Massive banners calling for climate action greet Trump, Putin as they meet in Helsinki for a summit
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Helsinki, Finland, for a summit on Monday morning, July 16. The presidents were greeted with two banners with a message about climate change.
"Warm Our Hearts, Not Our Planet," the two banners read, hanging from a church tower.
Greenpeace activists hung the two banners on either side of the Kallio Church in Helsinki early Monday morning, according to a Greenpeace press release.
Environmental group Greenpeace demonstrates with a poster hanging from the tower of the Kallio Church in Helsinki, Finland, Monday, July 16, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Helsinki on Monday. (Seppo Samuli, Lehtikuva via AP)
The demonstration was coordinated in conjunction with the church's parish of Kallio of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The action is an effort to remind the public that "empathy and action" are key to protecting the planet.
"Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation and its impacts are felt by us today, putting our lives in danger. Everywhere in the world, people are determined to break free from fossil fuels. It is disappointing that presidents Trump and Putin are not helping us," Sini Harkki, Greenpeace Nordic programme manager for Finland, said in the press release.
The change is happening, with ordinary people leading and demanding a transition to clean, renewable energy worldwide, Harkki said.
President Trump was greeted by similar demonstrations when he visited London on Friday, July 13.
