Church bells to sound the alarm on global warming
The Ecological & Environmental Panel of the Church in Society Committee is calling on parish churches in Ireland to ring their bells as a warning about global warming on the Global Day of Action on Climate Change on 8 December. The call to ring the alarm is the Eco-panel's contribution to an international day of protest that coincides with the Bali talks on climate change. The aim of the action is to draw the issue to the attention of local politicians and call on them to do more about it.
At 2pm the bells of churches around Ireland will ring out to signal that the world must warm by no more than two degrees centigrade if mankind is to continue to live here with any level of comfort and safety. The directions for the bell ringing are included in the latest edition of 'Greening the Church', which may be found on the Church of Ireland website at: www.
DUBLIN. In Dublin there will be an event, starting at 1pm, at the ampitheatre at the Civic Offices. A procession will move from here to the Custom House.
BELFAST. In Belfast there will be a gathering at St Anne's Cathedral in Donegall Street at 1.30pm. Please note that St Anne's has no bells, so you are asked to bring an alarm clock, mobile phone, drum or whistle to sound the alarm.
Revd David Humphries, Chairman of the Ecological and Environmental Panel urges parishes to show their support by ringing their bells and by attending the public events. He says: "Global warming isn't just an international issue, it's something we should be engaged with at the national and local level too. We want to draw the attention of our politicians to this issue. But we also want parishes to become involved. Every member of the Church of Ireland has a part to play in ensuring the sustainability of our environment."
The event in Belfast is being organized by Christian Aid, Trocaire and Friends of the Earth. In Dublin, a petition will be handed to a government representative, demanding strong political action to stop the planet burning and give us a future worth having.
Contact:
Anyone requiring further details should contact Revd David Humphries at: stormont@down.anglican.org Tel: +44 (0) 28 9048 2292