Contact: Melinda Ronn, Cornwall Alliance, 917-743-7836

WASHINGTON, April 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- As Congress prepares to take up climate legislation and the EPA labels trace greenhouse gases a threat to human well-being, public attention has turned once again to religious views, particularly of evangelicals, concerning global warming and the environment. Last month a representative of the Cornwall Alliance testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.

Now, the Cornwall Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of Shannon Royce, Esq. as its new executive director. In her previous capacities, Mrs. Royce worked on Capitol Hill, led the D.C. office of the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy arm, and was the founding executive director of the Arlington Group, a coalition of pro-family organizations. Mrs. Royce made the following statement:

"I've been fighting for pro-life and pro-family values for the past twenty-five years, and I am excited to continue that work with the Cornwall Alliance. Environmental stewardship and care for the poor are deeply Biblical issues, but secular environmentalism has increasingly set its sights on limiting development and reducing human population.

"Now, at a time when American families are struggling to make ends meet, Washington is considering a host of ill-advised measures that would make prices for energy, food, and other essential needs skyrocket. The consequences for the developing world are even more stark. Two to three million women and children die every year because they have no electricity and must burn wood or dung to cook their food or heat their huts, and 90% of those living in sub-Saharan Africa lack electricity. Three to four million people worldwide die every year because of inadequate sanitation and impure drinking water.

"Despite this alarming toll, climate change alarmists want to prevent economic growth here and around the world. But the view that people are the problem -- that they are polluters rather than producers -- is unbiblical, and evangelicals aren't buying it."

Research shows shrinking support for climate change hype. A September study by the Barna Group concluded that "evangelicals are among the most skeptical population segments when it comes to global warming." The overwhelming majority of evangelicals think "that media has hyped the story (65%)," "that cyclical climate change is not primarily caused by human activity (62%)," and "that proposed solutions would hurt the poor, especially in other countries (60%)."

Since 2005, the Cornwall Alliance has emerged as the go-to voice for the mainstream evangelical perspective on issues of environmental stewardship and development. Over 180 experts have signed "A Call to Truth, Prudence, and Protection of the Poor: An Evangelical Response to Global Warming" (www.cornwallalliance.org/open-letter/), and thousands of pastors, evangelical leaders, and laymen have joined major Christian organizations in the WeGetIt.org campaign.