The French Green Party has called for the introduction of special “climate” leave of up to five days in the event of extreme weather events.
The initiative would provide workers with additional paid time off to protect their health during extreme heat, floods, fires and other events related to climate change. The leave could also be applied in cases of school closures due to adverse weather conditions.
“We propose to create climate leave of up to 5 days to allow everyone to better cope with heat, floods, fires or school closures due to climate events without losing income. No one should risk their health or the health of their loved ones to go to work,” — the initiators emphasized.
As an example, the petitioners cited Spain, where a four-day paid vacation has been in effect since 2024, allowing people to avoid traveling during extreme weather conditions.
The initiative appeared against the backdrop of a powerful heat wave in France. In the coming days, the air temperature in some regions of the country may reach 45 degrees. Due to the weather conditions, the authorities decided to close 845 educational institutions, and about 1,800 more will change their class schedules. In addition, restrictions on alcohol consumption have been introduced.
Similar effects of the heat are being observed in Germany, where many primary schools in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia have temporarily closed.
