Prominent figures in the US evangelical Christian movement have urged
businesses to tackle climate change and have called for regulation on
the topic.
The leaders, often closely allied with president George W.
Bush, admit their new stance may ‘surprise outside observers’, but say
they have produced a statement calling for action because ‘our faith
requires us to address [the problem]’.
The statement, titled
Climate change: an evangelical call to action, says the US government
should ‘pass and implement national legislation requiring sufficient
economy-wide reductions in carbon dioxide emissions through
cost-effective, market-based mechanisms’. It praises six companies –
BP, Cinergy, Duke Energy, DuPont, General Electric and Shell – for
‘moving ahead of the pace of government action through innovative
measures’, and says more should follow suit.
Signatories
include Robert Andringa, head of the Council for Christian Colleges and
Universities, and Leith Anderson, former president of the National
Association of Evangelicals.
