In the US churches are being encouraged to take practical and theological responsibility for conservation as part of a global initiative in coping with water scarcity.

During his childhood in East Africa, the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, now general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), recalls that he used to see from his home the snow-topped peaks of Mount Kenya in the distance - writes Fredrick Nzwili for Ecumenical News International (ENI).

At the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, speakers involved in a workshop organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) said that wealth, poverty and ecology are strongly linked to each other and to society's commitment to the common good.

Operation Noah, the churches' campaign to avert catastrophic climate change, has appointed Ann Pettifor, one of the architects of the widely-praised Jubilee 2000 anti-debt initiative, as its new Campaign Director.

British-based international development agency Christian Aid called for much more radical action to tackle climate change, following UK Chancellor Gordon Brown's pre-budget report yesterday - which raised ‘green' taxes on motor and air travel and offered incentives for greener homes.