Shropshire schoolchildren to call for climate change action
Hundreds of schoolchildren will join together at Lichfield Cathedral to call for climate justice as part of a global day of action on September 20.
The Bishops of Lichfield, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury and Stafford are encouraging churches and schools across Lichfield Diocese – an area with a population of over two million which includes Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, the Black Country and most of Shropshire – to get involved in the Climate Action Day.
A climate change emergency has been declared by Parliament and a series of climate strikes have taken place across the UK and elsewhere, led by young people. From September 20-27 there will be a global week of action to coincide with the UN Climate Summit on September 23, starting with a Global Climate Strike on September 20.
At Lichfield Cathedral on September 20 at 1.45pm hundreds of children and staff from local primary schools will take part in a short service at the 1,300-year-old worship site. They will voice their concerns about climate breakdown and plant wooden lollipop sticks with green pledges on them outside the cathedral.
The Bishop of Wolverhampton, the Right Revd Clive Gregory, Lichfield Diocese’s lead on environmental matters, said: “Young people are leading the way and as a Church we stand in solidarity with them, working for justice as people of hope. We want churches, schools and others in our diocese to campaign for the big system changes urgently needed, including an end to the age of fossil fuels and climate justice for all.
“This is the biggest challenge we face. But together we can restore God’s Earth. It’s not too late – and we can all make a difference in big and small ways.”
