Churches urged to use land to benefit climate and nature

Operation Noah is also calling on denominations and dioceses to map where their land is located, how it is being used and which areas are protected.

The Christian ecumenical climate charity Operation Noah called on UK Churches to achieve net zero land emissions by 2030.

To mark World Environment Day on 5 June, Operation Noah delivered an open letter with more than 500 signatures to leaders of major UK denominations in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Church leaders were urged to use Church land to benefit climate and nature.

Leaders from nine churches, including the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, the Church of England, the Church in Wales, the Church of Scotland, Quakers in Britain and the Methodists, received the letter which asks leaders to endorse seven targets, from protecting 30 per cent of Church land for nature by 2030 to restoring 100 percent of degraded peatland by 2030.

Accompanying the letter was a book with dozens of stories of local churches already using their land to benefit climate and nature.

UK churches own hundreds of thousands of acres of land, with the Church of England one of the largest landowners in England and the Roman Catholic Church one of the largest landowners in the world. Church land includes woodlands and vast tracts of agricultural land leased to farmers which can be a carbon sink or a major source of planet-heating emissions.

Operation Noah is also calling on denominations and dioceses to map where their land is located, how it is being used and which areas are protected, and to have this information publicly available by 2030. Currently, information on where Church-owned land is located, as well as some features of the land, including whether it contains peat, is often unavailable.

The charity works to inspire the Church to take action on the climate crisis. In addition to divesting from fossil fuels, Operation Noah encourages churches and faith groups around the world to invest in climate solutions alongside implementing better land use practices, such as peat restoration and tree growing.

Operation Noah wins award for divestment campaign

How Pope Francis joined green theology with practical action on the world stage 

Stay updated — add us as a preferred news source on Google: