VisionTV to examine role of religious belief in global warming debate

TORONTO , Dec. 3 /CNW/ - The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (Dec. 7-18) represents a decisive moment in the battle against global warming. According to some, it is a last chance for world leaders to agree on measures to prevent catastrophic climate change.

Powerful political and economic forces are at play in this debate. But what of religion? To those who believe that humankind has been entrusted with the stewardship of God's earthly creation, the outcome of the Copenhagen summit is of epochal importance.

Beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 9 , Canada's VisionTV will present "Faith at the Summit," a series of news reports from Copenhagen , airing weeknights throughout the summit at 6:57 p.m. ET / 3:57 p.m. PT . The concluding segment will air on Monday, Dec. 21 .

The "Faith at the Summit" series is being produced by New York-based Odyssey Networks (www.odysseynetworks.org), a non-profit coalition of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith groups dedicated to building bridges of understanding through media.

The three-minute reports will be hosted by award-winning British journalist and environmental activist Mark Dowd . A former Dominican friar and a veteran broadcaster, Dowd presented the acclaimed 2007 documentary God Is Green on Britain's Channel 4. He is campaign strategist for Operation Noah, a faith-based campaign dedicated to fighting climate change.

Dowd's reports from the summit will explore the views of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and other faith communities on climate issues, and will examine the role that religious believers have to play in the environmental debate.

As he points out in his introduction to the series, the world's poorest inhabitants are the ones most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. "Surely if you are a person of faith, this is the ultimate matter of justice," he says.

Said Bill Roberts , President and CEO of VisionTV's corporate parent, S-VOX: "Faith communities around the world are coming to the realization that climate change is the greatest challenge facing humankind in the 21st century, and are committing their energies to the protection of the environment. This is an important and largely untold part of the Copenhagen story, and we are pleased to work with Odyssey Networks to bring Canadians a spiritual perspective on what may be a turning point in our history."

For more information on the UN climate summit: www.cop15.dk

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For further information: Media Contact: David Todd, Media Relations Manager, VisionTV, Phone: [phone], ext. 207, Email: [email protected]