LONDON (AFP) - A new work believed to be by British street artist Banksy appeared near London's Marble Arch on Friday (April 26), where climate change protesters had camped out for days.

The work features a child clasping a symbol of Extinction Rebellion, the group behind the protests, crouching next to a spade and a new plant.

"From this moment despair ends and tactics begin," reads a sign next to the artwork, located at one of central London's busiest road junctions.

"I think it's virtually a certainty it's him," auctioneer Andrew Tetley told London's Evening Standard newspaper.

Said street art fan Lindsey Solomons, 53: "It hasn't been confirmed obviously that it is Banksy yet, but clearly there's a lot of excitement."

"I think the message speaks for itself really, that if we don't do something about the planet, clearly we're going to be in a desperate state, and he captures that so well," she told AFP.

Banksy has previously espoused themes such as immigration and refugees, the Palestinian cause and the yellow vest movement in France.