Thousands Rally for #COP21 Protest in Paris

As the final day of the #COP21 began, over 15,000 protesters met at the Arc du Triomphe in Paris, France to demand real climate solutions.

The #D12 (December 12th) protest was permitted after French government prohibited all protests after the ISIS terror attacks in Paris of November 13, 2015. People present in the streets, most wearing red, stated that their bodies were the red lines of climate safety that couldn’t be crossed. People felt that no true solutions would be agreed upon during the COP21 Climate Summit.

The President of the COP21, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, announced the finalized text of the climate agreement would keep global temperature rise to 1.5 C and promises $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries, but this agreement won’t take effect until 2020. In order to finalize the text, 196 countries with representatives present had to agree to the language.

While the conference made the announcement, protesters moved through Paris unfurling giant red banners representing the lines that cannot be crossed when it comes to a livable ecosystem in the wake of climate change.

The protest paraded through the streets of Paris until it reached the Eiffel tower.

As the people awaited the #COP21 delegation’s decision to either sign or reject the text, they made it clear that real climate solutions would come from the people.