THE former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams is among the many signatories of a faith leaders’ letter urging the Government to support the Climate and Nature Bill, which is backed by greater than 200 MPs across the foremost parties and is to be debated on 24 January.
If passed, the Bill would enshrine in law a goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and to take motion to halt biodiversity loss. The Bill also mandates the formation of an independent Climate and Nature Assembly, comprising members of most of the people, to make further proposals on environmental motion.
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, and the Bishop of Kingston, Dr Martin Gainsborough, are among the many 26 signatories to the letter.
Other signatories of the “multi-faith request” to Sir Keir Starmer include the president of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Trupti Patel; the chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, Qari Muhammad Asim; and the Senior Rabbi of the New North London Masorti Synagogue, Jonathan Wittenberg.
They write that the Bill “will improve the lives and and livelihoods of individuals across the UK, in addition to around the globe”, and urge the Prime Minister to support the passage of the Bill through Parliament.
“Scenes of chaos and misery we now have seen within the news this yr around the globe as a result of flooding, wildfires, heatwaves, droughts and storms have been deeply distressing — especially since those that are suffering probably the most, globally, are those that have done the least to create the crisis,” the letter says.
It welcomes the Government’s motion because the summer, but says that the UK is “still not on target to satisfy our internationally-agreed commitments for 2030”.
