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Paris, November 28
Protesters joined a worldwide wave of marches today, demanding leaders craft a pact to avert a climate catastrophe when they gather in a still-shaken Paris.
From Australia to the Philippines, the Bangladesh to Japan, people rallied at the start of a weekend of popular protests pleading for world powers to overcome the logjams when the UN climate summit officially opens in the French capital Monday.
"Protect our common home," declared placards held aloft as thousands gathered in Melbourne.
Some 150 leaders including US President Barack Obama, China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the start of the Paris conference, which is tasked with reaching the first truly universal climate pact, binding 195 nations to new emission limits from 2020.
The goal is to limit average global warming to two degrees Celsius, perhaps even less, over pre-Industrial Revolution levels by curbing fossil fuel emissions blamed for climate change.
If they fail to do so, scientists warn of a world that is increasingly inhospitable to human life, with superstorms, drought, and rising sea levels swamping the land.
On the eve of today's protests, French President Francois Hollande, host of the November 30-December 11 talks, warned of the obstacles ahead. "Man is the worst enemy of man. We can see it with terrorism," said Hollande, who spoke after leading ceremonies in Paris to mourn the victims of the November 13 bombings.
"But we can say the same when it comes to climate. Human beings are destroying nature, damaging the environment. It is therefore for human beings to face up to their responsibilities for the good of future generations." The French leader called for "a binding agreement, a universal agreement, one that is ambitious."
But he also spoke of fears that a handful countries -- which he did not name -- may stymie consensus if they felt the deal lacked guarantees. Potential stumbling blocks in Paris abound, ranging from financing for climate-vulnerable countries to scrutiny of commitments to curb greenhouse gases and even the legal status of the accord. — AFP
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