Protesters demand action against warming climate at UN talks

KATOWICE (AP):

Thousands of people from around the world marched yesterday through the southern Polish city that's hosting this year's United Nation's climate talks, demanding that their governments take tougher action to curb global warming.

Protesters included farmers from Latin America, environmentalists from Asia, students from the United States and families from Europe, many of whom said climate change is already affecting their lives.

"Climate change is the thing that frightens me the most," said Michal Dabrwoski from Warsaw, who took his young daughter to the march. "I'm a father and it's kind of crucial that she will have a decent life."

Marchers gathered in one of Katowice's main squares before setting off for the conference centre where delegates from almost 200 countries are haggling over the fine print of the 2015 Paris accord to fight climate change.

Activists Turned Back

Earlier yesterday, environ-mental groups had complained that some of their activists were being turned back at the Polish border or deported. One Belgian activist was allowed to enter the country after her country's ambassador intervened with Polish authorities.

Inside the UN meeting, negotiators were concluding the first week of talks, which are focused on finalising the Paris rule book that determines how signatories to the 2015 deal record and report their greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientists have been warning that drastic action will be needed to achieve the Paris accord's most ambitious target of keeping global warming below 1.58Celsius (2.78Fahrenheit).

Government ministers will begin arriving in Katowice on Monday to try to break deadlocks on particularly sensitive issues.