Methodists to take climate message to Westminster

  

The President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference will join staff and supporters of the Methodist relief and development partner, All We Can, on 17 June to take part in the largest mass lobby of Parliament on climate change in UK history.

The lobby, organised by the Climate Coalition, is calling on newly-elected MPs to press the government to seek a fair, strong, legally binding, global climate deal. It is also calling on politicians to work together across party lines to agree carbon budgets in accordance with the Climate Change Act and to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy.

Thousands of people are expected to head to London in support of The Climate Coalition’s For The Love Of… campaign, to speak to their MP about climate change in the first mass lobby of the new parliament. The Climate Coalition, with 100 member organisations including All We Can, is the UK’s largest group of people dedicated to action on climate change and limiting its impact on the world’s poorest communities.

Ahead of the lobby, the President of the Methodist Conference, Reverend Ken Howcroft and Vice-President Gill Dascombe will both be joining other Christian leaders in leading worship at two ecumenical services that will run concurrently at St Margaret’s Church and the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster. Gill Dascombe said:

“The book of Genesis paints a vivid picture of the scale and diversity of creation and tells how God entrusted the care of the creation to human beings. As the people of God today we have inherited that responsibility, and so it is our solemn duty to raise concern about anything that may harm our beautiful and fragile world. The scientific evidence clearly shows the current and future threat caused by climate change. I am proud to represent the Methodist People on this Climate Change day as we urge governments and other agencies to take action.”

All We Can’s deputy chief executive, Simeon Mitchell, commented:

“Poor communities around the world are facing increasing challenges as a result of a changing climate, from more natural disasters to less predictable harvests. We are supporting our partners to address these issues locally, but action at the global level is also vital. This year is a crucial one in the campaign to minimise climate change and its harmful effects. In December, the world’s governments will meet in Paris and will endeavour to reach international agreement on capping global carbon emissions, which could be critical for ensuring that global temperature rises are kept below safe limits. On 17 June we will be challenging politicians to work for an ambitious deal, for the sake not only of future generations but also those who are most vulnerable to climate change today.”

To sign up to join other activists in Westminster www.awcdev.us/climate

 

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