Global warming protest stretches around world

[Thom Little]

More than 100,000 people took to the streets in more than 30 countries yesterday, in the first world-wide demonstration to press for action to combat global warming.

The marches - timed to put pressure on the most important international climate change negotiations since the agreement of the Kyoto Protocol eight years ago - took place against a background of a blizzard of new research showing the heating of the planet is seriously affecting the world sooner than scientists predicted.

.......

In New Orleans - devastated by Hurricane Katrina - residents intended to hold a "Save New Orleans, Stop Global Warming" party in the French Quarter. Events will be held in 40 other US cities. Protests were also held in Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.

The US protests symbolised a major change in opinion in the United States since Hurricane Katrina, which doubled the number of people telling opinion polls that they believed global warming was an immediate threat. Another poll, carried out by the conservative Fox News, shows that more than three-quarters of Americans believe global warming is happening and is at least partially caused by human activity, and 60 per cent see it as a "crisis" or a "major problem".


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10358430

[rodeodance]

1. odd that this high percentage of concerned people are blown over by

the bushco gang!!

[VegasWolf]

2. Bush is hostilely ignorant of science. He substitutes a bible for

scientific theory. He has to be the stupidest fuck to ever walk the halls of the White House.

[Clara T]

3. Global Meltdown

Yesterday's march in London was also directed at Tony Blair. Ten thousand demonstrators - who created a party atmosphere while carrying banners linking the President and the Prime Minister as "climate criminals" - took a special detour to hand in a letter at No 10 Downing Street.

They are concerned that Mr Blair - who put climate change at the head of the international agenda by making it one of his priorities for this summer's Gleneagles Summit - may have recently trimmed his position to please Mr Bush. The letter demanded that he reaffirm the Government's commitment to a new international treaty with legally binding targets on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants that cause the climate change.

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article331083.ece

GLOBAL MELTDOWN

The catalogue of disasters that are happening right now

Across the planet, rising temperatures are taking their toll

CARBON DIOXIDE

New research has found that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - the main cause of global warming - are higher than at any time in the past 625,000 years. HOTTEST EVER

This year is expected to be the warmest ever recorded; 1998 was the hottest so far, but the past three years currently occupy the next three places.

DESERTIFICATION

The giant Kalahari desert, already four times the size of Britain, threatens to become larger still, covering farmland in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

EXPANDING OCEANS

The level of the world's seas and oceans is rising twice as fast as in the past, as their waters expand in rising temperatures and glaciers melt.

[vonslagle]

4. What's wrong with people?

We're about to see the panet self destruct and only 100,000 people marched worldwide?

We deserve the impending apocolypse. Get on the ball people.
Just wait until people start dropping dead of Bird Flu, then you'll be sorry.

[raccoon]

5. Lots of people too busy watching Paris Hilton or reality shows.

Re: your last sentence. You're right. Most people don't pay attention to an issue until it's THEIR arse that's in the fire, or about to go into it.