Immediate release

For the love of the world, local church calls for climate change action

A [town name] church is calling on Westminster party leaders to take action on climate change for the love of the things that matter most.

Parishioners from [church name] are assembling a giant heart on [date] at [time]. The heart will be formed from smaller hearts on which the church members will pledge to change something in their life to tackle climate change. The parishioners are creating the collage as part of Catholic aid agency CAFOD’s ‘One Climate, One World’ campaign.

[Priest/parishioner’s name] said:

[Insert your own quotation here. Eg:

“People around the world are feeling the impact of changes in climate. Some communities in Sierra Leone are losing their crops due to increasingly dried-up soil; others in Bangladesh are facing more extreme weather, such as flooding and cyclones.

“We have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with people around the world and to ensure that future generations here in the UK can enjoy the things we all love – by insulating our homes, switching to a green energy supplier or by cutting down on our driving.”]

CAFOD’s ‘One Climate, One World’ campaign is calling on all of the Westminster party leaders to secure an ambitious global deal to cut carbon emissions and to move towards sustainable energy for everyone. The charity is arguing that climate change, which scientists believe with 95% certainty is being driven by human activity, is the biggest threat to tackling poverty worldwide – and is already affecting communities both overseas and in the UK.

[name] CAFOD’smanager for [name of town] said:

“Climate change is the single biggest threat to reducing poverty. The people CAFOD works with are experiencing the effects of changes in climate right now, whether it’s typhoons or floods destroying entire communities, or unpredictable seasons for farmers leaving millions hungry.

“The changing climate is also affecting the things we love at home, from the price of our favourite foods to the likelihood of matches at [local football stadium] being postponed due to waterlogged pitches.

“It’s great to see [church name] demanding action and standing in solidarity with people who are being affected by the changing climate. CAFOD would like to thank them for their support.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

  1. For further information please contact:
  2. [Parish and local CAFOD office contact details]
  3. Or, Debbie Wainwright, CAFOD, 020 7095 5457 or
  4. More information about CAFOD’s ‘One Climate, One World’ campaign can be found at cafod.org.uk/campaign.
  5. CAFOD’s briefing, One Climate, One World, shows that over 400 million of the world’s poorest people – more than the total population of the USA and the UK put together – are most at risk from the impacts of climate change:cafod.org.uk/News/Press-Centre/Press-releases/400m-at-risk-says-CAFOD
  6. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the leading scientific authority on the issue whose findings are backed by governments worldwide – has said with 95% certainty in its 2013 report that humans are the main cause of climate change.
  7. (IPCC Press release (2013) Human influence on climate clear, IPCC report says. Available at:
  8. CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, working with local communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America to tackle poverty and fight for justice. It works wherever the need is greatest, regardless of faith, background or gender.
  9. CAFOD is part of The Climate Coalition, a collection of over 100 organisations representing more than 11 million people across the UK dedicated to action on climate change and limiting its impact on the world’s poorest communities.

ENDS

Romero House, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JB

Tel: 020 7733 7900 Fax: 020 7274 9630 E-mail: Website:

Registered under the Charities Act 1960 No 285776