Share Jesus International (SJI) is to kick off a nationwide tour of panel events to help Christians get to grips with some of the key climate change issues and what they as Christians should be doing about it.

The national Hope for Planet Earth tour starts on February 18 and will run for nearly a month, taking in a number of towns across England including Stoke, Nottingham, Lancaster, Chester and Bristol.

Sir John Houghton, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) working group, will be contributing to discussions by sharing some of his insight into the latest research on climate change.

In an IPCC poll, 25 leading environmental experts agreed that the second most valuable action to save the planet was faith groups making the planet a priority.

"The recent Bali conference expressed clearly the need for action," said Sir Houghton. "Recognising the problem is an important start. Churches have an important role in helping the international community move forward."

The SJI panel events will also be joined be environmental experts from The Faraday Institute, the John Ray Initiative and Christians in Science, who will be on hand to unpack the scientific evidence and dispel some climate change myths.

Presentations from Tearfund and A Rocha will shed light on the impact that climate change is already having on people in the developing world and the planet, while Andy Frost, acting Director of SJI, will investigate why this topic should be important to Christians and how churches and individuals can take action.