Operation Noah Calls on Government to Defend God's Creation

The leaders of Operation Noah - the climate change campaign of the churches of Britain and Ireland - have responded to last week's report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with a call to the Government to defend God's creation.

The IPCC Climate Change 2007 report concluded that climate warming is unequivocally human-induced, a conclusion accepted by Operation Noah, and that even if action is taken now to remedy the situation the planet is still likely to become more climatically dangerous.

Operation Noah welcomed, however, the positive approach in the report and its analysis of a range of 'scenarios' or options that governments and their leaders could pursue, highlighting the fact that there are various policy choices on offer that could limit global warming.

The leader of Operation Noah, David Pickering said, "The IPCC have warned us - yet again - of the grave threat facing not just our country, but the Earth as a whole; not just present generations; but also future generations.

"But they have also given us hope: they have offered a range of options - and one that would limit warming to 1.8C - could even now save God's creation from the otherwise inevitable desecration of human-induced climate change.

"But for these policies to be adopted requires leaders to exercise leadership, particularly in the rich world."

He referred to Kofi Annan's recent criticism of world leaders and their "frightening lack of leadership" on climate change at the major Climate Change Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, last November.

"The IPCC have shown that we have choices, choices that could yet save the planet. Our leaders and Government must act to adopt those policy choices and avert the grave threat facing the British people, and the world," he said.

"In short: we call on our leaders to lead, and our Government to govern. In particular we call for the leadership, just governance and right policies that would limit warming to 1.8C."

Mr Pickering called on Britain's political leaders to set the example in acting on climate change: "As one of the world's richest countries, responsible for exploiting and consuming, over time, a large proportion of the resources of Africa, Asia, the Americas as well as our own, Britain's leaders must now show world leadership in reversing climate change.

"This will require our nation to lead by example, by localising our economy, cutting back on consumption, cutting airline and car travel; and by making more efficient use of energy from renewable sources."

Mr Pickering appealed to the Government to launch an intergovernmental initiative and international economic collaboration based on a war economy and rooted in national and international organisations, regulation and justice.

He conceded that such a change would need "courage and sacrifice" at all levels but said that such leadership was "vital" to ensure that the right policy choices were made to reverse rising carbon emissions.

"And these policy choices will require sacrifices from the British people. The political will, we believe, exists for radical changes in lifestyles, but only within the context of clear leadership and a framework of fairness and justice. Government exists to provide that leadership and framework."