Visitors to the Greenbelt festival will have a chance to take an unusual round-the-world tour as Christian Aid’s Climate SOS exhibition goes on show this weekend. The exhibition features villages from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the UK. It shows how climate change is affecting the world’s poorest people and how Christian Aid is creating hope and a future for those on the front line.
Many communities around the world may not have heard of the term ‘climate change’ but they do know that the weather and the seasons are changing; rainfall is becoming less predictable – which is a huge problem for poor farmers who rely on predictable rainy seasons to grow food to feed their families. And weather-related disasters, such as droughts and hurricanes, are happening more frequently.
Visitors to the exhibition will discover how poor people are making the most of what they have, using renewable energy and recycling materials, to build a better future. The villages have been created using illustrations and photography and show how, with help from Christian Aid, people are learning to survive the changing climate. In the UK section, visitors can see how we too can make changes, reducing our CO2 emissions and joining Christian Aid’s Climate Changed campaign which calls on the UK government and businesses to cut their carbon footprint by five per cent each year.
Christian Aid spokeswoman Kate Wills said: ‘Climate SOS brings the lives of the poorest people around the world right into the middle of our own towns here in the UK. We want people to see for themselves how climate change is a reality now for the poorest people around the world. Christian Aid is working hard to help people adapt to the new challenges.
‘But it’s not enough. We also need to stop climate change getting worse and becoming a global tragedy. That’s why we need everyone to support Christian Aid’s Climate Changed Campaign and to cut their carbon now.’
The ‘Climate SOS’ exhibition will follow Christian Aid’s 1,000 mile ‘Cut the Carbon’ march – which is calling on governments, businesses and individuals to cut their own CO2 emissions. The March, which started on 14 July and ends on 2 October, is passing through 70 towns and cities in the UK and Ireland. The exhibition will be shown at the three political party conferences, before going on tour nationally. For more information about the exhibition and for tour dates around the country log onto www.christianaid.org.uk
For press information, pictures or case studies, please contact Kate Wills on 020 7523 2446 kwills@christian-aid.org OR Emma Wigley on 020 7523 2058 ewigley@christian-aid.org
For more information on Christian Aid and climate change visit www.christianaid.org.uk
Notes to editors:
1. Christian Aid works in some of the world’s poorest communities in nearly 50 countries. It works where the need is greatest, regardless of religion, helping people build the life they deserve.
2. Christian Aid’s Climate Changed campaign: Christian Aid has launched a major new campaign to get the UK to cut its CO2 emissions by five per cent a year by changing what we do at home and in the workplace and by lobbying the government and companies. If we don’t stop climate change, it is the world’s poorest communities who will suffer the most.
3. Christian Aid is a member of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition and supports its aim to build a mass movement fora public mandate for political action to stop climate change.