- Title: VARIOUS: Climate activists call on world to confront climate change
- Date: 13th December 2009
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (DECEMBER 12, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF VOLUNTEERS SETTING UP CHRISTMAS TREE VOLUNTEER SETTING UP CHRISTMAS TREE VOLUNTEERS HOLDING LIFE RINGS VOLUNTEER HANGING LIFE RINGS ON CHRISTMAS TREE VOLUNTEERS HANGING DECORATIONS ON CHRISTMAS TREE LI NING, CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMME OFFICER OF OXFAM HONG HONG SPEAKING/VOLUNTEERS HOLDING BANNER READING "SAVE LIVES ACT NOW" IN BOTH CHINESE AND ENGLISH IN FRONT OF CHRISTMAS TREE BANNER READING "SAVE LIVES ACT NOW" IN BOTH CHINESE AND ENGLISH VOLUNTEER DONG XIAOYU HOLDING BANNER (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) VOLUNTEER DENG XIAOYU SAYING: "Some of them are still using oil lamps, so they make very small emissions. But they are suffering most from climate change, global warming, sandstorms, and water shortage." VARIOUS OF VOLUNTEERS HOLDING BANNER AND STANDING IN FRONT OF CHRISTMAS TREE SMOKE RISING FROM CHIMNEY/LIFE RING ON CHRISTMAS TREE JAKARTA, INDONESIA (DECEMBER 12, 2009) (REUTERS) GROUP OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS ARRIVING IN FRONT OF U.S EMBASSY IN JAKARTA U.S. FLAG POLICE IN FRONT OF EMBASSY PROTESTERS HOLDING FLAGS AND BANNER PROTESTERS HOLD BANNER TWO PROTESTER IN YELLOW JACKETS WEARING MASK MOUTH COVER READING "CUT YOUR EMISSIONS" (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) DEDY RAMANTA, A PROTEST LEADER SAYING: "We are participating in the global movement day of action, we demand developed countries reduce their carbon emissions. We see that the United States is a great player with the potential to damage the world's ecosystem with its excessive levels of emissions." PROTESTERS RAMANTA IN FRONT OF PROTESTERS MORE OF RAMANTA AMERICAN FLAG SEEN FROM PROTESTER'S FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) DEDY RAMANTA, A PROTEST LEADER SAYING: "Hey, you Americans reduce your emissions, follow the Kyoto Protocol and create a better world." PROTESTERS WITH FARMERS DRESS AND HAT PROTESTER HOLDING PLACARD SAYING "STOPS THE AMERICAN EXPLOITATION ON INDONESIA'S LAND" PROTESTERS
- Embargoed: 28th December 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Australia, Indonesia, China
- City:
- Country: China Australia Indonesia
- Topics: International Relations,Nature / Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA9Z705YFZY8CYK2WZXX8NVICW
- Story Text: Climate activists in Australia, China and Indonesia held rallies on Saturday (December 12) to campaign against climate change.
In Sydney, thousands walked through the centre of they city in a show of force that organisers said was a way of showing world leaders how deeply concerned Australians were about climate change.
Tuvalu's strong position on tackling global warming in Copenhagen was celebrated at the march, with participants giving three cheers to the small pacific island nation that is threatened by rising sea levels.
A person dressed as a polar bear led the march along with a banner reading "Australia says climate change can't wait". e But not everyone in Sydney agreed with the marchers, there were some climate change skeptics along the route who chanted "No new carbon taxes' and "Carbon dioxide is not toxic, it's two parts oxygen."
It was Australia's fifth annual "Walk Against Warming".
In the Chinese capital of Beijing, volunteers from NGO group Oxfam created an "S.O.S" tree -- a five-metre-tall Christmas tree with 20 life rings hanging on it -- and displayed it at a dry riverbed in the outskirt.
They said they wanted to send it as a Christmas gift to leaders of developed countries who are now gathering in Copenhagen, demanding they make a pledge of 200 billion U.S. dollars each year to help developing countries to cope with crises caused by climate change.
The current commitment of 10 billion U.S. dollars was critically insufficient, said the volunteers.
They said it was the poor population that were hit hardest by climate change.
Climate change is affecting 92 per cent of China's poor population, according to data collected by Oxfam.
"Some of them are still using oil lamps, so they make very small emissions. But they are suffering most from climate change, global warming, sandstorms, and water shortage," said volunteer Deng Xiaoyu.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the Copenhagen talks on Dec. 17-18, joining U.S. President Barack Obama, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
A rift between rich and poor nations has stalled the climate talks in the Danish capital, which aim to agree a new global pact to fight warming.
China on Friday ((December 11) attacked a top U.S. envoy as either "extremely irresponsible" or lacking in common sense, for saying at the summit that no U.S. climate aid would go to China.
In Jakarta, hundreds of environmental activists staged a protest in front of the U.S. embassy, urging the world's No. 2 emitter of greenhouse gases and the only developed country not in the existing Kyoto mechanism to lower carbon emissions to act against climate change.
"We are participating in the global movement day of action, we demand developed countries reduce their carbon emissions. We see that the United States is a great player with the potential to damage the world's ecosystem with its excessive levels of emissions," said a protest leader Dedy Ramanta.
U.S. President Barack Obama has said he will offer a U.S. cut of 3 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, or a reduction of 17 percent from 2005 levels after sharp rises in recent years. That compares to offers by recession-hit developed nations that so far total about 14 to 18 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
But for Indonesian protesters, Obama's pledge is not good enough.
"Hey, Americans reduce your emissions, follow the Kyoto Protocol and create a better world", Ramanta said in a message to the United States.
A draft climate pact unveiled on Friday revived hopes that the U.N. talks might be able to pin down an international deal to fight global warming, but developing nations said they needed more cash from the rich.
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