Wed, 01:55 31 Dec 2008 GMT17

 

Climate protesters demand swifter U.N. action
06 Dec 2008 17:33:50 GMT
Source: Reuters
POZNAN, Poland, Dec 6 (Reuters) - About 1,000 climate protesters, some dressed as polar bears, devils or penguins, demanded on Saturday swifter action from the United Nations to combat global warming.

Outside U.N.-led talks in Poland aimed at pushing 187 countries towards stiffer targets to fight global warming, demonstrators said governments were risking the planet's future by delaying action to squabble over who was to blame.

"So far I think it's going really slowly," Susann Scherbarth from Friends of the Earth in Germany said of the talks in the western city of Poznan.

She and others protesters waved a banner reading: "Stop clowning around, get serious about climate action." Others carried pictures of seas inundating cities and villages, and the suited hand of a businessman squeezing the planet.

The march fell short of organisers' predictions of a turnout of several thousand and many inside the talks did not see it.

"It's not a matter for negotiators, it's a matter for politicians. They are the ones who have been blocking the whole process," said Rae-Kwon Chung, South Korea's climate change ambassador, adding that he was unaware of the event outside.

On Saturday marches, bicycle rides and other events were scheduled around the world to mark a "Global Day of Action on Climate", said the Global Climate Campaign, an umbrella group for participants. (Reporting by Gerard Wynn and Megan Rowling, Editing by Elizabeth Piper)
AlertNet news is provided by

Background information


Related articles

Breaking stories
Asia NASA says Columbia crew had no chance to survive

Asia Columbia crew had no chance, new NASA report says

AlertNet insight
Europe MEDIAWATCH: Did the Poznan climate talks produce more than a lot of hot air?

Aid agency news feed
Sea change: rising sea levels in Bangladesh - Ben Beaumont

Blogs
Africa Hopes for Poznan climate change progress melting away

Maps
Americas MAP: Global Incidence of H5N1 Virus


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-12-30T213314Z_01_WAS98_RTRIDSP_2_SPACE-COLUMBIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/WAS98.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-12-30T211535Z_01_WAS99_RTRIDSP_2_SPACE-COLUMBIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/WAS99.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-12-26T220535Z_01_WAS90_RTRIDSP_2_CHILE-VOLCANO-CHAITEN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/WAS90.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-12-26T220340Z_01_WAS88_RTRIDSP_2_CHILE-VOLCANO-CHAITEN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/WAS88.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-12-26T215720Z_01_WAS89_RTRIDSP_2_CHILE-VOLCANO-CHAITEN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/WAS89.htm

Pilot William McCool (L) points at a video camera as Commader Rick Husband (R) sits at the controls of the space shuttle Columbia on the orbiter's flight deck during the final ...



URL: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L6343832.htm

For our full disclaimer and copyright information please visit http://www.alertnet.org