Tearfund supporter Anita Payne joined polar bears and supporters of I Count, the campaign of Stop Climate Chaos, to visit Downing Street on 29 October 2007. Together, they handed in 150,000 petition cards. More than 6,000 had been signed by Tearfund supporters – demanding the UK Government does all it can to tackle climate change.
Anita (in the middle of the photo), who has worked with Tearfund in Malawi and Liberia, commented: 'Poor communities around the world are already at the sharp end of climate change, with flooded homes, increasingly barren and drought-hit land.'
She added, 'I'm here at Downing Street today because I believe that God requires us to love justice and live justly. We need to be good stewards of God’s earth and good neighbours to each other, not pushing poorer people into deeper poverty but living more sustainably, for everyone’s benefit.'
The visit came as Environment Secretary Hilary Benn delivered a disappointing response to a public consultation on the Climate Change Bill. Rachel Roach, Tearfund’s Climate Change Adviser, believes the proposed changes still fall short of what’s required for a robust climate change law.
Said Rachel, 'While the Government proposes a 60 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2050, the legislation must adopt the widely accepted 2 degrees global warming danger threshold and cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050.'
She added, 'This Bill is a major opportunity for the UK to demonstrate international leadership but at the moment the Government’s credibility is in question. They say they support the two degrees target but are failing to translate their words into action. Bold action and strong leadership are required in the lead up to international climate change talks in December.'
- To read Tearfund’s response to Hilary Benn’s speech on the Climate Change bill, go
here™