Around 150 people turned up at the Cardiff Lightship in Cardiff Bay on Saturday 24 January to take part in an event to highlight the issue of climate change.
The ‘Save Creation at Copenhagen’ event – organised by faith-based organisation Operation Noah - saw a colourful procession of pupils from three Cardiff schools.
Wearing animal masks, costumes and bearing images of communities most at risk from climate change, they all boarded the Lightship in a re-creation of the Noah’s Ark story.
UN climate talks
‘Save Creation at Copenhagen’ refers to the crucial UN climate change talks involving world leaders in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Operation Noah, which campaigns exclusively on climate change, hopes the event will help to put pressure on politicians to tackle climate change and so safeguard the future of many of the planet’s poorest people and animal species.
Take the Copenhagen pledge
Celebration of life
John Rowlands, who took part in Christian Aid’s Cut the Carbon march in 2007, spoke at the Lightship event.
‘I believe that it was an important event, concentrating as it did on children and young people,’ he said. ‘After all it’s their future, and they can provoke us, adults, to act with them.’
‘It showed also that protesting can be fun and a celebration of life.’
Jeff Williams, head of Christian Aid Wales, added: ‘This was an important message from the children of Wales at the beginning of this crucial year for our planet and its inhabitants.
‘Let’s hope that the ark can sail all the way to Copenhagen!’