Thousands join the Green march in London

Several thousand Green activists marched through central London on the eve of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen. They urged world leaders to sign a new agreement on reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

One of the most ardent fighters against climate change, the United Kingdom, is calling on all states – from the poorest to the wealthiest – to take on this problem with a concerted effort.

Protestors supported the British government’s efforts in emissions reductions and urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to do everything he could to prevent the conference in Copenhagen from becoming simply idle talk.

The rally was organized by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, which includes the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Greenpeace and Oxfam, among others.

The Green coalition dressed in blue: demonstrators from senior citizens to babies were dressed in blue, carried blue balloons, and painted their faces blue.

Blue is the official color of the Wave event sponsored by the members of the Green coalition.

Everyone was free to join in the rally. Banners were offered to anyone interested in the fate of Earth, including tourists, journalists and the police.

The rally started at the U.S. Embassy – the United States accounts for the biggest amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

Later, thousands of demonstrators headed for the British Parliament. Their loud protests were disturbing sleeping homeless people -- the few who probably did not join in the rally.

Many participants tried to come up with original ideas to solve environmental problems. Some promoted an end to meat consumption. One protestor posed as a “responsible” banker ready to invest in the effort to resist climate change.

The march was similar to a pre-Christmas parade. The procession spread through central London. Marching to the beat of a drum, demonstrators sang songs and chanted slogans “We want a future for our planet!”

The London police are not indifferent to climate change. While preserving order, they nevertheless approached the hoarse protesters urging them to shout louder.

Over 20,000 people took part in the rally in London. Eco-rallies were also held in many British and Irish cities, including Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow.

It will soon become clear whether world leaders will heed the demands of the protestors – the conference in Copenhagen is taking place from December 7 to 18.