THE Bishop of Salisbury is calling on the new government to take greater action to tackle the climate crisis.

The Right Reverend Nicholas Holtam has written a letter to The Guardian highlighting the need for climate leadership from the new government.

He said: “Now the election is over the threats of climate change and our lack of care for creation are increasingly urgent.

“The scienece tells us this and the people have raised it up the agenda for the new government.

“From the UN climate change conference in Madrid we have heard what is needed is transformation change, not the incremental change by which our progress is insufficient to meet the present and future dangers. This requires climate leadership from our politicians of a very high order.

“The new government must work to create a national and global response that is proportionate to the threats we face. This will not only be scientific, technical and political fix. It has to be one which draws on and develops our deepest values and a spirituality by which we live in our common home and care for creation and our neighbours as well as ourselves. IT is a vision and a task around which we can unite and renew hope and to which we ourselves are committed.”

The letter was also signed by:

Dr Husna Ahmad OBE, CEO of Global One 2015 and Board member of Palmers Green Mosque

The Rt Revd John Arnold, Bishop of Salford, Roman Catholic

The Most Revd John D E Davies - Archbishop of Wales & Bishop of Swansea and Brecon

The Revd Richard Frazer, Convener of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland

Mohsen Al-Khoei, Director, Interfaith Relations Al-Khoei Foundation

Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain

The Most Revd Mark Strange – Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness and Primus in the Scottish Episcopal Church

The Revd Andrew de Ville – Southampton District Methodist Church

Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg – North London Synagogue, member of Elijah Interfaith Institute Board of World Religious Leaders