Maathai Presents People's Orb to World Leaders at COP 15 with a Strong Call to Seal the Deal!
15 December 2009, Copenhagen / Denmark – Moments following her induction as UN Messenger of Peace, Nobel Laureate and UNEP Patron of the Billion Tree Campaign, Wangari Maathai, addressed the opening of the High Level Segment of the UN climate conference, calling on leaders to reach a fair, ambitious and legally-binding agreement in Copenhagen.
Maathai told politicians that while "They cannot negotiate with the environment they can negotiate with each other."
Maathai's call reiterated that of the UN Secretary General's, who told heads of state attending the opening, "Our job here and now is to seal the deal … a deal that is in our common interest. For three years I have sought to bring world leaders to the table to solve climate change. Now they are coming. Three years of effort have come down to three days of action."
In her address, Maathai said it was up to the developing world to convince the developed world that the threat of climate change is real, calling on nations to invest in the preservation of forests as a first line of defense against climate change.
