Give up carbon for lent

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Christians told: Give up carbon for Lent
By Paul Eccleston
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 05/02/2008

Two senior Church of England Bishops have called on people to give up carbon rather than chocolate for Lent.

Carbon Fast: An act with impact
They want to drive home the climate change message to churchgoers by encouraging them to cut their energy use.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/02/05/ealent105.xml

The Rt Rev James Jones is asking Christians to join Carbon Fast
The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones and the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, will make the call before the 40 days of Lent begins on Wednesday February 6.
Lent is the time when Christians traditionally give up such things as sweets, chocolate or alcohol in recognition of the 40 days Christ spent fasting in the desert to prepare for his ministry.

This year they will be asked to think about their own carbon footprint and follow a few simple steps designed to help cut CO2 emissions. They include:

* avoiding plastic bags
* giving the dishwasher a day off
* insulating the hot water tank
* checking the house for drafts with a ribbon and buying draught excluders

Those taking part in the Carbon Fast will be asked to remove one lightbulb from a prominent place in the home and live without it for 40 days. On the final days of the Fast they will be asked to replace it with a low-energy bulb which over its lifetime will save 60kg of carbon dioxide per year and up to £60.

Bishop James, who pioneered the Carbon Fast in Liverpool last year, is also Vice President of the development agency, Tearfund, which found in a survey to accompany the scheme that three out of five people questioned would be willing to take energy-saving action this Lent.

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Tearfund and the Bishops have launched the fast to remind Christians of the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and to protect poor communities around the world who are already suffering because of climate change.

Bishop James said: "Traditionally people have given up things for Lent. This year we are inviting people to join us in a Carbon Fast. It is the poor who are already suffering the effects of climate change. To carry on regardless of their plight is to fly in the face of Christian teaching.

"The tragedy is that those with the power to do something about it are least affected, whilst those who are most affected are powerless to bring about change. There's a moral imperative on those of us who emit more than our fair share of carbon to rein in our consumption."

It's estimated that in the UK each person is responsible for 9.5 tons of carbon dioxide per year; in Ethiopia the average is 0.067 tons and in Bangladesh 0.24 The earth can sustain an estimated 0.8 tons per person.

Sir John Houghton, former chief executive of the Met Office and the first chairman of the IPCC's scientific assessment, advises Tearfund on climate change. He said: "The scientific debate about the basic issue of climate change is over. Climate change is real. Evidence for it is to be seen in every corner of the globe.

"Tearfund have sounded an urgent warning that climate change is already hitting places like Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Niger hard. Climate change shows us that our energy-hungry lifestyles are harming our poorer neighbours across the world, now. The moral imperative for us to act is unquestionable and inescapable."

Tearfund helps communities cope with the impacts of climate change around the globe.

Tadesse Dadi, a Tearfund worker in Ethiopia said millions were already being affected: "Climate change may not yet be a problem for people in Europe, but here in Ethiopia its effects are being felt today by millions of ordinary men and women farmers. These poor communities, who have contributed least to climate change, are suffering the most from its effects."

For a copy of Tearfund's Carbon Fast visit www.tearfund.org or call 0845 355 8355