logo2016
 

June 2024

Dear Friends,

While some politicians have tried to weaponise the climate and nature crises by suggesting that achieving Net Zero emissions and restoring nature is just too expensive, more than 60,000 people marched through London last Saturday with a very different message.

At the ‘Restore Nature Now’ march, Operation Noah trustees, staff and supporters along with tens of thousands of others – including the RSPB and National Trust – called on all political parties to do more to reverse the staggering loss of nature in the UK.

Organisers of the march called for a doubling in financial support for nature and climate-friendly farming, an end to fossil fuels, new rules requiring big polluters to pay for climate and nature recovery and an environmental bill of rights, among other policies. At Operation Noah, we were proud to back these demands, as well as to be part of a pre-march service at Farm Street Church called ‘Creation Cries Out’ where we lamented the damage done to our world and prayed that more people would be inspired to protect the people and planet God loves.

The Operation Noah Team

***

Celebrating Operation Noah’s 20 Year Anniversary

This year marks 20 years since Operation Noah was founded and we would love it if you would join us in celebrating this milestone by planting a tree, financially supporting our work, or attending our anniversary service on Monday 18th November at St John’s Waterloo in London which will feature a lecture by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury. Next month we will email all of our supporters a link to book their free ticket to attend the service.

For 20 years, we have worked to inspire Churches and faith institutions to act on the climate crisis, and Churches have responded; indeed, most UK Churches have now divested from fossil fuels with many Churches and dioceses now considering investing in climate solutions. Looking to the future, our goal of inspiring the Church to take action on the climate crisis is as important as ever as the world must rapidly scale up investment in clean energy while nearly halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Learn how you can help us celebrate our anniversary.

***
***

Marching for Our Planet: ‘Restore Nature Now’

David Britton, a Church of England priest who recently joined our team as Campaign Officer, reflects on his experience at last weekend’s ‘Restore Nature Now’ march, writing, ‘We lamented over the depletion of nature in this country, the loss of habitat, the destruction of our rivers and waterways and the lack of leadership from our government. Yet we also heard stories of hope: places that have been successfully rewilded, species and birdlife that were once endangered now thriving and inspiring stories of successful campaigning to affect change.’ Read more.

***

Operation Noah to Host ‘Investing for Creation Care’ Event at the Methodist Church Conference in Leeds

Operation Noah and JustMoney Movement will host a Fringe Event at the Methodist Church Conference in Leeds on 2nd July at 1pm, with lunch provided. We will discuss how Churches and faith groups can use their money to take action on the climate crisis. The session will consider green banking options in addition to discussing our Green Investment Declaration which encourages Churches and faith groups to invest in climate solutions. Register.

***

Watch Again: The Science and Theology of Green Investment + How to Join the Movement

This month, Operation Noah hosted two webinars as we launched our Green Investment Declaration, encouraging Churches to put at least 5% of their investments into climate solutions within five years. You can watch both webinars by clicking here. ‘Why Green Investment? A Look at the Science and Theology’ featured contributions from Dr Martin Hodson, who discussed the urgency of climate action and the solutions that can make the biggest difference, and Revd Margot Hodson, who offered theological reasons for why Christians should invest in climate solutions. ‘The Green Investment Declaration: How to Join the Movement for Change’ featured a panel that included our own Clare Fussell alongside Catherine Dewitt and Mathew Jensen from FaithInvest, and Mike Sturgess, Chair of Truro’s Diocesan Board of Finance. Watch here.

***

Operation Noah at the Greenbelt Festival

We’re looking forward to having a stall at this year’s Greenbelt Festival (22-25 August) and also to participating in the ‘Greening Our Money’ panel discussion alongside our partners JustMoney Movement. The exact day and time of our panel has yet to be announced, but you can purchase tickets for the Greenbelt Festival here and we hope to see you there! We are also looking for one or two volunteers to help on our stall, working alongside an Operation Noah staff member or trustee; if you’re interested in volunteering, please email us at admin@operationnoah.org.

***

Resources, news, events and opportunities

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that Surrey County Council should have considered the full climate impact of burning oil from new wells, not just the impact of extracting the oil. The landmark decision calls into question future UK oil and gas projects, including the massive Rosebank oil field. Previously, the end use of extracted fossil fuels did not have to be considered as part of a development's climate impact assessment. Read more.

Nominations will close on 30th June for the Church Times Green Church Awards which distribute prize money across seven categories, each of which celebrates efforts by individuals or congregations to ‘offset the damage being done to the earth’. Read more.

The World Council of Churches is partnering with the UN and other organisations on a 3rd July webinar called, ‘Climate-Responsible Banking: A Moral Imperative Towards Children’. The 1pm webinar will increase awareness of how investing in fossil fuel expansion imperils the wellbeing of future generations, and how faith groups can respond. Register here.

The EU’s nature restoration law, which narrowly passed this month, sets a target to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea by the end of the decade. According to the European Environment Agency, 81% of European habitats are in poor shape. Read more.

Nearly 2,000 children under five are dying every day from air pollution, overtaking poor sanitation and lack of clean water as the second biggest global health risk for young children. Air pollution deaths in young children are also 100 times higher in most of Africa than they are in high income countries. Read more.

***

Please support the work of Operation Noah

Our campaigns and activities rely on donations from individuals and organisations, so please consider giving a one-off or regular donation.

***

You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for updates on the Operation Noah or Bright Now websites, opted to receive updates when registering for a webinar run by Operation Noah or one of our partners, or asked for updates when you signed our Fossil Free petition. If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, please click the Unsubscribe button below.

 
   
 
Powered by Mad Mimi®A GoDaddy® company