Comment - December 2009
Groundswell to Copenhagen
There was a great show of support for the ecumenical service before the Wave march through London. You can hear the Archbishop of Canterbury's address at www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2649 . The Archbishop will be taking part in a number of events in Copenhagen marking the halfway stage of the climate summit. He will preach in the city's cathedral in a service attended by the Danish Royal Family and broadcast live on Danish TV. Events in Copenhagen and the worldwide interest in the negotiations and the science will form a major part of our media for the next couple of weeks and you can keep up-to-date by connecting to some special correspondents.
Daily film videos are part of a plan to make sure that the voice of faith is heard from the UN climate summit at at http://www.operationnoah.org/. Operation Noah, the ecumenical community which campaigns exclusively on climate change, is working with a US web-based organisation, Odyssey Networks, to bring you the voices of religious wisdom as monks, nuns, rabbis and holy men and women converge on the Danish capital.
Mark Dowd of Operation Noah will be fronting many of the reports which will feature everyone from the Archbishop of Canterbury, to youngsters from the Christian-Muslim forum, Benedictine and Franciscan nuns, Hindu gurus, Buddhist monks and American evangelicals.
Meanwhile, Brendan Bowles of Arocha's Climate Stewards will also be in Copenhagen and sending back daily prayer reports via United Christian Broadcasting and also on www.twitter.com/climateprayer or www.climatestewards.net/cs-int-en/resources/getprayers.html
For those of us keeping our carbon footprints safely in check by staying at home here is a message from Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
One of the most powerful forces in the fight against climate change is the voice of faith groups. The ethical values, local community roots and international reach of our great faith traditions has given them tremendous influence in the global debate in the run up to the UN climate summit in Copenhagen.
Over the last few weeks I have taken part in events involving the great religious traditions in Britain. I have come away with a great feeling of hope as we have discussed not just action to tackle climate change internationally, but also what we can do in our lives.
This action is vital if humanity is to fulfill our duty to each other. People of all religions and none would suffer if we don't act. Changing temperatures could cut rice yields by up to 30% in countries like India and Bangladesh. Rising sea levels could over-run many of the island nations of the world. We would also see the impacts at home. The sort of weather that led to the flooding we in Cumbria will only become more common unless we act. Already, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record in the UK have been in the last 15 years.
But tackling climate change is not just about avoiding disaster. With the right action we can improve our societies. The new low carbon economy will bring new high quality jobs at a time when we need to rebalance our economy. The security of our energy supplies will be improved as we use more home-grown renewable power. With improved recycling and lower emissions from cars and power stations, we can live in a cleaner less polluted environment.
The Copenhagen summit this December will be central to getting the change we need. The UK already has legislation to cut emissions by 80% by 2050 with clear legally binding markers along the way. We are transforming our energy, our homes and our transport system. But only action on a global scale can be enough to address the problem. And it is only global action that can provide the money for developing countries so they can continue to take their populations out of poverty without causing the sorts of carbon emissions that were part of our economic development.
There is no doubt that this is a very great change. And like the other great transformations in society here and around the world - the abolition of slavery, voting rights for women, the fall of communism - it cannot be achieved without widespread public action.
So, I want to thank you for what you are already doing to reduce CO2 emissions in your own homes. Simple things like turning down the thermostat can add up to a surprisingly big difference and can also save money on energy bills. But I also want to ask you to act not just in your own lives, but in your communities. Whether that is through running petitions to demand change, or getting together to raise awareness of the issue and the Copenhagen summit.
Climate change is not just a problem for politicians or green groups. It is about our health, our society, our economy and our security. It is about the future of our planet and it really does concern every single one of us.
A deal in Copenhagen, if it comes, will not just be because Governments want it but because people like you made it happen.
Come to our website http://www.actoncopenhagen.gov.uk/ to find out how you can make a difference.
