WASHINGTON -- Putting aside deep differences over the origin of life, a group of leading scientists and evangelical Christian leaders say they plan to join together to fight global warming.

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Representatives of the various groups met recently in Georgia and agreed on the need for urgent action. Details on the talks will be disclosed in Washington on Wednesday.

"Whether God created the Earth in a millisecond or whether it evolved over billions of years, the issue we agree on is that it needs to be cared for today," said Rich Cizik, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents 45,000 churches.

Eric Chivian, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, agreed, saying: "Scientists and evangelicals have discovered that we share a deeply felt common concern and sense of urgency about threats to life on Earth and that we must speak with one voice to protect it."

Speakers at the Wednesday announcement will include megachurch pastor Joel Hunter, who refused to take the leadership of Christian Coalition of America because the organization wouldn't let him expand its agenda to include the environment and poverty.

Others are Harvard biologist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson and NASA scientist James E. Hansen.

Hanse came under fire from the White House after a 2005 lecture in which he called for urgent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming.

"The evangelicals have a lot of clout on the conservative side of the political spectrum, and their voice would be a very welcome one," said Jim Presswood, of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Citing positions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a 2005 statement at the 2005 G8 summit by the Bush Administration, the evangelical group declares on its Web site that, "In the face of the breadth and depth of this scientific and governmental concern, only a small percentage of which is noted here, we are convinced that evangelicals must engage this issue without any further lingering over the basic reality of the problem or humanity's responsibility to address it."

"Love of God, love of neighbor, and the demands of stewardship are more than enough reason for evangelical Christians to respond to the climate change problem with moral passion and concrete action," the group's statement said.

To read the full declaration, click here.

Those who have signed the document include:

• Rev. Dr. Leith Anderson, interim president, National Association of Evangelicals.
• Commissioner W. Todd Bassett, national commander, The Salvation Army.
• Rev. Timothy George, Ph.D., executive editor, Christianity Today.
• Rev. David Gushee, professor of moral philosophy, Union University and a columnist for Religion News Service.
• David Neff, editor, Christianity Today.
• Richard Stearns, president of World Vision.
• Rev. Jim Wallis, founder and editor of Sojourners magazine.
• Rev. Dr. Rick Warren, senior pastor, Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life.
For a full list of the signatories, click here.