COUNTRIES should oblige businesses to reveal their impact on nature and may use the wisdom of indigenous people to assist to revive biodiversity, Anglican representatives have urged before this month’s United Nations summit.
At the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP16, in Colombia, which is able to run from 21 October to 1 November, Anglican Communion representatives might be present, including young people from Kenya, El Salvador, Brazil, and Tonga. The group might be led by the the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher.
He said: “Biodiversity loss is certainly one of the most important environmental crises impacting our planet today. Whether it’s habitat destruction, pollution, the erosion of soils, or the impact of exploitation and conflict on natural resources, many Anglican churches around the globe are serving communities directly impacted by issues which cause nature loss.
“It will be easy to feel overwhelmed by the size of the crisis, but, at COP16, we would like to talk words of hope. We will implore governments to work together in achieving a joint motion plan — but we will even express our deep commitment as Anglicans in playing our part in global motion.”
The Communion has also published a report setting out the five areas on which, it says, national governments have to act to guard and increase biodiversity. These include working with faith groups to revive ecosystems; stopping nature loss and slowing climate change, which generally is a driver of conflict; increasing funding to developing countries for nature restoration; mandating that companies disclose their impact on nature; and learning from indigenous ways of life that balance ecological and financial growth to be sure that people live inside natural boundaries.
In his foreword to the report, Bishop Usher writes: “When a species becomes extinct by human motion, we damage, harm, and reduce the range of God’s creation. This can only be grievous to God who loves every thing into being. We have failed in our calling, not only to care for creation, but to live in harmony with our fellow creatures.
“We want to precise our global commitment as Anglicans to be a part of the answer, demonstrating the impact of religion actors in restoring and safeguarding God’s world.”
The report, Choosing Hope: Anglican joint motion on nature loss, also suggests ways wherein churches might help biodiversity and address climate change. These include checking out how banks or pension funds invest and considering a change to a green bank; integrating nature within the liturgy and worship practice, and boosting reforestation by planting trees on church land.
The Anglican Communion’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Martha Jarvis, said: “Having an Anglican presence at summits like COP16 is a crucial opportunity to share Anglican voices and concerns about problems with biodiversity loss. But it goes beyond the summit: it’s also about ensuring that our attendance mobilises ongoing advocacy and motion. We pray that following COP16, Anglicans can play their part alongside government leaders in restoring God’s world.”
Last week, the BBC TV presenter Chris Packham launched a campaign by the charity Wild Card calling on the Church Commissioners to rewild 30 per cent of their land by 2030 (News, 11 October). Its petition has been signed by greater than 100,000 members of the general public. Standing on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral, Mr Packham read from a nine-metre scroll described because the “95 Wild Theses”, which included reasons to enhance biodiversity on the Commissioners’ land.
