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Churches ring the alarm

05.10.2009: Back in the days, church bells served as alarm bells when the city or country was under attack. On the 13th of December 2009 at 3 pm, the bells will ring an alarm once again. This time they chime not as a warning of war, the alarm rings out for the climate – for creation.

Churches all over the world are concerned with the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, causing global warming and dire consequences for the worlds poorest. These concerns will be marked at the climate summit in Copenhagen in December, when the churches will chime their bells 350 times.

Why 350?

350 ppm. (parts per million) is viewed by experts as the maximum concentration of CO2 the atmosphere can tolerate. This is the tipping point of an unstoppable climate crisis. Currently we are at 387 ppm. Therefore, the church

Bell ringing

The initiative to bell ringing comes from Danish Church councils campaign ”Green Church”. The event is taking place in different churches all over the world. Whether the local bell is a drum, a seashell or an empty gascontainer; the bells will ring for the climate.

More information www.bellringing350.org or www.gronkirke.dk.

bells will chime 350 times during the climate summit, to encourage serious commitments to reduction of CO2.

Watch our interviews with climate guru Bill McKibben, who explains why bell ringing and the number 350 is important