Global warming summit draws protesters

DURBAN, South Africa, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The U.N. annual climate summit in Durban, South Africa, has drawn thousands of demonstrators demanding faster action to mitigate climate change.

The BBC reported Saturday that midway through the international gathering some progress had been made on climate-change issues, but the United States, Canada and Saudi Arabia were among the nations holding out on the future of the Kyoto Protocol, the international pact aimed at reducing the emission of greenhouse gases that is runs through 2012.

Former British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, speaking to the British network from London, criticized foot-dragging by some countries and urged the continuation of the protocol until 2015. Failure to extend the Kyoto agreement will cause the effort to stem global warming to "actually wither on the vine and that's what Canada and America wants -- and one or two other rich countries."

"It's a conspiracy against the poor. It's appalling," Prescott told the BBC. "I'm ashamed of such countries not recognizing their responsibilities."

The BBC said the European Union is pushing to get negotiations on a new global agreement covering all nations started as soon as possible. The network said the world's poorest countries and those vulnerable to rising sea levels are also intent on reaching an agreement to start the reduction of greenhouse gases worldwide before 2020, the benchmark scientists have set if the worst climatological impacts are to be avoided.