In a symbolic demonstration, campaigners from Greenpeace immersed models of iconic global structures in the sea off Cancun to illustrate the threat of climate change.

With the partially-submerged edifices visible in the rising tide, environmentalists intended to send a message to ministers participating in the UN climate change conference currently taking place in Cancun, urging them to take firmer actions to combat global warming. Among the icons represented were the Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower.

"Climate change knows no borders, it does not discriminate," said Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Executive Director. "The rising tide of climate impacts, be they economic, environmental or humanitarian, will affect each and everyone of us -- no matter rich and poor."

Li Yan, a Greenpeace campaigner from Beijing, called on negotiators to "deliver climate funding, technology cooperation and forest protection. These outcomes would lay a good foundation for the final agreement to be reached in next year's climate change conference in South Africa," she said.