Brussels climate march draws 45,000, police say

Police said 45,000 people marched through Brussels to the EU's headquarters on Sunday to demand stronger action on climate change ahead of next month's COP31 summit in Antalya, Turkey.

Record heatwaves across Europe in recent months have raised concerns about the impact of man-made climate change on the continent.

“There is a great deal of concern among the population, not just among the protesters today,” economist Etienne de Callatay told AFP as he attended the march. He said politicians should not fear electoral repercussions if they took stronger environmental measures.

Aurore Schreiber, who works for a development cooperation NGO, said she attended with her family “so that politicians wake up and hear the citizens' message”. She called for greener and fairer supply chains that take account of workers and wages.

The European Union says it remains a global leader on climate action and a major international donor in the field. But the bloc has recently watered down some environmental legislation as it pushes a more business-friendly agenda.

Last month, the European Commission proposed delaying implementation of a law targeting methane, a highly polluting greenhouse gas, by one year, from 2027 to 2028.