldn’t be either the company that pays or the employees who suffer. We want it to be a form of ecological social security. »
Five Days of Protection for High-Risk Jobs and Families
The Greens’ concrete framework outlines a five-day annual quota tailored for specific emergency scenarios:
- Exposed Professions: Targeted primarily at outdoor or high-heat jobs that cannot adapt through remote work or flexible scheduling.
- Parental Support: Accessible if extreme heat or storms trigger sudden school closures, leaving parents without childcare options.
- Climate Disasters: Triggered during active environmental crises such as severe flooding or wildfires.
Harnessing Public Support Through a National Petition
The Green Party emphasized that transitioning this proposal into law will require massive civic engagement. « This measure will only be implemented if many of us demand it, » the party stated on its campaign platform. The petition has already gathered approximately 2,000 signatures within hours of going live, signaling a growing public appetite for climate-adapted labor laws.
