Nairobi — Environment activists are up in arms over a decision by police to bar them from holding demonstrations to push for a legally binding agreement at next month's climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The activists, drawn largely from the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance had planned Tuesday to hand over petitions to three major embassies - Swedish, Danish and the US - over their views regarding the summit.

They are now seeking Prime Minister Raila Odinga's intervention to assist them secure the permit.

"We are asking him to prevail upon Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere to unconditionally authorise his officers to provide security during the procession which has now been rescheduled to Thursday, this week," said Mr Mwenda Mithika, Pacja's coordinator.

The procession was part of a series of activities they had lined up across the continent as a way of creating awareness and putting pressure to industrialised countries to take action on climate change.

Mr Mithika told the Nation that law enforcement officers at Central Police Station declined to grant them permission since 'we did not give them enough notice.'

The official expressed disappointment that the police were denying them the right to express themselves.

"The office Commanding Central Police Station declined to grant us the permit on flimsy grounds that we did not give enough notice," he said.

"This is against the spirit of the Inter Party's Parliamentary Group, which allows us to only give notice to the police and proceed with our demos."

Mr Mwenda said as law abiding citizens, the police should not view their procession as a security threat.

"We only want to add more pressure on industrialised nations wherever they are in the world to commit to genuinely responding to climate change."

"I hope that they will respect our inalienable right of assembly by handing to us a permit."

According to their petition seen by the Nation, the activists are disappointed that recent meetings and announcements by some world leaders had signalled a lack of political will for a legally binding deal in Copenhagen.

"A fringe meeting in Singapore with limited representation can not be allowed to determine the outcome of the UN climate talks," read the petition in part.

"A politically binding deal with no legal backing is as catastrophic as the impacts of climate change we are struggling to deal with."

The activists said time was running out and while the world waited for the richest countries to agree a real deal, some 300,000 people were dying every year in the developing world as a result of the negative effects of climate change.

Pacja, according to their petition, is therefore demanding that African governments and other developing countries pile more pressure in the negotiations since it is them who will suffer most as a result of climate change.

"We must resist the divide and rule tactics and ensure the solidarity within the African Group as well as within G77 & China," read the petition.

The activists also want the "Danish COP Presidency" and the "Swedish EU Presidency" not to dilute the possible outcomes in Copenhagen.

They should keep up the pressure and strive for a legal deal in Copenhagen.

"If rich countries find the political will to act a fair, ambitious and binding deal can still be sealed in Copenhagen - it is only their reluctance to act that is holding back the talks."

They also want the negotiators to recognise that the Kyoto Protocol's legal 'architecture' still exists and the UN parties still have the powers to make decisions that could provide the basis for an effective result.

The only thing that is expiring in 2012 is rich countries current commitments to act - the Kyoto Protocol will still be in power and could enforce new targets with a simple amendment.