October 2022

Dear Friends,

Though our new Prime Minister has decided that he won’t attend COP27, the climate crisis has not gone away. From high energy bills driven by the global price of fossil gas and the detrimental health impacts of fossil fuels to the fact that atmospheric levels of all three greenhouse gases have just reached record highs, the failure of world leaders to act quickly and boldly to address the climate crisis could cover the front pages of every newspaper, every day.

Yet as the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2022 makes clear, the worst climate scenarios can still be averted. And Churches can help spur a fair and fast transition away from expensive fossil fuels and towards renewable energy and a net zero carbon world.

This month, the dioceses of Manchester and St Albans both announced their divestment from fossil fuels, becoming the 12th and 13th CofE dioceses to do so, while the national investment bodies (NIBs) of the Church of England have said they will divest from all oil and gas companies not aligned with the Paris Agreement in 2023. But what comes after divestment?

As next month’s Bright Now report on Church investments in climate solutions will explore, many Churches are now beginning to investigate how they can contribute to the $4 trillion per year that the world needs to invest in renewables by 2030 in order to reach net zero carbon emissions and limit global heating to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. As world leaders begin their COP27 negotiations, let us redouble our efforts to use our money and influence – both as individual Christians and as local and national Churches – to protect the world God loves.

The Operation Noah Team

Join us on 22 November at 7pm for our ‘Church investment in climate solutions’ webinar

Most UK Churches have now made commitments to divest from fossil fuel companies, but it is also vital for Churches to increase their investment in climate solutions, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency, in order to reduce fossil fuel demand. Join us for a free webinar on Tuesday 22 November at 7pm as we launch our new report on Church investments in climate solutions with a panel of expert speakers, including Mike Sturgess, Chair of the Diocesan Board of Finance for the Diocese of Truro. Register for our webinar here.

Two more Church of England dioceses divest

At Operation Noah, we’re celebrating two more divestment commitments from Church of England dioceses: the Diocese of Manchester and the Diocese of St Albans, which this month became the 12th and 13th CofE dioceses to make formal divestment commitments. In less than two years, the Church of England has gone from zero dioceses having made a formal divestment commitment to 13; however, 11 dioceses still have money invested in fossil fuels. And while more than a dozen other CofE dioceses have no fossil fuel investments, those dioceses have yet to make a public commitment never to invest in fossil fuels in the future.

New date for Global Divestment Announcement

Our next Global Divestment Announcement – originally planned for next month – has been pushed back to April 2023 to coincide with Earth Day celebrations and give institutions more time to coordinate divestment commitments. Rescheduling also means our next announcement will take place during a crucial period for the Church of England, which has pledged to divest from all oil and gas companies not aligned with the Paris Agreement by July 2023.

Peatland – a surprisingly important habitat for climate and biodiversity

When you think about major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, you probably think about the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transport – and you would be right. However, you might be surprised to hear that degraded peatland releases 4% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, more than all UK heavy goods vehicles combined. Read more.

On the Operation Noah blog

Operation Noah releases an updated version of Tenants of the King, our Bible study on the climate crisis

Since launching Tenants of the King in 2018 – our study guide on what the Bible says about caring for the environment – the climate and ecological crisis has become more urgent. We recently updated Tenants of the King to reflect the deepening emergency and also to highlight the opportunities for missional activity as Christians engage with climate issues. Learn more.

Resources, news, events and opportunities

The Climate Justice Coalition is organising a series of 12 November mass mobilisations around the UK and the Republic of Ireland as part of a COP27 Global Day of Action. The gatherings, which will take place in more than two dozen towns and cities around the UK, will also address the national and global cost of living crisis, climate impacts in the global south and the need for a just transition away from fossil fuels. Read more.

The profits from six large oil companies in the first half of 2022 would be enough to offset the financial impacts of global-heating-fuelled extreme weather events in low-income countries over that same period, with $70 billion left over – this according to Oxfam’s Climate Finance Short-Changed report. Wealthy countries failed to meet the $100bn climate finance goal for developing countries in 2020, a deadline first set 13 years ago. Read more.

In a significant victory for campaigners, Britain’s biggest domestic bank will no longer support direct financing of new oil and gas projects. While Lloyds joins a small number of lenders refusing to fund fossil fuel expansion, the UK Government insists it will approve new North Sea oil and gas developments against the warnings of scientists and the UN. Read more.

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said HSBC can no longer run ads promoting its eco credentials, as HSBC is ‘involved in the financing of businesses which made significant contributions to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions’. This is ASA’s first action against a bank for greenwashing. Read more.

With this month’s divestment announcement from Coventry University, 100 UK universities have now pledged to divest from fossil fuels. This equates to 65% of the UK’s higher education sector and represents endowments worth more than £17.6bn. Read more.

The Zero Hour campaign is encouraging people around the UK to ask their MP, Councillor, MSP, Senedd or Assembly member to sign the Nature and Climate Declaration before COP27. The declaration calls on the UK Government to reduce its emissions to keep global heating to 1.5°C, to take action to halt or reduce biodiversity decline by 2030, and to deliver a more ambitious environmental protection and decarbonisation plan. Read more.

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