Here, even as I write at the end of 2009, we are preparing hell for our beloved children and grandchildren, and on all those who follow.

The earth's natural systems, which every last man, woman and child of us depends on for our very lives, are fast approaching the point where they no longer allow a bearable life to be an aspiration, even for the poorest.

We may avert this, scientists tell us, if we act very quickly, but only very quickly.

I implore, beg, and plead with readers of The Jakarta Post to demand that the Government of Indonesia:

Act to stop all forest destruction.

Release Greenpeace activists and independent journalists who only seek to halt the total destruction of the forests of Indonesia.

Without doubt, the West has made the biggest contribution to climate change by creating the industrial revolution based on fossil fuel combustion and by benefiting from palm oil.

So it is only right that the West bears the heaviest burden of measures to reduce climate change, including paying countries like Indonesia to stop destroying forests to plant palm oil trees.

Chris Burden
UK

Our respect keeps growing for Greenpeace activists because they are fighting for a better world. Their struggle to save the whales is one of their most important tasks right now.

Hopefully Japan and Scandinavian countries will one day realize that whales are the last gigantic animals gracing our oceans.

Indeed, Greenpeace activists have to take on powerful multinational companies and greedy governments, yet they are prepared to sacrifice their lives to achieve their aspirations. We have been supporting them financially for more than 25 years now and I urge others to do so too.

Unfortunately we are leaving an extremely polluted world to our offspring thanks to unscrupulous individuals.

I grew up in the jungles of Kalimantan and our dad took us for long walks and taught us to respect the forest and its flora and fauna. We helped care for wounded animals.

These wonderful moments now just remain precious memories. I have seen and witnessed the disappearance at an alarming rate of Kalimantan's irreplaceable rainforests by greedy Indonesian, Japanese and American companies.

Each time I visit my brother in Balikpapan I start crying when I see the empty barren Borneo lands. Keep going Greenpeace; you will always have our support!

Lynna
Bogor, West Java

The trial of 55-year old Minah for cocoa-stealing is another fine example that strengthens public suspicion on how big businesses can easily control the actions of the police by giving it enough "incentive", even at the risk of making the police look so incompetent!

Indra Soebagjo
Jakarta

The Greenpeace activists deserve all our support for taking nonviolent action to expose those who seek to destroy our environment.

Alan
Hampshire, UK

Many of us hope that the Indonesian government will recognize that these protesters are not anarchists trying to disrupt law and order for no good reason.

In fact they are some of the most well-informed people on the planet and are taking this action as a result of the strong body of scientific evidence that demonstrates the impact deforestation has on the rapidly changing global climate, and also upon local communities, and the ecosystem.

Understandably the government wishes to support business, and increase revenue that can be invested back into the country.

But I would suggest the long-term benefits of less intensive logging, and outright habitat conservation, will see Indonesia as a much more valuable place in years to come. I hope Copenhagen will provide mechanisms to support this.

Ben MacKinnon
Spain

Greenpeace activists are doing the right thing in the rainforest. The world wants destruction of the forests to stop. Governments must take notice.

Colin
Bath, UK

The Greenpeace activists, both local Indonesians and foreigners, are being very brave in drawing the world's attention to activities that threaten the climate of our planet.

The fate of millions and millions of people is far more important than petty arguments about the possible illegality of their actions.

Marilyn Spurr
Jakarta

Time is slipping away and deforestation must be halted. Without Greenpeace activists inspiring local communities to embark on civil disobedience, the might of money and the law and their outdated and short term tenets will not be stemmed in time to stop us overstepping the point of no return with climate change.

Greenpeace activists are heroes and often martyrs who believe that action is urgent and have no pecuniary or self interest in their actions.

Brian S
Milton Keynes, UK

Greenpeace is not an extremist organization. It is made up of individuals and funded by donations; it uses nonviolent methods to highlight man's destruction of the planet. If Greenpeace is camping in Sumatra, it is because the forest is being destroyed.

I call on Indonesians accept this campaign, not to arrest Greenpeace. I call on Indonesia to use the Copenhagen summit to protect the rainforest, the lungs of the earth, and use this protection to obtain climate action and support from the US and EU.

Brian Wood
UK

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