2009 December, 11th

Lisa Vella

Greenpeace congratulated President Barack Obama yesterday for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, but they also urged him to use it to confront important global challenges of the 21st Century. Their hope is that next week at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, he will address the climate change, which is what they consider to be the most important problem in history.

According to the organization, if climate changes are not made, human migration due to lack of resources such as fresh water, food production and habitable land will become one of the biggest threats to peace around the world.

“We urge President Obama to act in the spirit of this most prestigious award and move boldly to stop catastrophic climate change,” said Kumi Naidoo, the Executive Director of Greenpeace International.

Obama acknowledged that climate change is an important factor in promoting peace, but he devoted very little time to the topic during his acceptance speech. Instead, he focused on justifications for war.

Perhaps even more worrisome is the fact that the US doesn’t have plans to make significant changes to gas pollution over the course of the next ten years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggests that a 25-40 percent cut is what’s necessary to bring about adequate change, and the US has only agreed to four percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

Greenpeace is imploring the president for stronger climate leadership via banners, placards and posters making strong statements like “You won it, now earn it,” “Stop Climate Change,” and “Change the Politics.”

They are hopeful that part of what Obama secures in Copenhagen next week will be greater cuts in emissions, more financial support to developing countries in areas of climate impacts, an end to tropical deforestation, and more support for developing countries to reduce their projected emissions growth by 15-30 percent by 2020.

“We have the technology, the money, and the moral imperative to do this. All we lack is the political will….Now is the time for action,” states a Greenpeace advocate.

• 2010/02/11 -- World Delegations Select A New Chairman, A Hero
• 2009/11/29 -- Human Institutions That Don’t Work, The WTO
• 2010/07/06 -- Breaking White House News, BP Rescues Only Harmed Sea Bird
• 2010/06/30 -- Obama: From Russia, Copenhagen, Wall Street, and BP With Love
• 2010/05/21 -- BP’s Contribution to Mankind, Lies and Deceit
• 2010/05/14 -- The Right Strategy for BP’s Oil Leak Problems: Less Talk, More Action
• 2010/02/01 -- Pseudoscience Versus Cheese Science, A Sustainable Earth

About the Author

Lisa Vella is a freelance writer with a Bachelor’s degree in Writing. She has been freelance writing for over six years and her experience ranges from writing press releases, newsletters, articles for various websites, ghost writing a book on parenting, and more. Lisa also writes at Getting it Write for You.

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