Gearing up for the CNN/YouTube Climate Debate in Copenhagen

We're just hours away from the CNN/YouTube Climate Debate, brought to you from the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen. All questions came from the YouTube community - so tune in to watch it live at www.youtube.com/cop15

But first, here's a quick behind-the-scenes look at the set-up for today's event:

And you can follow the debate on Twitter with #cnnytdebate

Live on YouTube: Leaders Answer Your Questions in the CNN/YouTube Climate Debate

Today, at 8 a.m. ET, a panel of world climate leaders, among them former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and journalist Thomas Friedman, will gather in Copenhagen and answer the top questions that you submitted to the CNN/YouTube Climate Debate channel.

You can watch them address the issues that matter to you in real-time: We'll be live-streaming the debate at www.youtube.com/cop15.

Thank you for making this event truly international. We received thousands of questions from Italy to Brazil, Nigeria to New Zealand. To get a scope of just how many countries are represented, see this map, which depicts global submissions through a Google Earth layer.

And if you didn't have a chance to submit a question, but still want to raise your voice about climate change, we encourage you to join the discussion on Twitter during the debate using hashtag #cnnytdebate.

Kofi Annan, Thomas Friedman to join CNN/YouTube Climate Debate panel

Last week, we announced the CNN/YouTube Climate Debate in Copenhagen, an effort to make sure that your voice is included in the climate debate - and that your questions are posed to decision-makers on an international stage.

These leaders will include Kofi Annan, Thomas Friedman, Yves de Boer, and Bjorn Lomberg.

To submit your question, upload a short video of yourself posing the question and submit it here: www.youtube.com/cop15. We've already seen some top-notch video questions like this one from Mo in Florida who is concerned about the cost of going green:



Angela asks about the consequences of climate change and what happens if Copenhagen leads to nothing:



And Helena in Rio de Janeiro is asking about environmental education in schools:



You can vote on your the questions above and others, and submit your own at www.youtube.com/cop15. The debate will be live-streamed on this YouTube channel on December 15 so make sure to watch and see if world leaders answer your question.

Connect with world leaders on the climate debate

Next week 192 countries will participate in the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen — the first step in setting new international commitments for carbon reduction. We want to be sure your voice is included in the debate.

That's why, starting today, you can submit and vote on questions to ask world climate leaders during a televised town hall on CNN. With Google Moderator on YouTube for the first time, you can view, add, and vote on video or text questions in one spot.

Questions will be translated into numerous languages using the Google Language API, giving you a chance to read and vote on text questions from around the world. Voting and submissions will be accepted until December 14. You can also track the conversation and vote on new questions. Visit www.youtube.com/cop15 now to get started.

Next week we'll post an update on popular and interesting questions. We're looking forward to seeing what ideas you and others around the world have for addressing climate change.

CNN vs. the Tea Partiers

Hundreds of videos were posted to YouTube after Tax Day "Tea Party" protests that went down all across the country yesterday. Held in the spirit of the 1773 Boston Tea Party, these modern day tea parties were organized to protest the Obama administration's increased government spending and tax policies.

The most viewed news video on YouTube today is actually a clip in which CNN reporter Susan Roesgen visits one of these tea parties being held in Chicago and engages an angry crowd of protesters. They don't exactly welcome CNN's presence at the largely right-wing gathering (which was fully supported and promoted by the conservative cable news network, Fox News). Watch the clip here:



A group called the Founding Bloggers arrived on the scene just after the CNN-protester altercation and captured some footage and interviews with members of the riled-up crowd.