November 2021

Dear Friends,

As we reflect on COP26 in Glasgow, we’re convinced that the changes we need to address the climate crisis will be driven by civil society, and especially by churches and faith groups.

While the official pledges made by governments at COP26 fell short of what was needed to keep warming to 1.5°C, without being naively optimistic, we believe that we should also see COP26 as the launching-off point to a decade of increased activism and engagement.

The faith presence was incredibly strong at COP26, and we were fortunate to have had two representatives at the conference: our Bright Now Campaign Manager James Buchanan and our trustee Shilpita Mathews, who was also an official COP26 observer and had a pass to the Blue Zone where official negotiations were held. But in addition to Operation Noah, most of the major UK-based Christian charities were in Glasgow, as were groups like Young Christian Climate Network, Christian Climate Action, Climate Sunday and many Christian denominations.

As we think about COP26 being the start of something bigger, we’re excited to announce that we have received grant funding to hire two additional staff members as part of our Bright Now campaign, allowing us to increase our focus on Church investment in climate solutions. Do pass this opportunity along to those you know – or consider applying yourself!

The Operation Noah Team

We're hiring for two new roles: apply by 5 December

We’re hiring! Operation Noah has received grant funding to scale up our work with UK Churches and faith institutions on investment in climate solutions, and we’re hiring for two new roles: a Bright Now Campaign Manager and Campaign Officer. Apply by 5 December. Read more.

Diocese of Norwich votes to divest from fossil fuels

The Diocese of Norwich’s Diocesan Synod has voted 61-5 in favour of divesting from fossil fuel companies. James Buchanan, Operation Noah’s Bright Now Campaign Manager, said: ‘We hope this decision will inspire many other Church of England dioceses to follow their lead.’ Read more.

Diocese of Durham votes unanimously for divestment

This month at its Diocesan Synod, the Diocese of Durham voted unanimously to divest from fossil fuel companies and pledged not to invest in fossil fuels in the future. Durham becomes the sixth Church of England diocese to divest or make a divestment commitment. Read more.

Rewatch our webinar on divestment and a just transition

Along with our global partners, Operation Noah hosted a webinar at the end of October called, COP26, Fossil Fuel Divestment and a Just Transition for All. Following our Global Divestment Announcement on 26 October – the largest-ever joint divestment announcement by faith institutions – we welcomed Bishop Bill Nolan (Bishop of Galloway), Rt Revd Hugh Nelson (Bishop of St Germans), Revd Dr Rachel Mash (Green Anglicans), Gunnela Hahn, Sunita Viswanath, Richard Brooks, James Buchanan and Prince Papa, our chair. Watch it here.

Don't miss this powerful COP26 discussion on climate justice

Reflecting on some of the same themes as our webinar in October but with a different panel of speakers, Operation Noah live-streamed a powerful event from COP26 in Glasgow. With reflections on climate justice and divestment, our panel included Dr Lorna Gold (Laudato Si’ Movement), Mark Campanale (Carbon Tracker), Rt Revd Olivia Graham (Bishop of Reading), Sally Foster-Fulton (Christian Aid Scotland), Pastor Ray Minnicon (Indigenous Australian Pastor), James Buchanan and Svitlana Romanko, our chair. Watch it here.

COP26: A missed opportunity, but scope for climate justice

Operation Noah Trustee Shilpita Mathews and Bright Now Campaign Manager James Buchanan share their experiences and thoughts from COP26 in Glasgow, which included conversations with Al and Karenna Gore, meeting founder of the global divestment movement Bill McKibben (pictured) and standing alongside marginalised communities. Read more.

On the Operation Noah blog

Resources, news, events and opportunities

Andy Atkins, CEO of A Rocha UK, has called on the Church of England to divest from fossil fuels. ‘When you’re facing an emergency, you don’t mess around.’ Read more.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that the Cambo oil field should not be approved by the UK government. Cambo would produce 170 million barrels of oil in the first phase alone and would contravene warnings from the International Energy Agency that all new oil and gas developments should be stopped. Read more about the Stop Cambo campaign.

Our trustee Hannah Malcolm was recently featured on the Nomad Podcast. In the episode, Hannah talks about the book of essays she edited – Words for a Dying World – as well as the ways in which the climate crisis draws us back to the land and to each other. Listen here.

One of the bright spots of COP26 was the official launch of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), a group of countries pledging to reject new oil and gas developments. Countries that have joined the alliance, which is led by Costa Rica and Denmark, include Ireland, France, Greenland, Wales and Sweden. The UK government has so far refused to sign up. Read more.

Power for People has drafted a Local Electricity Bill that has received the cross-party backing of 278 MPs. The bill would allow local renewable energy suppliers to sell their energy to local people; currently, it is not possible for someone to buy electricity from local, renewable sources such as a school or sports hall that have solar panels. The Local Electricity Bill will be debated in Parliament on 30 November. Ask your MP to attend this important debate.

According to research from the Paid to Pollute campaign, the UK government has given £13.6bn in public subsidies to fossil fuel companies since signing the Paris Agreement in 2015. On 8 December, the High Court will hear a case challenging the use of public money for oil and gas companies. Learn more about the campaign and the legal arguments here.

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