French Greens launch petition for five-day climate leave amid heatwave
Les Écologistes launched a petition on Sunday for a paid 'congé climatique' of up to five days per year, inspired by Spain's model, to protect workers from extreme weather and school closures.
The proposal
Les Écologistes (the French Green party) launched a petition on Sunday, 21 June, calling for a "congé climatique", a paid climate leave of up to five days per year. The leave would cover workers unable to reach their workplace due to extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, or fires, as well as parents whose children's schools close because of high temperatures. The party argues that no one should have to risk their health or that of their loved ones simply to go to work.
No one should risk their health or that of their loved ones simply to go to work.
Spanish inspiration
The measure is directly inspired by Spain's "permiso climático", adopted by decree in November 2024 after deadly floods in the Valencia region. That law grants up to four days of paid leave when weather alerts make travel impossible. The French Greens want to go further, extending the leave to five days and covering a broader range of climate-related disruptions, including childcare during school closures.
Petition launch and early support
By 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, the petition, titled "40°C at work? Let's protect the most exposed workers", had gathered 4,023 signatures. Marine Tondelier, the party's national secretary, told LCI that the leave should apply "if climate conditions prevent you from going to work, truly in extreme situations," and stressed that it must not force workers to use their regular vacation days. David Belliard, the Green mayor of Paris's 11th arrondissement, described the leave as a way to guarantee a "right to coolness" for those most exposed.
The climate leave means: if climate conditions prevent you from going to work, truly in extreme situations, then it shouldn't be either the company that pays or the employees who suffer because they're told 'take your holidays'.
This climate leave is there to protect those who are hyper-exposed to unbearable conditions that put their lives in danger.
Broader political context
The proposal also drew support from Manuel Bompard, coordinator of the left-wing La France insoumise, who called for adapting labour law to climate realities. Meanwhile, Tondelier pushed back against Marine Le Pen's call for a "massive plan" to install air conditioning in schools, hospitals, and retirement homes. Tondelier said air conditioning should be "neither a taboo nor an answer to everything," arguing that cooling uninsulated buildings is ineffective and that the Rassemblement National's climate record is not credible.
