As world leaders arrive in Cornwall this week for the G7 Summit, leaders of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches joined dozens of faith leaders to call on the UK government to use its Presidency of the G7 and of the UN climate talks to drive real progress on addressing the climate crisis.
In an open letter to the Prime Minister, they state, “As people of faith, we cannot stand by while world leaders continue to delay action. Delays on phasing out support for fossil fuels and on addressing climate impacts are destroying lives. From the Pacific islands to sub-Saharan Africa, from Bangladesh to Brazil, the climate crisis is a present reality for the world’s poorest people. They have little power to tackle this catastrophe which they did not cause. We ask you, who do have power, to use the UK’s G7 and COP Presidency in their interests.”
The interfaith letter asks the government to end the use of UK public money to subsidise fossil fuels, and also support the creation of a new international fund to cover the loss and damage suffered by communities most affected by the impacts of the climate crisis. You can read the full text of the letter below.
The letter follows the publication last month of a significant report from the International Energy Agency which said that in order to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C, the target set in the Paris Climate Agreement, there should be no further investment in new fossil fuel supply.
The interfaith letter was coordinated by Faith for the Climate, which brings together people of every faith to address the climate crisis and is leading a call to ‘Make COP Count’. Its director, Shanon Shah, commented: “People of faith in Britain are acutely aware of the losses and damages suffered by communities around the world due to the climate crisis. This sense of interconnectedness plays a big part in our pursuit of climate justice as a moral and spiritual concern. Together, within and across our different faith traditions, we are asking the UK government to undertake its urgent moral duty to address climate change nationally and globally.”
The G7 is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The G7 Summit will take place from 11-13 June in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. On the eve of the summit an interfaith vigil will be livestreamed from Truro Cathedral – click here to register.
Letter from faith leaders to the Prime Minister
10 June 2021
Dear Prime Minister,
Cc: Alok Sharma, COP26 President; Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Open letter: climate impacts, fossil fuels, and the G7 summit
We are writing as members and representatives of the major UK faith traditions to urge you to use the UK’s Presidency of the G7 to drive real progress on addressing the climate crisis and its impacts on people around the world.
As people of faith, we cannot stand by while world leaders continue to delay action- Faith groups’ letter to the Prime Minister
We welcome the G7’s renewed commitment to limiting global heating to 1.5C, and the progress on phasing out coal. However, much stronger action is needed. A report from the International Energy Agency published in May states that to remain within the 1.5C limit, all new fossil fuel development must cease this year. This is a stark warning.
As people of faith, we cannot stand by while world leaders continue to delay action. These delays, on phasing out support for fossil fuels and on addressing climate impacts, are destroying lives. From the Pacific islands to sub-Saharan Africa, from Bangladesh to Brazil, the climate crisis is a present reality for the world’s poorest people. They have little power to tackle this catastrophe which they did not cause. We ask you, who do have power, to use the UK’s G7 and COP Presidency in their interests.
We must heed the IEA’s warning on fossil fuels, and we must also begin to repair the harm already done to people, their homes and lands. We echo the calls of the Climate Vulnerable Forum in urging you to bring loss and damage to the forefront of the UK’s work on COP26.
We believe that every human life is sacred, and that we have a duty to speak up for those whose voices go unheard. We ask you to:
- end the use of UK public money to subsidise fossil fuels, including by ending tax relief for oil and gas extraction;
- invite peer review of the UK’s financial support for fossil fuels, to show the value of transparency and set a good example to other G7 countries;
- commit to supporting the creation of an international loss and damage financing facility, and exploration of innovative sources of finance to fund this;
- use the UK’s G7 and COP26 Presidency to ensure these issues are discussed at both the G7 summit and COP26.”
Yours sincerely,
Revd Lynn Green – General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain
Revd David Gregory – Convenor, Baptist Union Environment Network
Peter Pay, Moderator, General Assembly of the United Reformed Church
Carolyn Lawrence, Vice-President of the Conference of the Methodist Church
Revd Richard Teal, President of the Conference of the Methodist Church
and also:
Dr Husna Ahmad, Trustee, Faith for the Climate & CEO, Global One 2015
Elizabeth Allen, Clerk, General Meeting for Scotland, on behalf of Quakers in Scotland
Bishop John Arnold, Bishop of Salford (Roman Catholic)
Qari Muhammad Asim, Chair, Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board & Senior Imam, Makkah Mosque, Leeds
Talia Chain, Trustee, Faith for the Climate & CEO, Sadeh Farm
Jo Chamberlain, National Environment Policy Officer, Church of England
Jamie Cresswell, Trustee, Faith for the Climate & Chairperson, Religions for Peace UK
Rt Revd Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford (Church of England)
Malcolm M Deboo, President, The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE)
Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, Bishop of Bristol (Church of England)
Olivia Fuchs, Chair, Eco Dharma Network
Canon Giles Goddard, Chair, Faith for the Climate
Rt Revd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading (Church of England)
Juliet Hackney, Network of Buddhist Organisations Committee
Robert Harrap, General Director, Soka Gakkai International UK
Dr Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, Trustee, Faith for the Climate & Senior Lecturer in Sikh Studies, University of Birmingham
Dr Fazlun Khalid, Founder-Director, Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Jayanti Kirpalani, CEO, Brahma Kumaris UK
Dr Jake Lyne, Western Chan Fellowship Teacher
Amandeep Kaur Mann, Chair, EcoSikh UK
Philip Mendelsohn, Chair, Interfaith Glasgow
Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro (Church of England)
Dr Hardeep Singh Mudhar, Director, EcoSikh UK
Munisha, Triratna Buddhist Order
Rt Revd Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans (Church of England)
Ravinder Kaur Nijjar, Chair, Religions for Peace UK Women of Faith Network & Advisor, Sikhs in Scotland
Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain
Trupti Patel, Trustee, Faith for the Climate & President, Hindu Forum of Britain
Imam Sayed Razawi, Trustee, Faith for the Climate & Chief Imam, Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society
Dr Shanon Shah, Director, Faith for the Climate
Prubhjyot Singh, Director, EcoSikh UK
Elizabeth Slade, Chief Officer, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
Iain Stewart, Executive Director, Edinburgh Interfaith Association
Avnish Thakrar, National Coordinator, Hindu Climate Action
Kaspalita Thompson, Bright Earth Buddhist Temple
Rt Revd Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich (Church of England) & lead bishop on the environment
Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Canon Guy Wilkinson, Secretary, Faith for the Climate
Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi, Masorti Judaism UK & Co-founder, EcoSynagogue