LONDON (CU)_The much anticipated UN climate summit is set to begin on Sunday (31 October), bringing together an estimated 20,000 delegates, including 196 world leaders, who will commit to slash carbon emissions across the globe to avoid a climate emergency. With this year’s Conference of the Parties (COP) being hosted by the United Kingdom, hundreds of church bells across the European nation will ring out in a call for urgent action by the delegates in Glasgow.
Edward Gildea, a Christian Aid climate campaign organiser, who came up with the idea, noted that it is time for the church to raise the alarm and speak out on climate change. “We are saying ‘we care for God’s creation, we are concerned about it, we are very passionate about the future we seem to be storing up for ourselves and need to change’,” he said.
According to Gildea, historically, church bells have been used to send a warning, since they were the best form of communication that was available at the time. “They were the loudest noise that might reach a few miles to warn of floods, fire or a shipwreck,” the environmentalist added. “With Ring Out For Climate Change, bell ringers are able to express themselves, so it’s giving people a voice as well as giving the church a voice.”
York Minster, a Cathedral in the city of York, as well as the St Paul’s Cathedral in London, will be among the many churches which will take part in the campaign and Gildea says he is “thrilled and humbled” by how his idea had taken off.
The Church of England’s lead bishop on the environment, Right Reverend Graham Usher, will be among the thousands of delegates who will participate in the Glasgow conference. “Church bells have traditionally been rung through the centuries to raise the alarm for local communities,” he said. “The recent ‘code red’ report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an alarm call for us all.”
