There’s little that Naidoo won’t do…
Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naidoo began his career as a human rights activist at the age of 14 in his native South Africa fighting against apartheid.
In the light of the Copenhagen climate conference Naidoo speaks to Metro about speaking out against President Obama, the struggle that is Copenhagen and most importantly, a legally binding treaty.
You recently spoke out against Obama’s decision to back down on some of the commitments of Copenhagen…
Ever since the Bali Summit, we have known that climate change was a major issue. When Obama was running for president, he was always speaking about the perils of the planet. He should therefore know that the more delay, the more risks of peril we run from climate related impact.
The more we delay action, the more we risk putting peoples’ lives in peril. We want a binding treaty…We will push for this until the last minute.
Do you believe you speaking out made a difference?
Some of our response has shifted the tone. Ban Ki Moon was pulling back and is now back to using the terms “Treaty” and “Binding.” Even the United States and China are slowly changing their stance.
What do you hope will come out of the summit in Copenhagen?
To push for a binding treaty in Copenhagen. Recently, dominant governments such as the United States have lowered their expectations and commitment towards fighting climate change.
