Today, the COP21 talks opened near Paris—the latest conference to decide the world’s approach to tackling climate change. Ahead of the meeting of world leaders and negotiators, experts and lobbyists, thousands marched across the world to send a message about what climate change meant to them.
The protests took place—appropriately—in every imaginable climate. Here are some of them:
Children brave the rain for a water-themed protest in in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Image: Reuters/Nacho Doce
Protesters in Paris, where an official march was cancelled due to the increased security following a recent terrorist attack.Image: Reuters/Benoit Tessier
A Colombian Barzano Indian performs a rite ahead of a climate march in Bogota, Colombia.Image: Reuters/Jose Miguel Gomez
Protesters trudge through the snow in Kiev, Ukraine.Image: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko
Protesters in Rio de Janeiro, BrazilImage: Reuters/Pilar Olivares
London, where up to 50,000 people joined a march.Image: AP Images for AVAAZ/Fiona Hanson
Protesters hold placards in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen.Image: AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Protesters in New York, USA.Image: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz
Protesters raise their hands in Sydney, Australia.Image: Reuters/Jason Reed
Not everywhere were protests peaceful. In Paris, where the right to large gatherings is suspended following terrorist attacks earlier in the month, protesters clashed with police.
Policemen fight with activists during a protest ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.Image: AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani
Parisians responded with a protest that involved laying out thousands of shoes where demonstrators would have stood.
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