Monday 21 NovemberThe Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church. While we are extremely conscious of the cost-of-living crisis and the economic bearing it is having here in the UK, we cannot ignore the tremendous impact of climate change in other parts of …
Environment
COP27 – what should we be looking for?
At COP27[1], the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, made headlines on the opening day when he stated that “we are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator”. Some commentators saw this as exaggerated rhetoric to capture the headlines. Yet even the sober judgements of …
Net Zero From the Ground Up: the case for councils
We're launching a new campaign, 'Net Zero In My Neighbourhood'. This blog explores why we're focusing on local councils for climate action, and how you can get involved. I’d like to use my car less but public transport is unreliable. I’d like to recycle more but recycling bins are only collected …
COP26 – what was achieved?
COP26 was the most significant climate summit since Paris in 2015. The measures outlined in the COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact are critical if we are to set a course to keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees. Members of churches, in the UK and further afield, have been campaigning in advance of COP26 …
Response to COP26
Statement from the Baptist Union of Great Britain, The Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church on the conclusion of the Glasgow COP26 summit – 14 November 2021 Significant new statements have been made at the summit in Glasgow. Most government delegations accept that the sense of urgency is …
Updates from COP26: What happened over the weekend in Glasgow?
As we enter week two of COP26, things are still very much in the balance as to how we will measure the success of the conference. So far, we’ve heard commitments from world leaders on coal, methane gasses and de-forestation. We’ve had speeches from world leaders, including from communities on the …
COP26: Why Loss and Damage matters
It is often said that we should act on climate change for the sake of our children and grandchildren’s futures. While this focus on intergenerational justice is certainly welcome, it obscures an important and urgent fact: climate change is destroying lives and livelihoods around the world now. To …
What can we expect from COP26 in Glasgow?
Make no mistake - COP26 matters a lot. As the UN Secretary General has said “The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk. Global heating …
Responding to the Budget
On Wednesday 27th October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced the Autumn Budget in the House of Commons. It’s hard to ground Budget statements in everyday reality – not least because different people and different political parties see reality very differently. At other times, …
What will it take to insulate Britain?
News over the last week has drawn attention to environmental protestors blocking roads in the south-east of England. The strategic blockages have been a huge headache to motorists going about their business, transporting parcels and food, or getting to work or the airport, and have led to at least …