A woman marches during a protest against global warming held in Montreal, Canada, on Dec. 3.

The events coincided with the start of the 10-day U.N. Climate Change Conference in Montreal, Canada, to review and update the Kyoto Protocol, the global accord that binds industrialized nations to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

A march in downtown Montreal was the largest of demonstrations held in 32 countries, from Brazil to Japan. In London, protesters demanded that the British government reaffirm its commitment to Kyoto, while in Washington, drivers of hybrid cars staged a rally at the White House.

In Montreal, it was a family friendly atmosphere with hot-air balloons, theatrical and music acts as more than 7,000 protesters hit the streets. Canada's Environment Minister Stephane Dion, who presided over the conference, took part in the march and said final negotiations involving some 120 environment ministers and other government leaders would be crucial.

Five environmental groups, including Greenpeace and the Climate Crisis Coalition, delivered a petition signed by 600,000 Americans to the U.S. Consulate in Montreal urging President George W. Bush's administration and the U.S. Congress to help slow global warming.

Bush has been widely criticized for pulling out of the Kyoto Treaty, instead calling for an 18 percent reduction in the U.S. growth rate of greenhouse gases by 2012 and committing $5 billion a year to global warming science and technology. The United States -- which spews out nearly 25 percent of the world's carbon emissions -- was the target of many demonstrators.

Health experts at the U.N. conference that came to a close Dec. 9 said that global warming is responsible for as many as 150,000 deaths annually around the world.

The Japan Times Weekly: Dec. 10, 2005
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