COP21: Tens of thousands march at global climate change rallies ahead of Paris summit

A pair of the Pope's shoes were among thousands left in a Paris square to protest the police's cancellation of a major protest ahead of a United Nations climate conference in the city. A human chain was also formed along the planned route of the march.

Elsewhere across the globe protesters have taken to the streets to demand action ahead of the global climate conference, known as COP21, which will see representatives from every nation in the world gather in the French capital to discuss a new global agreement on climate change.

More than 2,000 marches and other events are taking place to call for action and thousands have already taken to the streets of cities in Australia and Japan. In Sydney, representatives from Pacific nations such as Tonga and Tuvalu were the focus for the rally, which was attended by "at least 45,000" according to Mayor Clover Moore.

Many of those nations fear they could be swallowed by the sea if levels rise because of climate change, so dressed in red, protesters carried placards reading "we can't walk on water" and "there is no planet B".

Around 5,000 people attended a rally in the southern Australian city of Adelaide and protests also took place in Hobart and Perth.

Thousands of protesters also took to the streets of Manila in The Philippines and in Dhaka, Bangladesh, activists urged leaders in Paris to listen to their demands with the hashtag #EarthtoParis.

People have also marched in Asian nations like Taiwan and Singapore, as well as African countries like Benin, South Africa and Tanzania.

Around 70 people also turned out in the Yemeni city of Sanaa, despite early morning air strikes less than three miles from the protest site.

"Air strike targets crowds of people and today early morning," Walid Yehia Hassan Al-Hashef wrote into The Guardian.

Demonstrations are also planned in European and North American cities with protests planned in London, Amsterdam, Berlin as well as New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles.