Hundreds of people were protesting outside the Palais des Congres Sunday afternoon, in an effort to send a message to thousands of international delegates at the Montreal 2010 World Energy Congress.

The official opening ceremony began at 5:30 p.m., and the conference continues until Thursday. The event brings together more than 3,500 world leaders in the field of energy, including individuals from industry, governments, and international organizations.

Protesters, including members of Greenpeace, covered themselves in a sticky brown substance to make a visual point about the dangers of the world's dependence on oil.

"We're here to represent the disaster that going to happen to humanity if we don't stop exploiting oil," said protester Mireille Fournier.

The group of activist said they want more emphasis on developing wind and solar power.

"We do have clean energy technologies, they are here -- it's just a matter of will," said environmentalist Pierre Veronneau.

Virginie Lambert, of Greenpeace, said the prospect of a future with a continuing dependence on oil is frightening.

"We have to go beyond oil. We cannot just go into more fossil fuel energies because it's bad for the climate and it's bad for the environment," she said.

Crucial timing

In a statement on its website, organizers of the World Energy Congress say the timing of the gathering is crucial.

"The energy industry urgently seeks solutions to ‘respond now to global challenges,' as the situation requires an unprecedented level of cooperation between the energy industry & government, allowance for the realities of emerging economies, and an understanding of the diversity and complexity of the challenges and the evolving needs of the human community."

Congress delegate Marc Leroux echoed those sentiments, saying all participants are working to find solutions as the demand for energy increases.

"I think that people associate energy with big companies and profits and things like that, but I think all the companies here are focused on one thing, and that's how do you make this a better place to live?" he said.

Premier Jean Charest and Christian Paradis, federal Minister of Natural Resources, both addressed delegates Sunday afternoon.