Church of Scotland minister the Rev Malcolm Rooney has called for climate change to be the single issue that decides how Christians vote at the forthcoming elections to the Scottish Parliament.

Rev Rooney, minister of the Glens and Kirriemuir Old church in Angus, Scotland, made the appeal after last week's release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which warned of rising temperatures and sea levels globally.

During Sunday's sermon, Mr Rooney drew attention to the report's warning of a impending global climate catastrophe, as well as the link it makes between human behaviour and global warming.

Mr Rooney said: "Be very clear about it, this report is a landmark report on climate change. This is not about if, but about when and to what extent climate change will affect the planet."

In light of the reports gloomy predictions, Mr Rooney called on Christians to become informed on climate change. "First and foremost we must get to know about it. Know what is happening. How it is caused and what we can do. And then start to do something."

He also urged Christians to lobby their MPs and MSPs:"I believe that the most important things we can do are not necessarily to recycle, or to use energy efficient light bulbs and so on. Yes, these are important, but they are not as important as applying sustained and demanding pressure on our MPs and MSPs to act.

"The battle ground of the forthcoming elections should be how to make Scotland a carbon neutral country."

Rev Rooney linked climate change with theology as he stressed that the effects of climate change will be felt the hardest by those least able to cope. He warned, "If we are judged in eternity, then the single issue of judgment has now become what we do to reduce the damage caused by our contemporary life styles."