Catholic agency Progressio has told senior faith leaders from across the UK that poor and marginalised communities in the developing world are a vital “part of the solution” in tackling climate change.

The Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the United Reformed Church have urged the EU to agree carbon cuts of at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 and for these cuts to be made without extensive use of offsets.

In an Operation Noah lecture at Southwark Cathedral, the Archbishop of Canterbury has set out a Christian vision of how people can respond to the looming environmental crisis.

The evolutionary basis of cooperation and mobilising religious believers to act against global warming are two key elements in the fight against climate change, claims Lord May.