Suffolk's Operation Noah wants everyone to get on board
By Jon Wright
BBC Suffolk
A Christian campaign group is calling on all people of faith to stand up for the science behind climate change.
 Operation Noah in Suffolk (ONiS) is part of a national organisation trying to motivate people into taking action.
Neil Winship is one of the founders of the Suffolk group and last August helped launch a replica Ark which was rowed across the river Deben. "Religion and science are like two very good friends who have a lot to talk about," he said.
The Arks were launched ahead of the UN summit in Copenhagen last December and were used to illustrate the Christian message.
Living in a global village
"We start with what Christ taught us which is love your neighbour as your self," Neil said on BBC Radio Suffolk's Sunday Breakfast programme.
"My neighbour is not just the person living next door in the beautiful little village of Waldringfield, but they're people in the Sudan or Bangladesh and they are suffering grievously from our profligate use of energy.
"Now for us to stop doing it, and it's mainly the wealthy of the world, like the G8 nations, now for us to change our lifestyles as I believe the Christian church acknowledges we must, is darn difficult.
"Personally I could only do it if I felt there was a moral imperative from God, who'll give me a kick in the pants if I don't," he said.
Emails and sceptics
In April 2010 an independent panel concluded that scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) did not present data on climate change dishonestly.
The unit became the focus of worldwide attention, when hundreds of emails sent by its scientists were published by hackers on the internet.
"The UEA emails certainly put the cat among the pigeons," said Neil.
"It's very reasonable to doubt, but if they look at the science hard, starting with the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
"Do the sceptics ever produce cogent information that climate change is not happening and not being caused by mankind?
"I think the answer so far is no."
A new economy
 At the the group's next meeting, they'll be hearing from Ann Pettifor, one of the people behind the Jubilee 2000 campaign lobbying against developing world debt.
"She's representing the new economics foundation, which talks about how we should use economic growth in a sustainable way which will be good for our grandchildren and our grandchildren's grandchildren," said Neil.
"As a nation we are doing something about it.
"We have this United Kingdom climate change act of 2008 and I think it's a world leader in setting ourselves stringent targets for reducing our emissions.
"With the general election coming, that's well worth people asking the candidates what's your policy on that and will you see it through?"
Ann Petiffor from the New Economics Foundation is speaking at the ONiS meeting on Sunday 18 April 2010 at 7.45 pm, St Margaret's Church Centre, Bolton Lane, Ipswich
Originally published on the Radio Suffolk webssite, and reproduced with permission.
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