Tearfund is urging churchgoers to watch Al Gore’s film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, which talks about issues regarding climate change. The film will go on selected nationwide release from this Friday, September 15.
Andy Atkins, Tearfund’s Advocacy Director, said: “As Christians, we can no longer ignore the implications of human-induced climate change. ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ is a powerful and challenging film which highlights the climate chaos that is increasingly undermining the livelihoods and security of the poor people Tearfund works with. The damage that the west’s rabid consumerism is doing to the developing world is a justice issue that Christians must stand up and be counted on.
"Whether or not your political views are aligned with Al Gore’s, he presents the science in an engaging way that everyone can understand.
"This is a vital issue that is going to affect us all. I would encourage everyone to watch the film, then join with Tearfund as we lobby the UK government and take action to cut down on our carbon emissions.”
In the film, former US Vice President Al Gore tours the world in a bid to alert people to the imminent dangers of irreversible climate change. According to the show’s publicity material, “Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.”
Tearfund has long been campaigning on climate change and is stepping up its work with partners around the world to help them adapt.
The Christian Charity is working with partners in Malawi, Bangladesh, Honduras, Ethiopia, India and many other places to help people adapt to the devastating effects of climate change which threaten to wipe out any progress made against the Millennium Development Goals.
Tearfund is part of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition which is planning a huge rally in London’s Trafalgar Square, called ‘I Count’.
The rally will be a huge event on Saturday 4 November from 1-3pm, where a church service will also be held from 12.30. After the event there will be refreshments at a nearby church, as Tearfund vice-President Bishop James Jones of Liverpool will be addressing the event.
Climate change is already affecting the world’s poorest people much more than those in the West. This makes farming harder because the seasons have changed beyond recognition. This means farmers no longer know when to plant and cannot rely on a harvest.
Global temperatures rose by 0.6C during the 20th Century and as a direct result, those who are least able to cope are experiencing changing rainfall patterns and ever more extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.
According to the World Health Organisation, 150,000 people die every year as a direct result of climate change and the vast majority of these are in the developing world.
The ‘I Count’ event precedes the next round of climate change negotiations. Tearfund is urging Christians to lobby the government in the lead up to the meeting of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Partners (COP) in Nairobi.