Greenpeace calls on Obama to attend UN Copenhagen Climate Summit

Press release - 2 October, 2009

As Presidents Obama, Lula and Zapatero and Prime Minister Hatoyama arrived in Copenhagen today to lobby the Olympic Congress for their respective countries to host the 2016 Games, Greenpeace hung a banner from the St Nicholas Church Tower reading 'Right city, wrong date' as a reminder that their presence is required again in December. The tower overlooks the church square where Obama will later meet the Danish Prime Minister and Royal Family.

26 activists have been arrested.

"The Olympic spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play is exactly what is missing from the current climate negotiations. Obama needs to help set a new pace in the climate negotiations, leading from the front instead of coasting at the back," said Jon Burgwald, Greenpeace Nordic climate campaigner. "It is not solidarity to accept that the developing world pays the price for global warming created in the developed world.

The world needs to go for gold in December, and the big question is will Obama be a team player?

Now he knows where Copenhagen is he should have no problem making his way back in December, to help lead the talks to a fair, ambitious and binding deal that averts a climate catastrophe

It is a precondition for succeeding in December that the heads of state attend the climate summit. The promises that are on the table need to improve significantly, and that can not be done by delegations or environmental ministers.

Every country in the world takes part in the Olympics, every country aims to win. No country will be free from unchecked climate change. Unless world leaders agree to avert climate chaos, we are looking at mass starvation, mass migration and mass extinction. Without the required leadership we will all be losers."

Other contacts: Jon Burgwald, Climate Campaigner, +45 40 81 88 98,