"Pray and fast for the climate" once a month for a year.

That's the message to UK Christians from a coalition of charities and campaigning groups.

The year of prayer and fasting is to be launched at services around the country on November 1, with the main event at St John's Church, Waterloo.

It is aimed at highlighting the need for faith communities to act in response to the crisis of climate change as momentum builds towards a new international climate agreement to be signed in Paris in December 2015.

The St John's event will be hosted by Christian charity Operation Noah with support from other members of the Faith for the Climate network, including the Evangelical Alliance, A Rocha, Christian Aid, Christian Concern for One World, Christian Ecology Link, OurVoices, Hope for the Future and Shrinking the Footprint.

Canon Giles Goddard, priest at St John's Waterloo and board member of Operation Noah, said: "The need for change is urgent and everyone can help bring it about. This is an initiative about hope. Praying and fasting for the climate will inspire action and encourage people to think about what needs to happen.

"We are calling for justice for all those impacted by climate change now and in the future, and for an ambitious outcome at next year's climate talks in Paris. We hope people across the country will support the initiative and tell others about it".

Pray and Fast for the Climate (PFC) is also supported by Faith For The Climate members Climate Stewards, Commitment for Life, SPEAK, mainstream Christian denominations and Tearfund.

Other services will be taking place in locations across the UK, including Brighton, Coventry, Lancaster and Southwell. People will be encouraged to spread the movement far and wide by hosting monthly prayer and fasting events, using resources and prayer points from the website.

This prayer movement builds upon the Fast for the Climate initiative begun at the 2013 UN climate talks by Yeb Sano, the Filipino delegate, in the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan. Sano has continued to fast on the first of every month, joined by people from all around the world.

PFC says: "Our desire as Christians is for God's kingdom to be raised up in our world in all aspects of life. We believe that care for creation is an essential part of that, and so we are asking God to use our prayers and fasting for the climate to build a platform upon which right decisions will be made by politicians, leaders and negotiators to allow all people to dream, to hope and to shape a greener, just and sustainable world."