With only fourteen days until the start of the COP15 meeting, over sixty presidents and prime ministers are expected to attend. However, President Obama will not be among them.  There has been a concern that nothing substantial will come from Copenhagen without the heads of some of the world’s major polluters (China, India, and the US) in attendance.    I agree with this concern, and I challenge President Obama to step up to the plate and properly represent the United States in Copenhagen.

Obviously, the president has many pressing issues in the US right now.  The healthcare debate is in a crucial period and the US economy continues its downward slide. While running for office, President Obama promised to directly engage in global climate change.  I feel that so far President Obama has only given lip service to the issue and has not actually made any substantial changes.  I think that the president needs to show the United States’ commitment to this issue by attending at least part of the conference in person.

I understand that, right now, health care and the economy are the big issues on Americans’ minds.  However, President Obama needs to realize that climate change is both a health and economic issue.    What good is health care reform if we have trashed our planet and depleted our resources?  Likewise, what better way to revive the American economy than to make the US the world’s leader in alternative energy production and sustainable industry?

Again, I hope that President Obama realizes that there is more at stake at Copenhagen than just a “slight” rise in global temperature.  While we are in Copenhagen, I sincerely hope that President Obama will be representing the United States with us.

Written by BEN ROBERTS.