Could your church join the movement for fossil free churches?

Ivybridge Methodist Church, which joined the Epiphany Declaration for Fossil Free Churches this month

From Operation Noah

Operation Noah, the World Council of Churches, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, Green Anglicans and GreenFaith are inviting religious and spiritual institutions from around the world to join a multi-faith global divestment announcement on 26-28 March 2020.

In this crucial time for urgent climate action, could your church join the movement for fossil free churches, as a practical step to care for God’s creation?

Divestment is a powerful action that your church or Christian organisation can take in response to the climate emergency, shifting investments out of the problem and into the solution. It involves making a commitment to divest (disinvest) any investments in fossil fuel companies within a five-year timeframe. Even if your church doesn’t currently hold investments, it can make a strong statement by pledging to not invest in fossil fuels in the future.

The year ahead is a pivotal year for climate action, as the devastating impacts of the climate emergency become increasingly evident. By divesting from fossil fuels, churches can demonstrate moral leadership and emphasise the need for urgent action from the UK Government, especially with the UN climate talks (COP26) set to take place in Glasgow in November 2020.

Churches have been at the forefront of the global divestment movement. Earlier this month, 20 UK Christian organisations committed to divest from fossil fuels – including the first two Catholic dioceses in England and the first local Methodist church to divest.

If you would be interested in getting your local church or regional Church structures (dioceses and equivalents) to make a commitment to divest from fossil fuels and join the Global Divestment Announcement, we would be delighted to hear from you!

For more information or to register your commitment, please get in touch with Helena Ritter on helena.ritter@operationnoah.org by 19 March 2020.

Could you spread the word among your contacts? Please forward this email to anyone you think would be interested and share our blog on social media.

Together in hope,

Helena, James and all at Operation Noah