Durban climate change conference in pictures: week two

A beach in Durban, South Africa. Outside the conference hall where talks were taking place on 3 December, several thousand activists, South African village women, and trade union members paraded through the port city for a march billed as a 'global day of protest' Photograph: Jenny Bates for The Guardian

The incoming COP17 president, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and South Africa's foreign minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, (third right) and UNFCCC executive secretary, Christiana Figueres, (first right) speaking at a rally Photograph: Jenny Bates for The Guardian

Protesters during a rally outside the conference centre on 3 December Photograph: IISD

EU press conference: Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, and Marcin Korolec, Poland, speaking for the EU on 5 December 2011. Photograph: IISD

5 December: empty seats before the opening session of the conference of the parties 17 (COP17) to the UNFCCC Photograph: Jenny Bates for The Guardian

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon (standing) launches the Momentum for Change initiative plenary at COP17 Photograph: UNFCCC

Delegates attend the opening plenary session of the high level segment of COP17 Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA

The Basic bloc during a press conference (from left to right): Brazil's climate negotiator, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, India's environment and forests minister, Jayanthi Natarajan, and China's climate negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, and Edna Molewa, South Africa’s water affairs and environment minister Photograph: IISD

Campaigners of the financial transaction tax popularly known as the Robin Hood tax Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA

United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon (left), and United Nations messenger of peace, Jane Goodall Photograph: Rajesh Jantilal/AFP/Getty Images

Members of the Canadian Youth Delegation stage a protest as Canada's minister of environment, Peter Kent, addresses the conference Photograph: Macolm Boothroyd/Canada Youth Delegation /Reuters

John Prescott shaking hands with the head of Chinese delegation Xie Zhenhua during an event at the Chinese pavillion where the secretary of state for energy and climate change, Chris Huhne, and Prescott gave a speech on 7 December Photograph: Jenny Bates for The Guardian

African group lead negotiator Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, from DRC, answers journalists after his press conference Photograph: Jenny Bates for the Guardian

German politician Caio Koch-Weser, Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, prime minister of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi, president for South African national planning Trevor Manuel, and Lord Stern during a high level side event on mobilising long-term climate finance for developing countries Photograph: UNFCCC

Senator and former Brazilian former environment minister Marina Silva during a press conference Photograph: Jenny Bates

Sceptics conference under the banner of Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow in Durban: (left to right) Christopher Monckton, Marc Morano of ClimateDepot.com, Nobel Prize nominee, Leon Louw, executive director of South Africa's Free Market Institute, South African nuclear physicist Dr Kelvin Kemm, Craig Rucker, the committee’s executive director Photograph: Jenny Bates for The Guardian

Peter Svensson, from the Church of Sweden, dressed as a groom and representing the EU kissing Ida Thomassen (centre), from Norwegian Church Aid, dressed as a bride and representing Kyoto while "bridesmaid" Karolina Goranzon (left), from Church of Sweden Youth, looks on during a mock wedding ceremony organised by campaigners from APRODEV, a group of European faith-based development agencies which includes Christian Aid (UK), Church of Sweden and Norwegian Church Aid, outside the Climate talks in Durban Photograph: Ally Carnwath/ Christian Aid /AFP/Getty Images

Hon Foua Toloa, head of government of Tokelau island poses during COP17. Tokelau island is an isolated New-Zealand administered territory of about 1,400 people situated in the middle of the Pacific and sits no higher than five meters above the sea level. Hon Foua Toloa came to Durban to raise awareness of the impact of climate change Photograph: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images

UN security officers remove Abigail Borah from the US (centre) representing the SustainUS organisation after she read out a speech disrupting the speech of US department of state representative Todd Stern (not pictured) in the main plenary hall during the high level segment of the COP 17 Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA

Delegates from the US and Japan use a flow chart to facilitate the discussions on capacity building on 8 December 2011 Photograph: IISD

Japanese NGOs protest against nuclear energy Photograph: IISD

An activist of British charity Oxfam pretends to eat a piece of coal as a protest as she sits between bags reading 'Let Them Eat Carbon' Photograph: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images