Activists from leading environmental NGOs protested in 100 Italian piazzas on Saturday, calling for a binding deal on climate change to be reached at the Copenhagen conference.

Led by the "Marching Coalition for Climate" composed of 58 environmental NGOs, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Greenpeace Italy and Legambiente, hundreds of demonstrators took to the street.

They urged the Italian government to implement a new climate policy based on an increase in renewable energies, a greater energy efficiency and public transport use to curb gas emissions.

Protestors, holding slogan of "Stop the planet' s fever!", brought solar panels and bicycles to the piazzas to call for support to their climate-friendly demands.

At a historical center in Rome, activists wore masks of world leaders and called for concrete actions. An ancient fountain's water was coloured green.

In Venice, fake penguins were put on the Rialto Bridge and in Piazza St. Mark to warn people the risks of global warming and animal extinction.

Posters of "Copenhagen: Historic deal necessary, make history now!" were seen throughout towns.

Saturday was the global day of protests against climate change, with more than 400 activists were allegedly arrested in Copenhagen, where the conference is taking place.

The summit on climate change opened on Monday, bringing together world nations in a bid to secure a binding agreement against global warming.