The Bishop of Norwich is calling for immediate action after a major UN report on climate change warned that "the worst is yet to come".
The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts more extreme weather of the kind seen across Europe this summer, where there have been record deadly floods.
Other devastating impacts include rising sea levels and an acceleration in the rate and extremity of famines, droughts, deadly heat, diseases and species extinction.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the warnings contained in the report were a "code red for humanity".
"The alarm bells are deafening," he said in a statement.
"This report must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels, before they destroy our planet."
Responding to the report, Bishop Graham Usher said the message was "loud and clear".
"Wake up world!" he said
"It is time to stop playing political games and take action now.
"We are already seeing the effects of the climate emergency around the world - and it is the world's economically poorest people who are already suffering the most.
"So it is our moral duty and a Christian calling to do all we can to try to turn the tide."
He said the upcoming COP26 climate summit taking place in Glasgow in November was an opportunity for world leaders to act.
"Our leaders must seize this moment and deliver real and impactful change for the future of God's creation," he said.
"We don't have a spare Earth – this is our precious home."
