Cathedral bells ring out for climate change
Chichester Cathedral joined a nationwide call for all churches and cathedrals to ring their bells on the eve of the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow.
The Ring Out For Climate Change campaign was led by Edward Gildea, a Christian Aid climate campaign organiser, who asked churches to ring their bells from 6pm onwards on Saturday, as a warning of the climate emergency.
The Dean of Chichester, the Very Reverend Stephen Waine, said: “As we host the Museum of the Moon at Chichester Cathedral, we are reminded of how we must care for our planet.
“Just as the Moon’s gravitational pull creates the tides of the oceans, it also generates more moisture in the soil, encouraging plant growth.
“As moonlight increases, going from New Moon to Full Moon, it stimulates leaf growth, and in turn flowers move and grow.
“We must all play our part in protecting our beautiful environment.
“It comes just months after the UN’s Panel on Climate Change described global warming as a ‘code red for humanity’.
“The campaign has also been endorsed by the Bishop of Norwich, the Right Reverend Graham Usher, the Church of England’s lead Bishop on the environment, who said: “Church bells have traditionally been rung through the centuries to raise the alarm for local communities. The recent ‘code red’ report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an alarm call for us all.”
The campaign was a symbol of hope the conference would lead to action, he said.
“I am happy to endorse a nationwide ‘ring out for climate change’ on the eve of the COP26 as a symbol of warning, but also of hope, that this conference will lead to action.”
Measuring seven metres in diameter, the Museum of the Moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally-lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.
For more details about the artwork, at the cathedral until November 14, visit www. chichestercathedral.org.uk/ events/museum-moon