A letter from the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Mr Miliband, to faith leaders included this statement about politicians and faith groups. 'It is my view that climate change is too important to be left to politicians alone. Faith groups can play a key role in raising awareness of climate change issues and in galvanising individuals and communities to take action.'

So does this make us the uncritical tool or puppet of the politicians or is this a realisation that there is a moral and ethical dimension to this debate? As committed Christians I believe that this is a faith issue and that much of the impetus over the years has come from those who have a less mankind-centred view of the world. Understanding ourselves as created beings and not accidents of biology, places us firmly in creation and in relationship with our Creator God. God looked at his creation and He saw that it was good and, if it is good enough and precious enough for God, then it should be of equal importance to us. We are called to be stewards not to waste or misuse that which has been entrusted to us.

Vulnerable lands and peoples

It is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a UN body) that unless the world's nations address the issue of carbon dioxide emissions, we are set for a rise in the global temperature of 2°C over the next 70 years. This may seem like a lifetime away but the rate of increase must be halted now. There is an ethical dimension to this because it is likely to be the poorest in the world who will be most affected, most quickly. The current UN predictions are that by the year 2080 an additional 2 billion people could be short of water, up to 400 million additional people could be exposed to malaria and 600 million more affected by malnutrition. Many countries will be affected by rising sea levels and the loss of precious land. 

Global inequalities

The difference between the wealthiest and poorest nations is marked: the United States of America has an average income per person of $42,000 and carbon emissions per person of 20.6 tonnes. By contrast Bangladesh has an annual per capita income of $2,000 but only 0.3 tonnes of carbon emissions. The United Kingdom, for comparison, is $33,000 and 9.8 tonnes.  This is a moral issue for all of us. As Christians we have a duty to 'love our neighbour as ourselves'. At the heart of Christian love is sacrifice – for that is how we see God's love expressed for each of us through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Greek word used in the New Testament for love is agape. As many of you know, agape is the only word for love in Greek that expresses action rather than feeling – actively seeking the best for another, even if that is at some cost to ourselves.

And who is our neighbour?

In the parable of the 'good samaritan', Jesus makes the point that our neighbour is not just someone we know, or with whom we have much in common. Our neighbour is the one who is in need. 'Which of these three [the Priest, the Levite and the Samaritan] do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? [asked Jesus] The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him'. Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise'. Luke 10: 36-37. If we hold together, our duty of care for those in need and our duty of care for God's creation, then we can see that the negotiations at Copenhagen and the actions we take to meet the needs of others are important in how we live out our faith.