Liberal Democrat Christian Forum

Cutting the Carbon

Written by Sarah Spinney
Sunday, 05 August 2007
Sarah Spinney spoke on behalf of Christian Aid at LDCF's spring conference in Harrogate. Here she sets out some of the campaigning work being done by the organisation this year. This summer Christian Aid is taking to its feet on the longest protest march in British history. Covering 1000 miles between July and October, the Cut the Carbon march will be winding its way through Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. On the way thousands of supporters including church and civic leaders, local campaigners, MPs and celebrities will join marchers from the global South and the UK. In each region, focal events such as cathedral services and rallies will highlight the devastating impact of climate change on poor countries. Why are we marching? 'Our lives depend on rain. Without rain how are we going to live, to survive?' (Hawa Tebsougue from Tounoulna village, Mali.) For people like Hawa, climate change is not a future threat. It is an emergency that threatens to wipe out decades of development. It is also an injustice. 80 per cent of the CO2 released since 1975 has been emitted by rich countries, and yet the impact is felt first and worst by people struggling against poverty. Christian Aid has for years campaigned for justice for the world's poor. Now Christian Aid's campaign is calling for a radical cut in UK and global carbon emissions. Coming Clean The UK domestic economy accounts for two per cent of the world's CO2 emissions. But research by Christian Aid has shown this to be only part of the UK's real responsibility. If we take into account the global activities of UK companies, the true scale of the UK's contribution soars from two per cent to at least 12 to 15 per cent of world carbon emissions. At the moment disclosure of carbon emissions by most companies is entirely voluntary. As a result only 16 of the top 100 companies on the London Stock Exchange report their emissions and almost 200 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions are not being declared. The time for action The Climate Change Bill going through Parliament offers a unique opportunity to get into legislation the need for UK companies to disclose their global CO2 emissions and for the UK to make a commitment to cut emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050 - what will be necessary to keep global warming below 2°C. The UK is the first country in the world to introduce a Climate Change Bill and a strong bill will allow the UK to play its part in tackling global warming and give it legitimacy when world leaders meet this December to secure a new international agreement. Climate change is not just an environmental crisis - it is a global injustice. The developing world is on the front line of a changing climate which has been caused by the rich world. It is our moral duty to halt the carbon emissions that place millions of the most vulnerable people, like Hawa, in danger. To find out more about Christian Aid's campaign and the Cut the Carbon march please go to www.christianaid.org.uk.

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