December 14: Leaders from across the globe converge in Copenhagen for a historic diplomatic summit aimed at agreeing to a plan to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. And following these leaders were thousands of protesters.
While a majority of the demonstrations were peaceful, violence did break out — resulting in hundreds of arrests. The protests added a layer of tension to a summit already rife with political and diplomatic complexities.
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Central to many of the protests at the climate change talks is that they are just that — talks. Several activists held signs like the one above. Their message: the gravity of global warming demands immediate political resolution and action.
But it looks like they may have to continue to wait. Even prior to the summit’s start, global leaders were clear that the intent was not necessarily to arrive at a global treaty like the Kyoto Protocol.
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December 12: A female demonstrator holds a sign playing off the famous poster of the U.S. president. In a last minute change, President Obama moved his travel plans to the end of the Copenhagen summit. Obama will arrive in Copenhagen with complex diplomatic considerations at play.
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December 13: The Copenhagen protests brought many well-known international environmental and human rights NGOs, like Oxfam International.
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December 15: A rioter in the Christiania quarter in Copenhagen. The Guardian reports that 194 were arrested on Tuesday after protesters set fire to street barricades in central Copenhagen.
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