Church group asks for MP's help to tackle climate change

Julie Cooper MP meets members of Burnley's St John the Baptist CAFOD group

They asked her to help empower communities and households to enjoy cleaner, healthier lives here in the UK and overseas.

The MP was asked to write to the Prime Minister to urge her new government to:

• Reaffirm the UK’s role as a global climate leader, working with international allies to fully implement the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015.

• Ensure all government departments work together to produce an ambitious emissions reduction plan that will meet the Climate Change Act (2008) targets by: unlocking local and community energy; cutting energy waste in homes; tackling emissions and air pollution from vehicles.

The meeting was part of the Speak Up week of action, which saw thousands of people meeting their MPs across the country.

Mrs Cooper said: “Making the connection to local people concerned about climate change is important to me. I’m pleased to support their calls for greater action to protect what we love, be that our children, grandchildren, farmers in the developing world or the beautiful countryside which surrounds Burnley.”

The week was organised by The Climate Coalition – a group of more than 100 organisations including CAFOD, Women’s Institute, Christian Aid, National Trust, WWF and the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust as well as local groups.

It is part of an ongoing effort to encourage the government to shift to 100% clean energy within a generation to protect the people, places and life we love from climate change.

The group also asked Julie to sign one of the current CAFOD “Power to be” campaign cards which are calling on the World Bank to ensure renewable energy access for the world’s poorest people.

Anne Marie Coppock, a member of the Burnley CAFOD group, said: “I want to see progress on tackling climate change because I care about my children’s and grandchildren’s future and for communities in East Africa, the Philippines and elsewhere already severely affected by the effects of climate change. I think we need to do all we can to protect them.”