Over 10,000 people from nearly 150 nations will declare their commitment to environmental protection today at the close of a four-day summit in South America.

Participants in the World People's Conference on Climate Change in Cochabamba, Bolivia, many of them indigenous peoples, will issue an ecumenical declaration today to pledge themselves to a more harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature and to fight global threats such as climate change.

"Climate change is the product of a human mentality which regards nature as an object of domination, exploitation and manipulation and the human being as its owner and the measure of all things," the declaration states.

Its signatories "recognize that a certain interpretation of the Judeo-Christian tradition has contributed to fostering this kind of anthropocentrism and merciless exploitation of nature, misinterpreting the responsibility of being a 'caretaker' and advocate for the creation, entrusted to humanity by the creator."

The declaration goes on to call for a new spirituality of respectful co-existence, to be forged in a dialogue among the peoples of the earth, which is part of the contribution a coalition of Christian organizations brought to the conference.

Dr. Guillermo Kerber, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme executive on climate change and participant in the conference said, "The People's Conference was an opportunity to listen to those who will be most affected by climate change."

"The WCC sees it as an instrument to build a global consensus on climate change and put forward the perspective of actors who have not been heard enough in the United Nations negotiation process – such as the indigenous peoples," he added.

The declaration comes at the close of the April 19-22 event, which also marks International Mother Earth Day.

Meanwhile, global negotiations on climate change are intensifying since meetings in Bonn, Germany earlier this month.

Delegates at the April 9-11 talks agreed to hold two additional sessions of negotiations this year in order to achieve a strong outcome in Cancun, Mexico, which many activists are hoping will produce the comprehensive, binding agreement that was expected in Copenhagen.

"At this meeting in Bonn, I have generally seen a strong desire to make progress," said U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer. "However, whilst more meeting time is important, it is itself not a recipe for success."

De Boer called on governments to overcome their differences and work for greater clarity on what can be decided in the course of the year in climate change negotiations.

"We need to decide what can be agreed at the end of this year in Cancún and what can be put off until later," de Boer said.

De Boer, who steps down in July after four years at his post, says that he doesn't think a binding agreement can be reached this year.

"I don't think Cancun will provide the final outcome," de Boer said, according to the Washington Post.

"I think that Cancun can agree an operational architecture but turning that into a treaty, if that is the decision, will take more time beyond Mexico," he added. "I think that we will have many more rounds of climate change negotiations before the ultimate solution is arrived at."