Suffolk churches send letter to Prime Minister

A supporting letter from the Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, the Rt Revd Nigel Stock, calls on the Prime Minister Gordon Brown to, "Do everything you can to ensure a satisfactory outcome to the negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference in December."

"In the run up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Copenhagen next month, it's absolutely critical that the Conference reaches a comprehensive, strong, fair and properly resourced global deal on climate change," says the Revd Mark Morgan, Diocesan Environmental Officer.

"The pledge cards we will be delivering show that the Church in Suffolk is committed to reducing its call on the Earth's resources thereby cutting carbon emissions. Now we need Mr Brown to ensure that he and his fellow leaders reach an agreement that benefits the whole world, not narrow national interests," says Mark.

Bishop Nigel, in his letter to the Prime Minister points out that, "a total of $150 billion is needed by 2020 to help the poorer countries to adapt and cut their emissions. But only a fraction of that is so far pledged. We cannot let climate change further widen the already enormous gulf between rich and poor. In our own link Diocese of Kagera in North West Tanzania, where subsistence agriculture is the main activity, change in climate is already causing severe difficulties."

The cards from over 100 Suffolk churches, accompanied by the Bishop's Letter, were delivered to 10 Downing Street by the Revd Mark Morgan and Sue Young, the Diocesan World Development Advisor.