August 2023

Dear Friends,

We’re looking forward to two big events, one of which is happening this Saturday at Boughton House near Kettering while the other is happening in October at our offices in Waterloo, London.

This Saturday, at 6.30pm at the Greenbelt Festival, Operation Noah will chair a panel discussion called Church Land and the Climate Crisis, with contributions from the Chief Executive of A Rocha UK, Andy Atkins, our very own Sharon Hall, and Elizabeth Perry of Anglican Alliance.

And then on Saturday 14 October from 11am to 1.30pm, please join us for our in-person Supporters’ Event called, Somewhere Good: The Climate Crisis and the Prophetic Imagination, which we will also livestream. It will be an action-packed two and half hours that will include reflections from theologians and campaigners alongside environmentally themed workshops, an opportunity to celebrate our divestment campaign wins and a chance to learn more about our ongoing campaigns as well as to help us reimagine our work going forward.

Operation Noah is ‘hope-inspired’ and our goal for both events is to offer a sense of what is possible as we seek to inspire the Church to take action on the climate and nature crises.

We hope to see you soon!

The Operation Noah Team

Operation Noah to chair Greenbelt Festival panel discussion this Saturday

Join us this Saturday, 26 August, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, at the Greenbelt Festival as our own Julia Corcoran chairs a panel discussion called Church Land and the Climate Crisis in the Hot House venue. The event will feature contributions from Andy Atkins of A Rocha UK, from our Bright Now Campaign Officer Sharon Hall and from Elizabeth Perry of Anglican Alliance. We will discuss how emissions from Church land contribute to the climate crisis but also explore how Church land can reduce emissions and boost carbon sinks. Featuring case studies from the UK and around the world, prepare to be inspired. Please note that a ticket to the Greenbelt Festival is required in order to attend the panel discussion. Register here.

Operation Noah seeks Campaign Director and new trustees

Operation Noah is looking for a new Bright Now Campaign Director – a paid, full-time role – as well as for volunteer trustees who have experience in human resources or fundraising, or have the ability to learn what is needed to be a trustee with responsibility for one of these areas. Please note that the deadline to apply for the Campaign Director is Friday 8 September 2023. Read more.

Supporters’ Event to reflect on the prophetic imagination

Operation Noah will host an in-person and online Supporters’ Event on Saturday 14 October, and you are invited! For those who are able to join us in person, we will gather in a beautiful room on the top floor of Romero House (55 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JB), which is where we have offices alongside our friends at CAFOD. This year’s theme is Somewhere Good: The Climate Crisis and the Prophetic Imagination. Featured speakers and event registration details will be announced in September. Read more about this year’s theme.

Book Review: The Culture of Stopping by Harald Welzer

Operation Noah Trustee Nicky Bull reviews The Culture of Stopping by Harald Welzer, finding it ‘applicable anywhere that is dominated by a culture of over-consumption, ambition around accumulation of wealth and possessions, and obsession with a growth economy’. Read more.

Resources, news, events and opportunities

Ecuadorians have voted against drilling for oil in a protected area of the Amazon, an important decision that will require the state oil company to end its operations in a region that is home to two uncontacted tribes and is a hotspot of biodiversity. Read more.

A cargo ship fitted with giant British-designed wind-powered sails – built with the same material as wind turbines – has set out on its maiden voyage. Enabling a vessel to be blown along by the wind, rather than solely using its engine, could reduce its emissions by 30%. The shipping industry is responsible for about 2.1% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Read more.

As the UK Government tries to make the climate crisis into a culture war, public concern has seen a sharp jump, as one in four Britons now see the environment as an important issue, up 13 percentage points since July. In a summer of devastating wildfires, polling shows that climate now ranks joint third with the NHS as the biggest issue facing the country. Read more.

Global oil demand has hit a record high and may rise further in August, the International Energy Agency said. Demand reached an all-time high 103 million barrels a day in June, making it clear that global efforts to cut carbon emissions have yet to completely halt the rise in oil demand, even with record global temperatures. Read more.

The judge who heard the US’s first constitutional climate trial has ruled in favour of the young plaintiffs who had accused state officials in Montana of violating their right to a healthy environment by not considering the climate impacts of fossil fuels. Youth-led constitutional climate lawsuits are also pending in four other states, including Hawaii, where wildfires recently destroyed the town of Lahaina. 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.