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C of E Launches 7-Year “Church and Earth” Climate Change Action Plan

2 November 2009

•       Church’s carbon footprint to be cut by 42% by 2020

•       4700 sustainable schools nationwide by 2016

•       ‘Eco-twinning’ with church communities in developing world

Windsor, 2 November 2009 The Church of England has launched its environmental strategy for the next seven years, as global faith leaders and UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, gather today to discuss commitments on climate change, before the world’s political leaders meet in Copenhagen in December.

The strategy, Church and Earth, outlines policies on climate change mitigation and adaptation. These will be overseen by the Church of England’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign, set up in 2006, and implemented by the Church’s 43 dioceses, 16200 churches and 4700 schools across the UK in an effort to cut the combined annual carbon footprint of around 330,000 tonnes CO2*.

Church and Earth includes emissions reduction targets for the Church as a whole, in line with the national target of 80% by 2050, and with an interim aim of reducing the Church’s carbon footprint by 42% by 2020. The plan puts education and young people at the heart of the Church’s climate change strategy, with all 4700 church schools nationwide aiming to achieve ‘eco-school’ status and implementing Government policy on education for sustainable development.

The Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, who leads for the Church of England on climate change and the environment, said:

“The challenge facing the human race in the 21st century is in our relation with the earth and in particular how we are going to help one another to adapt to the reality of rapid climate change. The Christian community is being recalled by this crisis to a more genuinely Biblical view of creation and our place within it.

“It is clear that the effects of climate change will be felt first by some of the most vulnerable communities in the world and those least able to bear the costs of adaptation. Neighbour-love in the 21st century embraces Pacific islanders and those who make a living in the low lying delta regions of the world as well as our children and the inhabitants of our own islands.

“The Church of England has gone beyond rhetoric in producing Church and Earth, a challenging plan for action which makes serious demands on our community, our schools and churches. This has been conceived as part of the preparation for the Copenhagen Conference. At today’s gathering in Windsor in the presence of the UN Secretary General, we shall set out our commitments which include [as follows]:”

-       Carbon reduction target of 80% by 2050, with an interim target of 42% by 2020

-       Annual carbon and energy reports for all parishes and dioceses by 2016

-       All church buildings to have carbon footprints calculated and recommendations made by 2012

-       Advice for all parishes on choosing green energy tariffs by 2010

-       Tree-planting to be encouraged on church land

-       ‘Eco-twinning’ between UK and developing world parishes, faced with early effects of climate change

-       New Climate Justice Fund offering aid to churches in the developing world

-       All dioceses to target Fair Trade status before 2016

Church and Earth was commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Church Commissioners and was developed by the Shrinking the Footprint Task Group, chaired by the Bishop of London. It is one of nine long-term plans that the world’s major faiths have drawn up and which are being discussed at today’s Windsor Conference, organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) as part of their programme for Seven-Year Plans for Generational Change.

Oliver Smith, deputy director of programmes at WWF-UK and a trustee of ARC said:

"At a time when the negotiations in Copenhagen are at the front of our minds, it's heartening to see that a major institution such as the Church of England is taking a lead in a way that our government and the other nations could learn from. The plans that have been announced are truly challenging, and are part of a set of commitments that many traditions of nine major faiths will make next week in Windsor in the presence of Ban Ki-Moon.

"The faiths have taken a moral stance, committing themselves to action whatever the outcome in Copenhagen. WWF-UK is proud to have been a sponsor and contributor to this plan and we look forward to working with the Church of England over the coming years as the plans are implemented."

The Church’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign has already seen parishes across the country working hard at reducing their carbon emissions. A number of churches, from St James’ Piccadilly in London’s West End through to St Denys’s in Sleaford, Lincoln, have installed solar panels. Wakefield Diocese has introduced a carbon offsetting scheme which involves tree-planting in Tanzania.

Download the Church and Earth report and executive summary

ENDS

For media enquiries and interview bids, please contact the Diocese of London media team on 020 7618 9106, dioceseoflondon@luther.co.uk

* Shrinking the Footprint data collated in 2007

Notes to editors

Church and Earth is a statement of the Church of England’s beliefs, activities and ambitions relating to climate change and environmental action over the next seven years.

The Church of England has been working on issues of environmental care for over thirty years, and aims to build on its many policies and projects as part of the global effort to tackle climate change, together with the full range of associated environmental challenges. In doing this, the Church aspires to lead with its flagship programme, Shrinking the Footprint, and the newly established Climate Justice Fund, in partnership with Tearfund.

The summary of Church and Earth has been submitted to and embraced by the Bishops’ Environment Panel of the Church of England. It is the work of a task group established under Shrinking the Footprint (StF). The plan, and the research which underpins it, also draw on extensive discussions with colleagues and experts within and beyond the Church of England. These are listed in Appendix A of Church and Earth, with much appreciation and gratitude.

The StF Task Group comprises Stephen Bowler, Brian Cuthbertson, Rachel Harden, Stephen Heard, Charles Reed and David Shreeve, with Ian Christie and Nick Spencer of Theos, the public theology think tank, working as consultants to the project.

Thanks are also due to Rod Sterne of the WWF, who took part in the Steering Group which has managed the project.

WWF works to create solutions to our most serious environmental challenges, for a world where people and nature can live in harmony within their fair share of the planet's natural resources. WWF-UK is the UK arm of the WWF Network, the world’s leading environmental organisation founded in 1961 and now active in over 100 countries. Using a unique combination of practical experience, knowledge and credibility, WWF's 300-strong staff work with governments, businesses and communities both in the UK and around the world.