THE Church of England’s drive to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 is already reducing energy bills and making churches fit for the future, the lead bishop for the environment says.
Speaking to a gathering of diocesan environment officers at the British Antarctic Survey, in Cambridge, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, said that acting to tackle the climate and nature crises was a sign of Christian compassion, and “the right thing to do”.
“There is a link here through compassion with Anglicans — with all people around the world — many of whom are on the front line of climate change and biodiversity loss,” he said. “If we truly believe that we are brothers and sisters in Christ, we should have a concern and a compassion for where biodiversity and climate-change loss is impacting people’s lives.”
The Church’s net-zero programme was building up a “huge impetus”, he said, and highlighted that changes available to churches could range from solar panels to low-cost features such as LED lighting, both of which could have a significant impact on a church’s carbon footprint, whether rural or urban.
In his speech in Cambridge, Bishop Usher spoke of being part of the Anglican delegation to the COP16 UN biodiversity conference last year in Colombia (Comment, 25 October 2024). “Climate change and biodiversity are two sides of the same coin,” he said. “COP16 came over very loud and clear to me on the need to hold these together. Investment in conservation and restoration and environmental protection are futile if we are going be doing nothing around climate change.”
Elsewhere, a Christian charity has called on Churches in the UK to be more transparent about the land that they own, so that this asset can be used to increase biodiversity, cut carbon emissions, and achieve net zero by 2030.
The Church Commissioners own about 200,000 acres of forestry and farmland. The charity Operation Noah has published a seven-point plan, Church Land Use Vision, for the management of the land. This includes: restoring peatland, protecting 30 per cent for nature and growing new mixed woodland on ten per cent; supporting tenant farmers to reach net zero by 2030; and publishing reports on reducing emissions on church land by 2030. The charity has also requested the provision of a public map of church land, indicating land use and protected areas, by 2030.
Operation Noah’s Bright Now campaign director, Clare Fussell, said: “Reducing emissions on church land is hugely important, and something which the Church must take seriously, not only as a responsible landowner, but also as a moral community called to care for Creation. Our 2022 church-land report concluded that agricultural land owned by the Church of England was likely to emit more planet-heating greenhouse gases than all its church buildings combined.”
A 2024 report from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero showed that agricultural land accounted for more than 12 per cent of UK emissions that year — more than the entire electricity sector.
A spokesperson for the Commissioners said: “The Church Commissioners support nature and nature-integrated farming across our portfolio through regenerative agriculture, woodland creation and tree planting, peatland restoration, and sustainable forestry. This includes projects with our farming tenants to enhance biodiversity, partnerships with wildlife trusts and the RSPB, and certified sustainable forest management.”
Operation Noah has published a new series of resources for churches, including examples of sustainable farming, and is asking the public to sign an open letter to church leaders for World Environment Day on 5 June.
