Church Leaders say Tsunami Disaster warns of Climate Change

Amid the earthquake tragedy it has been reported that two senior world church leaders have insisted that political leaders in all countries take the Asian Tsunami disaster as a stark warning of the terror that could become evident through climate change. They maintained that if the world did not give more attention to environmental issues then more tragedies such as the one seen in Asia could follow.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev Samuel Kobia stated, "This was a clear warning on what climate change could do to the world."

In his speech Kobia referred to the earthquake in the South Asia region and areas of Africa which has so far claimed more than 140,000 lives with numbers still rising by the hour.

The WCC, which consists of 342 national member churches across 120 countries has made clear its call for all the most powerful nations in the world to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.

Joining this plea, Rev Ishmael Noko, the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation said that the disaster was a clear warning of the dangers that climate change could do.

Christian leaders and organisations across the globe have requested that as aid is being prepared and given to the desperate people in the affected countries, this aid must be accompanied by long-term political changes. This is the only way in which the true lessons of the tsunami can be learned.

The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan has also publicly stated that despite the great compassion shown by the world's public in gifting aid to the region, recovery of what has been lost may take up in excess of ten years.

In Great Britain, charitable donations from the public have surpassed £60 million, which exceeds the UK government's contribution of aid to the region by £10 million.

Despite this great effort being shown, aid agencies and charities are still requesting that people remain sensitive to the region and do not lose focus on the extent of the devastation affecting the region. Further donations are desperately needed, and can be made to Christian Aid on 08080 004 004.