World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

For immediate release: 9 December 2009


Desmond Tutu, other Christian leaders speak out on climate change


Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu and church leaders from the regions most affected by climate change will speak out on climate change from a faith perspective during the Copenhagen UN climate summit on Sunday, 13 December at 3.30 pm.

The press conference, preceded by a high-level ecumenical celebration, will be held on the occasion of an international bell ringing initiative, uniting thousands of churches around the world in an ecumenical call for climate justice.

What: Who: When: Where: For photo, filming and interview opportunities please contact:
More information

Half a million signatures for climate justice

Before the press conference, at 11.30 am, on the Rådhuspladsen, Archbishop Desmond Tutu will hand over half a million signatures and pledges for climate justice to Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC executive secretary.

Ecumenical celebration

At 2.00 pm, participants at the UN climate summit are invited to an ecumenical celebration in the presence of COP15 leaders and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark at the Copenhagen Cathedral. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will preach the sermon.

The celebration will be broadcast live on Danish television and can be watched later on the website of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. (For pool arrangement details, please refer to the media contact persons above.)

International bell ringing

At 3.00 pm, the churches in Denmark will ring their bells 350 times in what will be the central act of a worldwide international bell ringing initiative, which will be carried out by thousands of churches around the world. The bell ringing symbolizes the 350 parts per million that mark the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere according to many scientists.

Churches and climate change

Church policies and actions on climate change are rooted in the Bible, which teaches the wholeness of God's creation and the centrality of justice in the Christian message. In addition to ecological, social, economic and political aspects, the ecumenical movement states that addressing climate change involves a spiritual dimension. From an ethical point of view, it regards climate change as a matter of justice, as impoverished and vulnerable communities in the global South are and will be those most affected by its consequences.


National Council of Churches in Denmark
http://www.danskekirkersraad.dk

DanChurchAid
http://www.danchurchaid.org

CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis Climate Justice campaign
http://www.cidse.org/Area_of_work/Climate_change/?id=1472

World Council of Churches
http://www.oikoumene.org/climatechange

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.