Thousands demand climate action at Lausanne and Geneva protests
Saturday 19th September 2026 on 21:00 in
Switzerland
Thousands of people demonstrated in Lausanne and Geneva against what they described as inaction on climate change, SRF reported. They called for lower carbon dioxide emissions and measures to adapt to a changing climate following the hot summer.
Protesters carried signs reading “There is no Planet B” and “The train is the aircraft of the future.” In both cities, demonstrators marched behind a banner stating, “Suffocating is not inevitable.”
Many children took part in Lausanne, carrying placards including “We want to play, not sweat” and “We have done our homework, now do yours to save the Earth.”
The Keystone-SDA news agency initially estimated that about 6,000 people had gathered in Lausanne. Police later put the number at around 12,000. In Geneva, organisers said about 7,000 people attended, while police estimated the crowd at 3,000.
The Lausanne march stopped several times for speeches in the city centre. Speakers included people from sectors affected by the heatwave, including education and agriculture. They urged demonstrators to put pressure on the authorities.
Environment Minister Albert Rösti was repeatedly booed and criticised on placards, including one slogan that read, “Rösti on our plates, not in the Federal Council.”
More than 100 organisations and political parties called for the demonstrations. They said the summer of 2026 should serve as a “healthy shock” and demanded both climate adaptation measures and lower carbon dioxide emissions.
Similar demonstrations are planned in several Swiss cities on October 2. Organisers said the protests would be “only a beginning” and called for a lasting movement to make climate change a top political priority. They warned that without a change of course, summer temperatures could reach 50 degrees by 2050.