Involving Global Opinion in the Climate Debate: Denmark Launches Climate Change Web Platform With Google

COPENHAGEN and NEW YORK - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, on behalf of the Danish government as hosts of the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15), today announced a new collaboration with the global internet company Google.

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The aim of the collaboration is to increase global engagement in climate change in the run-up to and during COP15 in Copenhagen in December.

The collaboration includes a number of online initiatives:

- “Raise your voice” COP15 YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/cop15

Denmark will allow users of the online video sharing website YouTube to share their thoughts on climate change and to make their voices be heard at the conference. Through the channel, users can contribute their own opinion and questions, and respond to and view videos by climate change opinion makers. The channel will also allow users to watch videos that go behind the scenes of the conference itself. During COP15, videos will be shown to the leaders of the world gathered at the conference, who will have a chance to record their opinions directly from the conference venue.

- Visualization of climate change on Google Earth - www.google.com/cop15

Working with data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the international scientific community, Google has visualized climate change stories on Google Maps and Google Earth. For example, users will be able to view visualizations of greenhouse gas emissions by region, the expected consequences of climate change, as well as narrated virtual tours on mitigation and adaptation aspects.

- Working together for the climate

A number of different organizations are working on outreach efforts in the period leading up to COP15. To unite all these campaigns, users of Denmark’s “Raise your voice” COP15 YouTube channel will be able to visit other major campaigns, including the UN’s official Seal the Deal initiative, UNICEF’s Unite for Climate youth campaign, the Hopenhagen campaign, Prince Charles’ Rainforest Project and the Tck Tck Tck campaign.

In addition to the above activities under the collaboration between Denmark and Google, Google is collaborating with CNN to conduct a global, TV-transmitted Townhall debate during COP15. As such, questions submitted to the “Raise your voice” YouTube channel will be broadcast to a worldwide audience.

The collaboration between Denmark and Google will be launched tomorrow, September 22, by the Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, during the UN Climate Summit in New York. Video coverage of the event will be made available on the COP15 “Raise your voice” YouTube channel.

On the YouTube channel there will also be “Call to Action” videos from HRH the Crown Prince of Denmark and the Prime Minister of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

Web links:

COP15 “Raise your voice” YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/cop15

Google Earth climate change visualization: www.google.com/cop15

COP15.dk - climate change news and conference information: www.cop15.dk COP15 “Climate Thinkers Blog”: www.blog.cop15.dk

COP15 on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cop15

COP15 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cop15

For more information, please contact: Google, Inc. Niki Fenwick, Senior Manager, Communications & Public Affairs, nikifenwick@google.com Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Klavs A. Holm, Ambassador for Public Diplomacy, tel. +45-25-28-37-37 Louise Brincker, Head of Press, COP15, tel. +45-23-43-41-76 Jakob Faarvang, Team Leader, COP15 Press/Outreach team, tel. +45-25-26-75-74 Torben Jensen, Head of Section, COP15 Press/Outreach team, tel. +45-50-86-75-28

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

For more information, please contact: Google, Inc., Niki Fenwick, Senior Manager, Communications & Public Affairs, nikifenwick at google.com; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark: Klavs A. Holm, Ambassador for Public Diplomacy, tel. +45-25-28-37-37; Louise Brincker, Head of Press, COP15, tel. +45-23-43-41-76; Jakob Faarvang, Team Leader, COP15 Press/Outreach team, tel. +45-25-26-75-74; Torben Jensen, Head of Section, COP15 Press/Outreach team, tel. +45-50-86-75-28