Christians lobby Parliament to urgently combat climate crisis

CHRISTIANS en masse lobbied Parliament on Wednesday, urging greater than 300 MPs to treat the climate crisis as an urgent priority (Comment, 4 July).

There was, the campaigners told them, a “moral case” for accelerating the transition to scrub energy and supporting those on the front lines of the climate crisis.

The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, who’s the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment, was among the many church leaders who supported the Ac Now, Change Forever mass lobbying exercise. He said that raising the alarm in regards to the climate crisis was not an “optional extra” for the Church.

“As a Christian, I think that caring for the climate is vital since it honours God’s call to take care of the earth and to like our neighbours, including those on the front line of the severe impact of climate change,” he said.

“Standing alongside people of various faiths on the mass lobby will emphasise that together we share a standard concern and seek the common good because climate change impacts all areas of life — food production, the natural environment, health, community resilience, migration, conflict and war. It is making the world less stable.

“My prayer is that politicians, indeed all of us, will truly wake as much as the urgency of the threat and take urgent motion on our carbon emissions. This isn’t an optional extra for the ministry of the Church, it’s an imperative for the mission of God’s Church.”

The event was co-ordinated by the Climate Coalition, an umbrella organisation of charities including Christian Aid and CAFOD, and touched on preparations for November’s UN COP30 climate summit.

“As COP30 approaches, we face the stark reality that over 93 per cent of climate-vulnerable countries are trapped in a debt crisis, undermining their ability to reply to climate related disasters and protect their communities,” CAFOD’s chief executive, Christine Allen, said.

“People of religion from across the UK are uniting in Westminster to induce MPs to act now. This mass lobby is a key moment throughout the Jubilee Year to talk out and demand change. The UK must lead daring global reforms to cancel unjust debt and unlock funds to fight a crisis these countries did least to cause. This is about justice — and urgent motion.”

Joe Ware is senior climate journalist at Christian Aid.