Obama: Be a leader on global warming, not a politician - Greenpeace USA Blog

Obama: Be a leader on global warming, not a politician

Posted by: mikeg | 08 Jul 09 | 46 comments

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After successfully deploying a banner 65 feet tall by 35 feet wide, our climbers have come down and have been taken into custody by authorities. But they got our message out loud and clear:

Greenpeace climbers hang a banner on Mt Rushmore

Greenpeace climbers hang a banner on Mt Rushmore

Our brave climbers rappelled down the face of Mt. Rushmore today to issue a challenge to President Obama: If he wants to get his face on this monument, he needs to be a true leader on global warming, not a politician.

The 60-foot tall heads on Mt. Rushmore represent four former presidents, all brave leaders who rose to the challenges of their times. For instance, there’s George Washington, our country’s first president. He’s known as the “Father of His Country” because when the American colonies were in crisis, he stepped up and led our forces in the Revolutionary War.

Obama now has the chance to lead our forces in an energy revolution. But instead of leading on global warming, Obama’s playing politics. He said it was time to “restore science to its rightful place” in his inaugural address, but sat back and watched as science was all but stripped from the Waxman-Markey climate legislation altogether at the behest of the fossil fuels and energy industries.

The worst part about this weak legislation is that it will not only keep America heading towards a full-speed, head-on collision with runaway climate change, but it will provide the cover for other developed countries to shirk their obligations to reduce emissions as well. President Obama needs a strong, science-based piece of legislation so that he can go to Copenhagen in December, when the next round of UN climate talks are scheduled to take place, and push for what science demands: 25 to 40% cuts in emissions below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 to 95% cuts by 2050. Anything less and we’re headed for disaster.

So we took this opportunity, as Obama meets with the other G8 leaders in L’Aquila, Italy, to send President Obama a message: “America honors leaders, not politicians. Stop Global Warming.” You can take action too, by signing our petition calling on Obama to be a leader on climate change policy in the US and internationally.

Comments (46)

mikeg on July 08, 2009

thanks for your help, Veritas. i believe Wolf Blitzer on CNN actually did cover the banner hang though...
GreasePeace on July 08, 2009

Veritas,
Your right about the pawn thing. Lobbiest have a hold on presedents.
Right now M. Jackson seems to have a hold on CNN.
I did hear about GreenPeace on Mt. Rushmore on NPR or BAI or NYC on the radio today.
Donna on July 08, 2009

I am all for fighting for our environment and getting people to act responsibly to protect that environment. But I think scaling a national monument to get a point across is out of line. What if the climbers had damaged the monument? That would have made them just as bad as those spoiling the environment. I was so inspired by our country's history when I visited Mt.Rushmore. Had I travelled from WV to SD to see the monument and been confronted by a banner defacing it, I would have been incensed. Its great to demonstrate, but please do so responsibly.
Veritas on July 08, 2009

Yeah I saw they are starting to cover it. I was watching the site all day waiting for the announcement so I guess I got a little over excited excited.

To Donna,

scaling a national monument is nothing compared to lying to the American people.
mikeg on July 08, 2009

@Donna,

there are actually already leads there that climbers use to clean the monument. our climbers used those, and were very careful not to damage the monument at all.
michellefrey on July 08, 2009

Great action today! Amazing job to all the climbers. I am watching coverage of it on ABC News Primetime.
MDSQ on July 08, 2009

Good one stupid, you are about as dumb as PETA. You got less than 2 minutes of air-time in SD. Way to go drop-outs!
Sandra on July 08, 2009

The problem with Washington, including Obama, is greed. They are not interested in curing the problem. They only care about who is throwing the most money at them. Case in point - natural gas. Washington is silent on this one, yet it is an immediate answer to a big part of the problem. Of course our leaders are getting no monies from the natural gas industry, thus no support. The cap & trade bill gives no incentives for developing the use of natural gas. We have the technology, the resources and the supply now. How sad for our Country that our leaders' interests are limited to themselves. We could be totally independent of foreign oil within a few years if they would support the use of natural gas. Natural gas is as green as it gets for the immediate future.
dood on July 08, 2009

how can you possibly be worried about damaging the monument to hang a sign when the people who are paid to protect it shoot fireworks off the top every year?? chances are much greater that some doofus is gonna start a wildfire in the park and burn the place down or shoot a firecracker wrong and damage the sculpture before it gets hurt by that sign! BTW...nice job today...I got a serious laugh outta that! And it got my attention - I just signed to petition.
Whales Tastegood on July 08, 2009

dood,

Once again, it's retards like you that use a few brain cells to think. Don't you think "the one's that are paid to protect the monument" make sure the area that the fireworks go off are protected from conflagration? I mean.. seriously, are the granite faces going to melt?
dood on July 08, 2009

maybe you don't realize this but a huge part of the monument is the surrounding forest, a forest plagued by beetles, so that many of the trees are dead / dying and would easily burn....how great would Rushmore look surrounded by a black, charred forest. I am happy to hear though, that you have such devotion and blind belief in federal employees! I happen to think that it is my right and my privilege, thanks to great leaders like Washington, to be involved in the way this country is run. You should be thankful too, because you also seem passionate about being able to speak freely.
gutzon borglum on July 08, 2009

Get off of my mountain and out of my state! Idiots...
Whales Tastegood on July 08, 2009

dood,

So I guess only dry trees exist in your short life span. But in reality, dry, wet, semi dry, semi wet, moldy, dead, sprouting, trees have been doing this for millions of years. Lightning in the past, Man Made Global Warm Drying Fireworks in the present can cause charring around the monument. I have no faith in Federal employees - in fact they should all be out of a job. I just think Global Warming is a joke.
dood on July 08, 2009

Gutzon, South Dakota does not belong to YOU, and Mt Rushmore does not belong to YOU! They 'belong' to American's. The only 'harm' done was the apparent ease of the whole operation.
MDSQ on July 08, 2009

It is amazing that "dood" knows so little about nature, yet spews laughable garbage about the "forest." Please find something more important to do with your life rather than terrorism.
md on July 08, 2009

Awesome and it was covered in national news media too CNN, Fox, ABC, Christian Science Monitor and local news including Washington Post. Congratulations to Greenpeace for a well executed action with the right message to the politicians
victoryofthepeople on July 08, 2009

Bravo! This definitely caught my attention, as did it of many others, i'm sure. My Grandmother called me and asked if I heard about the "Rushmore Global Warming Banner Thing-a-ma-jig". She said hooligans put a banner up, and sure enough when I checked online, there it was. Great job 'hooligans'! This was excellent. Wish there was greater press coverage, though :/
mike on July 08, 2009

You shouldn't have drank the Kool aid!! Chicken Little won't debate global warming because his "science" is faulty and outdated. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT DURING THE PAST SEVEN YEARS THE AVERAGE GLOBAL TEMPS HAVE DECLINED, AND DURING THE SAME SEVEN YEARS Co2 EMISSIONS INCREASED. These same Co2 emissions that, according to Chicken Little, are melting our icecaps, which by the way are expanding.

Think about what you're saying, man can no more affect GLOBAL TEMPS than he can make it rain.

Now if you want to talk about water pollution, or being responsible with our natural resources, that's something REAL.

Stop the lie.
Ernie on July 08, 2009

If you want to stop "global warming", "climate change" or whatever you want to call it, sink your boats, stop driving your SUV's to every protest you show up to, quit buying birkenstocks made of petroleum and other clothing of petrol orgins, move out of your house and into the woods. Quit all things civilized. And most of all quit defacing our national treasures. There is no global warming. 10,000 years ago half of the northern hemisphere was covered in ice nearly a mile thick. Since the continental ice sheet has regressed to its current position. And for over 99% of that time of regression humans were insignificant to that warming. NO SUVs, Farting cows, farmers or anything else. They regressed on there own. The world is not static it is dynamic and you, me, or our misguided government cannot stop the earth's climate from changing. Not even you. But I encourage you to still go live in the woods. I'll take your house and SUV you drive to protest. Oh and leave your rifles and pistols its almost hunting season and I could use some new weapons.
Ralph on July 09, 2009

PETA is very stupid. You guys aren't. I don't think political parties should be in the U.S. It should be one party. What law did you guys break? It wouldn't be that hard to remove a banner.

If politicians or leaders can't listen to you, they wouldn't listen to anybody for that matter. It makes me very angry that our government & our people isn't united. Less than 50% of our citizens can't vote. If you have a felony, you can't vote at all. Our country just makes me sick.
Ralph on July 09, 2009

Actually, More than 50% choose not to vote. Sorry for the double post.
seal clubber on July 09, 2009

I'm watching you. All of you. When I am finally made the supreme ruler of the world I will have all of you rounded up and arrested.
ambera on July 09, 2009

as someone from SD i was disgusted at what happened today, we are very proud of our monument and people from all over the world come to see it, defacing it and potentially ruining it is not gonna stop global warming, all you have done is make many people angry who wish nothing more than for you to sit in jail and rot. i hope there are huge consequences and you never ever step foot in SD again.
Ralph on July 09, 2009

Are you very proud with your politicians not listening to your wishes? This country is run by a bunch of morons that get paid in office and do whatever to get re-elected and use a political party. Government officials that are elected shouldn't get paid at all. Only people that actually work for the government that don't have to make extremely important decisions on a daily basis!

I have noticed that it only snows once or twice in the winter and its Indiana! Nobody can stop emissions but the government can put laws on things that pollute the air. If you think that this world doesn't have any climate change at all, your a fool and a half. I don't think its called defacement at all. They did not paint the mountain. They only put a banner up.

Please read about dumb laws. They have a ton of them and thats how dumb our country is. I wish that all laws weren't by state & town but for the whole country. Having too many different laws and taxes by each state makes this country more complicated than it should.
seal clubber on July 09, 2009

Hey Ralph outside of bitching and complaining are you doing anything to make it better. I don't think so. just calm down alittle. Go plant a tree or something. Make sure you walk to the nursery, we don't want to put any pollution in the air now do we?
Ralph on July 09, 2009

Hey,

Seal Clubber..your not doing anything to make anything better either. You'd better watch what you say.
John on July 09, 2009

maybe there not bringing it up is because global warming is a bunch of b/s,(even the founder of the weather channel said global warming is a lie) and no one cares about something thats not true when were in a war, and are economy is in the toilet, and 10% of the country doesnt have a job, get your head out of the gutter and look at the real issues.
jake on July 09, 2009

first of all, your mission of being peaceful is so ironic......second, global warming is just an issue that liberal people want rant about to get some attention. how do i know this? because its a completely faulty theory. its cold up here in chicago and its mid july. the theory is so inconsistent.......how bout we start being more supportive of people who are trying to make a living in this country and stop pulling immature pranks to raise an eyebrow. no i dont drive a truck, nor do i drive a gas sipping 4 cylinder....its all about what fits your needs as transportation.....one more thing before i receive a bunch of hate mail, by defacing politicians and sabotaging "gas guzzling trucks", your only making yourself look more ignorant and less credible.....besides, the flatulence that comes out your ass is more pollutant than a ford excursion
jake on July 09, 2009

ernie, your so right....ive thought about that theory before....and it honestly makes the most sense
Christopher D on July 09, 2009

I am a tree hugging, dirt worshiping, granola eating, nature loving, semi-hippy, and I have to say, I am disgusted by this latest publicity stunt by greenpeace.
Did you make your banner out of 100% recycled material and bio-degradable inks?
I spend nearly every weekend crawling through swamps, thickets, tick infested grass doing wildlife counts, and monitoring in wildife refuges, I donate thousands of dollars worth of photos to non-profit environmental and educational organizations every year, and thousands of dollars in volunteered man hours, and durable good that directly benefit the environment and the creature that call it home.
You yahoos climb a national monument, drap a big ass banner from it, probably ruin some peoples hard earned vacations when they drove for hours or days to see Rushmore, and instead they see your rope monkeys swinging around putting on a circus.
Get back to the basics, get out from in front of the cameras, and get behind them, and do something hands on to make a difference, not a scene.

As Gandi said " You must BE the change you want to see in the world".
John on July 09, 2009

Thanks for the banner! I needed a good laugh! Are you folks out of high school yet? If you want to do something worth salt, get involved in politics and make change instead of playing with your crayons. As for me, I honor those that give sacrifice for others "betterment", not those that hang stupid signs of little value and are proud of the news coverage!
Sodakgirl on July 09, 2009

Born and Raised in the Black Hills, I am a very proud individual of our beautiful state, which includes Mt. Rushmore. Yesterday when I heard the news about Greenpeace, I was incredibly suprised and taken back. I wasn't upset or mad like the rest of the state, I was proud that people are willing to do what it takes to get their message out to the world. What does bother me tremendously is the fact that they actually got to the top of the faces without being shot! I have been raised, along with the rest of natives of SD to believe that the men watching the MT are armed and ready to shoot down ANYONE attempting to climb the faces... i'm glad it was greenpeace and not a terrorist, but now that I am aware of how easily accesible it was for you guys, I'm terrified a bomber will think the same. Good luck on your efforts, and I hope they do more national coverage on it, the nightly local news just isn't the same~
Tree hugger on July 09, 2009

Im wondering if the climbers drove a moter vehicle to the site or rode a metal framed bike?
Tree hugger on July 09, 2009

What about the carbon minoxide they omitted from breathing hard after the climb?
citizen on July 09, 2009

To the climbers ... and Greenpeace ...

Thanks for having the hutzpah to call BS in such a big way on the political farce that is frittering away our last good chance to spare humanity and much of living Creation from a miserable fate, or quite possibly doom.

You can't change minds and the course of history without pissing some people off, so from some of the reactions here it is clear that you are having a positive effect.

CARRY ON !!
alecrothman on July 09, 2009

Personally, I think the guys whose faces are on that monument would have no problem with the banner. I'm sure they'd be happier to see people, real people, acting on their politics rather than just talking about them. They had to fight for everything they got, and they did. And because of that, we all as American citizens, regardless of our politics, are benefiting. It's the same thing.
davidgreenpeace on July 09, 2009

My sincerest thanks and appreciation to the amazing activists who made this happen.

In response to some of the comments here:

Greenpeace took special care to make sure that there was no property damage to Mt. Rushmore. It's an organization that takes peace and non-violence seriously, and that includes making sure we don't damage property.

Some of you guys don't seem to agree with this move -- that's fine, it's your right. But the planet is desperate. More desperate than it ever has been. We are literally standing at the precipice of a climate tipping point. We only have so much time, and Obama has to take action based in real science now.

In the face of that desperation, I'm proud that Greenpeace will do anything, so long as it's peaceful, to convince Obama to do what's right, and not what's politically expedient.

There's no time for thinking small right now, and we should all be thinking big too.
savee419 on July 09, 2009

has anyone reading this blog and voicing their complaints even looked at the White House Impacts Statement?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Streaming-Now-Climate-Change-Impacts-Across-America-Renewed-Focus-for-Decisions/

I would be really interested to see what people have to say about this action after seeing how the climate IS CHANGING NOW.

A little rubble rolling off of a Monument that originally desecrated (and decimated) a Native American holy land isn't really an act of terrorism. At all. That argument is more akin to "what came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Christopher D on July 09, 2009

"There's no time for thinking small right now, and we should all be thinking big too." Desperate acts to grab a moment in the spotlight do NOTHING to bring about change. Change could have been brought about by using the money spent for this stunt to plant some trees, give away CFL bulbs, buy wetlands before commercial developments can, and keep them wetlands. We ALL know the planet is going to shit, and the only problem with this planet is people, and that includes the members of greenpeace, as well as myself. Our hypocrisy knows no bounds. We scream for change, yet we consume more and more electricity, drive 300 miles in carbon spewing cars to attend a protest, we buy shoes, radios, etc that are shipped across the oceans in diesel spilling, smog spitting super cargo ships. We dont need PR stunts, we NEED down in the dirt making a difference action. Small acts add up to BIG changes, PR stunts do NOT spur change. Next time plant trees in a deforested area, convince your local government to allow grass median in your local streets to be returned to "non-cutting" managed meadow lands. And work on getting pro environmentalist grass roots individuals in city, county, and state government, THEN move on to the feds. But until we learn to take care of our own backyards in a manner that benefits the over all picture, then the efforts are a waste of money.
bayoudog on July 09, 2009

wow. this action really brought out the crazies in the comments! so much bile and hatred and negativity. pity the internet is populated by so many folks with nothing better to do than spew such venom. maybe if they'd get off their butts and put their energy into helping change this country for the better like y'all are, we'd actually see change on these big issues...

anyway, THANK YOU GP. you're true patriots. I bet Jefferson himself would grin about this one. Probably Teddy too. So many of our other past patriots would nod in approval. We should blindly worship our idealized version of nationalism - we should continue to strive higher for ourselves and our leaders. Y'ALL ROCK.
adiheller on July 09, 2009

As a concerned citizen and greenpeace member, I am thoroughly impressed and satisfied with the work the organization did to carry this action off.

Many responders to this blog post have made the argument that this action in and of itself will not make any changes happen. They would be correct, if this was the only thing Greenpeace was doing. Yet, if the angry critics of this action took a minute to read through other sections of the Greenpeace website, looking through the strategies of things like the Climate Rescue campaign or the Forests for Climate push, to name just two, they would know the numerous other methods greenpeace is using to push for the urgent change the planet needs.

Hanging a banner from a monument to our greatest leaders on a day when our current President had an opportunity to take a major leadership role at the G8 meetings is both courageous and strategic. Thank you for standing up, again, Greenpeace.
jhocevar on July 09, 2009

I love it! Congrats on pulling this off.

The timing is right - President Obama needs to hear that people need his leadership to make sure the steps being taken to deal with global warming are in line with the best available science and not just what the coal lobbyists are happy with.
juliegoulart on July 09, 2009

wow...whales t.g and seal clubber...send us a post when you get into high school.maybe by then you'll be grown up enough to use decent wording.nothing better to do then hang on sites that you dont believe in?and sacrafice?2 tours in irac my friend....and i do believe these guys are hero's!!!! kudo's to greenpeace!keep up the good fight!
seal clubber on July 10, 2009

Ouch! That hurts. Just for your nasty comments I will let my car idle in the parking lot for one hour every day for the next week. Let's see how that helps global warming.
sofia on July 10, 2009

I heard about this action EVERYWHERE and I am on the West Coast! The Mt. Rushmore Greenpeace stunt was inspiring and very well executed. It makes me happy to hear about people and organizations that stand up and demand true and solid action on global warming. People who are not willing to do what it takes to avoid catastrophic climate change are either stuck with their head in the sand or have allowed greed to get the better of them. Seriously people, be a kind and good human instead of being a waste of life.
Webo on July 20, 2009

After years of looking at the data, I am convinced that Global Warming IS NOT MAN MADE! In fact, it is not happening at all.

Fact is, the earth is cooling. Are the poles shrinking? Yes, they have been for millions of years!

If you actually looked at data on the topic instead of taking the word of those who's livelihoods depend upon your support you would see that this is another item in the bag of bull that our pop culture is pushing.

It's really sad that so many intelligent, gifted people are wasting their lives doing this kind of thing.

What sad joke...

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