Materials on other websites, which we hope you find interesting and useful, covering:

• Environment action in the Church of England
• Working with other churches and faith groups
• The issues - climate change; resource depletion; justice
• Taking action - do it yourself; campaigning; get others’ attention!

Environment action in the Church of England

In the national Church

• Shrinking the Footprint campaign

Around the Dioceses in the south west

Learning from other Dioceses

Working with other churches and faith groups

Devon Churches Green Action (DCGA, dcga.org.uk) is a task group which promotes awareness of ecological issues among the communities/churches of Devon and encourages people to take appropriate action to make their lifestyles more sustainable.  One of DCGA’s roles is to encourage local churches to develop ‘green groups’ or teams to activate wider community.

The Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) website provides links to Christian organisations and development agencies involved in environment and climate change issues, plus web pages and information provided by the churches. 

Green Christian (GC) aims to offer insights into ecology and the environment to Christian people and churches, and to offer Christian insights to the Green movement.  GC supports Christians from all backgrounds and traditions.

Operation Noah was the first Christian campaign focused exclusively on climate change.  It’s mission is to encourage Britain and Ireland’s churches and governments to lead a radical transformation in both our culture and economic systems; a transformation towards simpler, liveable and supportable lifestyles that will increase happiness and well-being, while safeguarding the whole of God’s creation for future generations.

The Methodist Church in Britain, The United Reformed Church and the Baptist Union of Great Britain convened a joint working group on climate change and theology to produce the report “Hope in God’s Future: Christian Discipleship in the Context of Climate Change” (pdf). Together with the Church of Scotland, they have assembled a Joint Public Issues Team on the Environment.

The Anglican Communion Environmental Network aims to encourage Anglicans across the globe to support sustainable environmental practices as individuals and in the life of their communities.

The European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) is a church network promoting co-operation in caring for creation. ECEN is an instrument of the Conference of European Churches for addressing the relationship to nature and the environment from the perspective of Christian theology and Christian way of life.

Martyn Goss attended the Faith and Climate Change seminar at Lambeth Palace on 29th October 2009.  The faith leaders and other participants released The Lambeth Declaration, pledging to work together to raise awareness about the effects of ‘catastrophic climate change’ on the world’s poor and to take whatever action they can to “to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable practice”.

The issues

Climate change

The science and impacts of climate change

• Met Office: Climate guide
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Fifth Assessment Report
• Skeptical Science: Explaining climate change science & rebutting global warming misinformation

UK climate policy

• Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
• Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra): Adapting to climate change
• Department for International Development: Supporting international action on climate change and Reducing the impact of climate change in developing countries
  Committee on Climate Change
• Office of Climate Change
• Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006
• The Guardian’s National carbon calculator

Resource depletion

Peak oil

• Wikipedia article
• Transition Network - building resilience within local communities

Peak water

• Wikipedia article
• Defra report on Water stressed areas in England & Wales

Peak soil

• Guardian article: “Peak soil: industrial civilisation is on the verge of eating itself”
• Skeptical Science article: “Peak Water, Peak Oil…Now, Peak Soil?”

Justice

Climate Justice

• Wikipedia article
• ACT Now for Climate Justice - A network of organisations and movements from across the globe
• Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice

Fuel Poverty

• Wikipedia article
• UK Government statistics
• Fuel Poverty Action - A campaign group of the Climate Justice Collective

Taking action

Do it yourself

Resources for churches

• Eco Church
• Shrinking the Footprint
• Operation Noah

Resources for individuals - measure your footprint and commit to reducing it

• WWF Footprint Calculator
• Make 2020 the year of climate action with We Are Possible
• Tips from the Guardian on how to achieve 10% cuts

Campaigning

Get involved with the campaigns run by charities

• Christian Aid: Climate change
• TearFund: Reboot campaign on Climate Change

Get involved in in local, national and European politics

• Churches Together in Britain and Ireland: Church and public issues
• Write to your local councillors, MP and MEPs, and the relevant members of the House of Lords via Write to Them.
• They Work for You provides information on your MP’s interests, speeches and voting records.
• For official guidance on petitioning Parliament, or lobbying an MP or Lord, see the Parliament website.
• There are plenty of useful tips on how to write out there, and these are worth following.
• And don’t forget that a number of bishops sit in the House of Lords!
• Respond to Government consultations

Get others’ attention!

Films

• An Inconvenient Truth (trailer)
• Home
• The Age of Stupid (trailer)
• Climate Change: The Facts with David Attenborough

Websites

• Breathing Earth
• Happy Planet Index
• One Hundred Months
• Rise Up: Penguins’ call to action
• The Big Ask: Climate change, “ACT NOW!”