Climate protesters on street in France

PARIS — Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Paris and other French cities Sunday to call for more ambitious measures in the fight against climate change.

The protests come after the lower house of parliament last week approved a climate bill aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions that environment activists say doesn’t go far or fast enough.

“As it stands, the [proposed] law is a climatic and social failure,” said a group of climate campaigners, “Ensemble pour le climat” [Together for climate].

Greenpeace France denounced “the government’s refusal to take action for climate.”

Activists blame President Emmanuel Macron, who has been vocal about his support for climate change action, for having “weakened” a set of measures initially proposed by a panel of 150 citizens who had worked on the issue for months.

Sarah Moore of the Paris-based nongovernmental organization International Science Council, said, “We are all here because we are in an extremely urgent situation … I think France is in a position to do something very strong with the 2015 Paris [climate] Agreement, and in fact, we’re not doing anything.”

Victor Duong, a senior executive in Paris, said, “We want to have more concrete policy actions, we want countries to commit to emitting less carbon, to being more respectful of the environment, in terms of recycling, agriculture, our way of consuming.”

The bill, which will now be debated in the Senate, includes a ban on domestic flights under 2½ hours and measures to support renovation of high energy-consuming buildings and encourage greener cars.

Meanwhile, the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche reported Sunday that a referendum to include the need to preserve the environment into the French Constitution, promised by Macron, won’t be able to take place.

The change requires a parliamentary vote. The National Assembly, where Macron has a majority, largely approved it in March. But no deal has been found in the Senate, where the conservative party holds a majority.

Macron said the bill “won’t be abandoned.”

“The text will continue living its parliamentary life, which is the only way to get a referendum on condition senators and deputies agree,” he said.