Thousands of protesters marched through Brussels on Sunday to demand stronger EU climate action ahead of a UN summit in Antalya, Turkey, next month.

Police estimated 45,000 people participated, while organizers from the Climate Coalition and allied groups claimed 60,000. The demonstration, the latest in a series in the Belgian capital, drew NGOs, trade unions, youth movements, universities, human rights groups and political parties. Demonstrators carried signs urging action against climate change, with some targeting fossil fuel companies and calling for a fair transition.

Aimen Horch, president of the Green Party in Flanders and Brussels, told Euronews that the urgency for action had intensified after record heatwaves and wildfires in Belgium’s High Fens nature reserve. “People actually died from the heat. They felt that the conditions of their homes made it impossible to sleep at night. They saw the wildfires... and saw that the government did nothing,” Horch said. She added that climate goals were losing priority on the political agenda, with governments scaling back ambitions.

The Climate Coalition listed five demands: phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, taxing the fossil fuel sector, expanding green spaces, ensuring a fair climate transition, and increasing support for citizens and businesses to move away from fossil fuels. Organizers also called for stronger international cooperation.

The march began at Avenue Roi Albert II and passed landmarks including the Manneken Pis statue, which was dressed in a T-shirt reading “change” for the occasion. The protest comes as Europe grapples with the impacts of human-induced climate change, including consecutive heatwaves and a rise in excess deaths during extreme weather.