Press release

Ring the Changes on Climate Change - The Countdown to Copenhagen

4 December 2008

As part of the Global Day of Action on Climate Change activists will gather on the steps of St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast this Saturday (6 December) and call on world leaders gathering in Poznan, Poland [1] to make bold decisions on cutting global carbon emissions. The event - organised by Christian Aid, Eco-congregation Ireland, Friends of the Earth, Tearfund and Trócaire - is called Ring the Changes on Climate Change and will involve those gathered ringing various kinds of handheld bells at noon. Meanwhile church bells will be rung across Northern Ireland at the same time.

This is the second year in a row that such an event has taken place in Northern Ireland. Last year almost a hundred people gathered on the steps of the cathedral and used various instruments and implements - including alarm clocks, mobile phones and a vintage Glentoran corncrake - to Sound the Alarm on Climate Change. This year the organisers would like everyone to use bells instead.

Niall Bakewell from Friends of the Earth said:

"The focus of last year's event was on the urgency of the need for action on climate change. This year we want to emphasise the potential benefits that carbon reduction solutions could bring. The sense of urgency this year is even greater, and the ringing bells will still act as a wake-up call to world leaders as they meet in Poland, but they will also be a celebration of a sustainable, low carbon future, which politicians could deliver for us all."

Niall continued:

"In December 2009 world leaders will meet again at Copenhagen [2], where they hope to agree a deal that will succeed the Kyoto protocol when it runs out in 2012. Over the next twelve months they must receive a loud and clear message that serious action must be taken now if we are to avoid the worst ravages of climate chaos. We already have Climate Change Act in the UK [3], which commits us to reduce our carbon emissions, including those from aviation and shipping, by 80% before 2050. Now we need to agree a similar deal internationally."

Revd David Humphries, Chair of the Church of Ireland's Ecological and Environmental Panel, said of the event:

"The input of the churches on environmental matters is becoming stronger all the time. It is right and fitting that we should play our part in ringing the changes on climate change."

Everyone is welcome to join the gathering on the steps of St Anne's from 11am onwards and bring any kind of bell that they can find. Anyone without a bell can be provided with one when they arrive. Anyone who can't make it to Belfast that day can contact Niall Bakewell on 028 9089 7592 to find out about events happening in their area.

Notes

[1] The UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland runs from 1 - 12 December 2008 and will set the stage for next year's conference in Copenhagen.

[2] More information on the Copenhagen conference.

[3] The Climate Change Act received Royal Ascent last week and is the first of its kind in the world. It was the result of a long campaign run by Friends of the Earth since 2005.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust