Prayers for the planet - Christians join world climate protest

On Saturday, Christians from all denominations will gather at Hinde Street Methodist Church in London to pray for international action to prevent disastrous global climate change. The service has been organised by Christian Ecology Link and forms part of the International Day of Climate Protest to mark the United Nations Climate talks, currently taking place in Montreal. World leaders are meeting from the 29th November to the 9th December to begin the process of agreeing a strategy for averting dangerous climate change after the Kyoto agreement expires in 2012. The London Climate Protest forms part of the first global protest about climate change - many actions and demonstrations are taking place in more than 30 countries around the world. The ecumenical service at Hinde Street Methodist Church will take place from 4.15pm to 5pm with speakers from Tearfund, the Religious Society of Friends and others. They will be joined by members of aid agencies and development and environment groups as well as church members. A member of Christian Ecology Link will lead the service. The March itself assembles at 12 noon in Lincoln's Inn Fields and will culminate outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square at 2.30pm, where speakers will include Michael Meacher MP, Caroline Lucas MEP, and Ruth Jarman representing Christian Ecology Link. Ruth Jarman will urge Tony Blair and George Bush to "protect life on this wonderful Earth by agreeing binding international targets for the emission of carbon dioxide based on the practical and ethical principles of contraction and convergence" at the Montreal talks this week.