Cyclist takes the road to Copenhagen Climate Conference

Ben Bradley will be cycling 140 miles to the United Nationsclimate change conference at Copenhagen, with a clear message forworld leaders: It's not raining, it's pouring - time to act onclimate change.

Ben, Events Coordinator for the Methodist Church, will take to theroad with a team of 28 cyclists from Christian Aid, to cycle 140miles in three days with Christian Aid. They will join a mass rallyin Copenhagen on Saturday 12 December. While in Copenhagen, Benwill also deliver a letter of solidarity from the President of theBritish Methodist Conference to representative fromBangladesh.

You can follow Ben's progress, find out more and even view hiscommute to work on his blog (watch out for attack of the pigeon!)at www.climatecycleride.blogspot.com."Our message is that we are behind the efforts to find a unifyingagreement that sets us on the road to meet difficult carbonreduction targets," said Ben. "People in developing nations arealready feeling the effects of climate change and it isirresponsible for us to do anything other than strive for a radicalsolution to cut excess carbon dioxide levels."

The riders will set off from London on December 9 and reach theDanish capital on the evening of December 12 following a ferry rideand three days of cycling through England and Denmark.

Ben added, "I am a bit worried about the cold, but I am moreworried that there won't be a deal on the cards when we get thereand that the United Nations will opt for a less courageous package.I hope the presence of campaigners will put pressure on worldleaders to reach the deal needed to make a difference."

The Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain and theUnited Reformed Church have urged the European Union to agree cutsof at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 and for these cuts to bemade without extensive use of carbon offsets. The three churcheshave produced a report and study guide called Hope in God's Future.The booklet, available from Methodist Publishing (www.mph.org.uk),takes the reader on a journey using the changing mood of a worshipservice as a framework for considering climate change and people'seffect on the planet.