Dr Ego vs The Elements in climate change video

A video explaining climate change by presenting it as a good versus evil battle of superheroes is being released ahead of the Copenhagen summit to try to educate people about the problem

The short film has been created by Klimaforum09, an "alternative people's summit" arranged to take place in the Danish capital while politicians are debating policy inside the Bella Centre.

The Klimaforum is designed to provide an opportunity for the public to enter into discussion on an official level. With 30,000 climate activists expected to attend, it will be the largest such gathering.

It shows Dr Ego and his evil accomplices Coalman, Gazolina, Mr Voltage and Miss Glutony battling with the Earth's heroes, The Elements. "Instead of communicating about climate change in the language of green environmentalists, politicians or experts, we are trying to use people's own language, which today is steeped in popular cultural references," said Richard Steed of Klimaforum.

Activists will also stage the kinds of protests commonly seen in the UK: on Sunday 13 December, Hit the Production will attempt to shut down Copenhagen harbour and on 16 December, Climate Justice Action will lead an attempt to take over the conference and turn it into a People's Summit for Climate Justice.