Led by a marching band more than 2,000 demonstrators, many wearing shirts reading "Our climate, our survival," paraded through downtown Nairobi angrily protesting inaction by the west that they say is destroying Africa.

"Western leaders, it's time to take responsibility," read one banner held aloft by community leaders, environmental activists and schoolchildren, most of them from Kenya, where experts say damage from climate change is tangible.

Another, in the style of a old-west frontier sign, featured a photo of US President George W. Bush over the words "Wanted for crimes against the planet," referring to his refusal to agree to mandatory greenhouse gas emission cuts.

Africa is considered by many to be most at-risk from rising Earth temperatures blamed on such emissions despite the fact that it produces the least amount of greenhouse gases of the planet's inhabited continents.

"With this march, we hope to create massive public awareness from Cape Town to Cairo," said Grace Akumu of Climate Network Africa, an environmental group that organized the march and is attending the UN conference as an observer.

She also slammed African delegates to the conference for not doing enough in the closed-door sessions that began last week to secure assistance for Africa to adapt to global warming.

"Africa will be the most affected continent by climate change (yet) the African ministers are very weak," said Akuma, singling out Kenya's environmental minister for "not extracting anything meaningful" at the talks.

"The countries will see for themselves who is betraying them in the negotiations," she said, as delegates from 189 nations prepared at the weekend for the second and final week of the conference.

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