The bells will be rung at 6pm on Saturday 30th October.

The Ring Out For Climate Change campaign is being led by Edward Gildea, a Christian Aid climate campaign organiser from Essex who has asked churches to ring their bells as a warning of the climate emergency and to mark the start of the conference.

The UN Climate Conference CoP26, which runs from 31st October to 12th November, will see 196 world leaders and an expected 20,000 delegates meet in Glasgow and work together to commit to a reduction in emissions to avoid a climate emergency. It comes just months after the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change described global warming as a "code red for humanity".

The Very Revd Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough, said:

“The Glasgow summit will be very much in our prayers at this crucial stage in the drive to reduce the impact of climate change. This is a time for us all to take action and do whatever we can to protect and preserve our beautiful, God-given planet.”

The bell ringing campaign has already been endorsed by the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, the CoE’s lead bishop on the environment, who will join the delegation in Glasgow. He 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. 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 for us all, like Jesus, to tread more gently on our single island planet home and care more for those already adversely affected by climate change, especially in the economically poorest places on earth."

Peterborough Cathedral is working towards the Church of England’s Net Carbon Zero commitment by 2030. The Cathedral, and the properties it owns within the Precincts, now use electricity supplies entirely from renewable sources. In 2019-2020, thanks to sponsorship from Masteroast, nearly 300 high energy halogen bulbs in the Cathedral were replaced with LED equivalents, thus reducing energy consumption by around 20%. The Cathedral has also recently installed low-energy flood lighting on the west front, supported by a grant via the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. The Cathedral is currently measuring its performance against the A Rocha UK Eco Church project to identify further measures it can take to reduce its carbon footprint.

The Very Revd Adrian Dorber, who chairs the Association of English Cathedrals and is Dean of Lichfield, said:

“The start of the COP26 conference marks a serious moment of decision for the whole world. It is only right that Cathedrals up and down the country add their distinctive sound to the call for those right actions that will sustain and help heal our planet. We are committed as a Church to implement all the measures that get us to net carbon zero by 2030; we join everyone across the world wanting action and commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the whole creation. Faith demands it of us.”