Bonn, November 6 (RHC)-- Thousands of delegates from nearly 200 countries gathered Monday for United Nations climate talks in Bonn, Germany, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord casting a shadow over negotiations. 

The talks are presided over by the Republic of Fiji -- one of several small island nations that face an existential threat from sea level rise caused by climate change. 

Ahead of this year’s climate talks, thousands of activists marched Saturday through the streets of Bonn calling for an end to coal production.  Organizers said as many as 25,000 joined the protest. 

On Sunday, thousands of protesters stormed onto the grounds of the massive Hambach coal mine west of Bonn, shutting down a massive coal excavator.  The site is the largest open-pit mine in Europe.