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Copenhagen. Climate activists, anti-capitalists and defenders of indigenous rights raised their voices on Sunday in Copenhagen, girding for a battle of images and slogans on the eve of the UN global warming talks.

Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise, anchored in the harbor near the center of Denmark’s capital, unfurled a banner delivering a core message as world leaders prepare to grapple with fixing earth’s damaged atmosphere: “Our climate — our future — your decision.”
Nearby, a self-styled Alternative Climate Forum geared up to accommodate some 10,000 visitors per day.

“Fifteen meetings haven’t changed anything,” said forum spokesman Niels Fastrup, referring to two years of negotiations leading up to the Copenhagen showdown. “The philosophy behind the climate forum is that people will start to take action by themselves, because even if we manage to get an agreement, it still will not be enough. We need green values and they won’t come from the UN conference.”

The alternative gathering is housed between the central train station and what was once a massive brick abattoir, and is funded in part by a 1.1 million euro ($1.6 million) grant from the Danish government. Some of that money has made it possible for 80 “climate witnesses” to travel to Copenhagen from Bangladesh, India, Malawi, Nigeria and other climate-vulnerable countries.

The two-week talks have drawn 15,000 registered participants from 190 countries, reaching the maximum capacity. Organizers said they had to turn away another 19,000 people.

More than 50 percent of the country’s 11,000 police are in Copenhagen already, and up to 85 percent are on call if needed.

“We are ready, we have mobilized enough force from the entire kingdom to handle the heaviest task the modern police has ever been called upon to assume,” said Mogens Lauridsen, head of operations for the police. “We have anticipated every contingency, including the worst. We are confident, but we expect excesses because there will surely be protesters looking for violence.”

The police have set up a makeshift detention center about five kilometers from the city center that can process up to 1,000 people every 24 hours, accommodating 350 at any given time.

They have also sent out more than 3,000 letters to residents around the Bella Center, where the conference is taking place, asking them to report any suspicious activity. Fines for public disorder have been doubled and jail sentences for conviction extended to a maximum of 40 days.

Agence France-Presse