History is full of pivotal moments that transform society and pave the way for the future – the Treaty of Versailles, declarations of independence, Martin Luther King Jnr’s speech in Washington.

Climate change is the issue defining our age. If global leaders take action, then the Copenhagen summit can be our historical moment. It’s not everyday we’re presented with a chance to influence big history.

It’s the point made by a group of Greenpeace activists in Rome, who unfurled a banner from a great icon of human civilisation – the Colusseum – on day three of negotiations in Copenhagen.

All photos © Greenpeace/Nobili.