Christians to Pressure Government on Climate Change at 'I Count' Rally

Thousands of people are expected to march in London on Saturday 4 November ahead of a major rally in Trafalgar Square and Christians of all denominations will be making sure they are among them.

The demonstrators will march to the 'I Count' rally in Trafalgar Square organised by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, which includes a wide range of environment, development and faith organisations.

Concerned Christians taking part in the demonstrations will start the day with a service at Grosvenor Chapel organised by Operation Noah - which was set up by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and Christian Ecology Link.

Numerous Christian organisations are urging Christians to take part and voice their concern over climate change at the rally which will take place on the eve of critical international climate change talks in Nairobi.

Baptist World Mission Gareth Wilde, BMS mission education coordinator, said that, as Christians it is our responsibility to join the campaign to stop climate chaos.

He also told how BMS workers in some of the poorest countries in the world are already seeing firsthand the "catastrophic effects" of climate change.

"Crop failures, flooding and desertification are affecting poor communities that have few resources to deal with the devastating consequences of climate chaos," he said.

Stop Climate Chaos, which describes itself as an "unprecedented and growing coalition", brings together more than 35 environmental and development organisations, unions, faith communities and women's groups.

Christian members include Oxfam, Tearfund, Christian Aid, while other members include Friends of the Earth, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, the Women's Institute and Unison.

The I Count campaign is calling for the UK Government to push for international action on greenhouse emissions to ensure they are in irreversible decline by 2015. It is also pressing for developing countries to be helped in adapting to climate change and adopting clean energy measures.