Campaigners march against Bush decision on Kyoto

Climate change campaigners are protesting against the US decision 12 months ago to abandon the Kyoto Protocol.

They are taking part in a 20-mile march from the headquarters of Exxon Mobil at Emryn Way in Surrey, England to the US Embassy in central London

The march started at 7am and is due to reach the US embassy at 5.30pm.

George W Bush stunned politicians and environmental groups worldwide when he announced that the US was no longer taking part in the Kyoto process agreed by former Vice-President Al Gore in 1997.

Since then Mr Bush has adopted a plan to allow companies to curb their greenhouse gas emissions voluntarily.

Phil Thornhill of the Campaign against Climate Change said: "As a huge Antarctic ice shelf disintegrates with astonishing suddenness, the threat from unchecked global warming becomes ever clearer.

"Action is needed urgently as the process threatens to become irreversible and yet the world's most powerful man has jammed the brakes on international efforts to deal with the problem and for the worst possible reason."