|PIC1|The Archbishop of Canterbury will offer a contemporary reflection on the Old Testament story of Noah and the flood ahead of a major climate change summit in Copenhagen later in the year.

Dr Rowan Williams will deliver his lecture, “Noah and the Flood: Lessons for the Twenty First Century”, in October as part of Operation Noah’s Ark Campaign to ensure world leaders reach binding agreements on carbon emission cuts at the December summit.

“You could say that Noah was the first character in the Bible to be challenged by dramatic changes to the climate,” said Mark Dowd, Operation Noah’s Campaign Strategist. “The story touches on leadership, obedience to God and human responsibility to safeguard creation.”

The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, will also press the UK Government on climate change with a Noah’s Ark style journey down the River Thames on July 2.

Bishop Chartres will take the boat ride to Westminster together with dozens of children and farmyard animals to urge the Government to take “brave leadership” at the Copenhagen summit.

“Operation Noah is delighted to have these two ‘giants’ from the Church of England adding their voices and support,” said Dowd. “In this year of the Copenhagen summit, it is imperative that we focus on this “make or break” moment for humanity and our relationship with the rest of the natural world.”

The Ark Campaign, launched in January, calls for worldwide emissions from the global power sector to be cut by 30 per cent by 2020 with a view to getting them to zero in 10 years through investment in renewables and green technologies.