Christian Climate Action in Whitehall
The United Nations’ annual UN climate summit opens in Azerbaijan on 11 November, with nearly 200 countries participating. Christian groups are part of the faith lobby for climate justice, with marches, pilgrimages and petitions taking place in the UK and around the world over the12 days of the conference. The key goal is to land a deal on how much money richer countries and investors need to give poorer countries to deal with climate change, but religious groups are with those who also want to tackle the pollution of fossil fuels.
Catholic Bishop John Arnold of Salford and lead on the environment and the Anglican Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, have urged ministers to tax fossil fuel companies to support countries most affected by climate change, calling for justice and sustainable finance solutions. Their joint letter was sent to the UK government on 8 November. Highlighting the urgency of grants over loans, the bishops noted that developing countries could otherwise face overwhelming debt. They also encouraged the Government to tax high-polluting activities by wealthy corporations and individuals, further pressing for sustainable and ethical funding to be prioritised in UK climate policy.
In Scotland, Archbishop William Nolan of Glasgow will say a Mass for the COP29 Climate Summit on 14 November in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow. Justice and Peace Scotland and SCIAF have organised. Christian Aid has helped organise an interfaith service and silent vigil in Edinburgh to mark the COP29 Global Day of Action on 16 November. Participants will gather afterwards outside the Scottish Parliament for a silent vigil to remember victims of the climate crisis.
On that day, more than 25 marches are set to take place across Britain, including in Birmingham, Brighton, Bangor and Plymouth. The Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology Team, Christian Climate Action and Green Christian will participate in the London march with the Climate Justice Coalition, one of more than 60 organising groups. They will lobby the UK government to end all fossil fuels and pay up for climate finance.
Christian Climate Action has organised several Pilgrimages for the Planet. One in the North East last weekend started off at the location where the Sycamore Gap Tree was cut down and walked to the AGM of the National Trust in Newcastle upon Tyne. The Trust was urged to stop banking with Barclays, “the biggest funder of fossil fuels in Europe.” Some members of Christian Climate Action also went inside the AGM and had conversations with members of the board. On 8 November Christian Climate Action was outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in Whitehall urging the UK government to take a leading role at COP29 and advocate or increased funding for countries on the frontline of climate change. They brought a tower of boxes showing that food, livelihoods, health, peace, dignity, and childhood depend on climate stability
Jesuit Missions has produced an Ignatian Global Statement reinforcing climate justice commitments and outlining three crucial demands for COP29: an effective Loss and Damage Fund, Debt Cancellation for climate efforts, and a Just Energy Transition. A Prayer Guide has been produced, using the daily themes of COP29.
On 29 October, a letter was handed in to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, signed by 21 Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, and Buddhist leaders, calling on UK government to show climate leadership, particularly on finance. The lead Catholic bishop for the environment in England and Wales, Bishop John Arnold of Salford, signed; also Colette Joyce, Justice and Peace Co-ordinator in Westminster Diocese; and Canon Giles Goddard, Chair of Faith for the Climate and Vicar of St John’s Church of England parish in Waterloo. The letter said, “when we factor in Britain’s colonial past, the UK is the fourth largest contributor to climate change…”and it’s time for the UK – and its wealthiest polluters – to pay our fair share.”
This reference to the UK’s big oil and gas companies was highlighted in another letter sent on 4 November to Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, by 145 civil society organisations. It called on him to leave fossil fuel industry lobbyists out of the UK’s delegation to COP29. The UK took 20 fossil fuel lobbyists to COP in 2023 and as card-carrying members of the delegation, these lobbyists had access to negotiating rooms as well as the government-only areas, allowing them to meet political leaders without any public scrutiny. Christian organisations signing this letter included: National Justice and Peace Network of England and Wales, Archdiocese of Birmingham Justice and Peace Commission, St Vincent de Paul Society, Laudato Si Movement, Laudato Si Animators UK, Columban Missionaries, Presentation Sisters UK, Pax Christi, Christian Climate Action and Green Christian.
To coincide with the COP29 conference, Operation Noah – an ecumenical response to the climate crisis – will be making its next Global Divestment Announcement on 12 November. It is also marking 10 years of the faith-based fossil fuel divestment movement which has involved Churches, dioceses and faith organisations. The announcement will include a call for the UK government to sign the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty which offers a framework for encouraging governments to make a transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy.
This year, global average temperatures are set to rise by 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels for the first time, according to the EU’s Copernicus programme, which monitors our planet and its environment. Ahead of the biggest annual climate summit, this is a stark warning about the need for urgent funding for action on climate. But there was widespread disappointment when the COP29 CEO was exposed last week for using climate summit to discuss new oil deals.
LINKS
Climate Justice Coalition: https://climatejustice.uk/
Christian Climate Action: https://christianclimateaction.org/
Operation Noah: www.operationnoah.org/
