Archive: May 2021 - Operation Noah

G7 to COP26 By Foot

Posted in: Blog
Date posted: 28 May 2021

Young Christian Climate Network (YCCN) is organising a ‘Relay to COP26’ and they want you to be involved. We asked YCCN to tell us more.

 Emma Van Sant on Unsplash

On the 13 June, a 1000 mile walk begins from the location of the G7 in Cornwall, UK, which will arrive in Glasgow the night before COP26 begins in November. Along the way, church leaders will hold services and events at key cities and join us in praying for climate justice. 

The symbol of the Relay is a boat, a representation of our hope that we would #RiseToTheMoment and set sail towards a just future. It also connects to the recognition in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic that ‘we’re in the same storm, but not in the same boat’. As young people under 30, we are mindful that we are on the course of another storm too; over half of all emissions have been released in our lifetimes, and global average temperatures are set to continue rising over the decades ahead. The consequences of this storm will not be felt equally, but they will be felt acutely. 

The focus of our campaigning alongside the relay, is on climate finance. The UK is a major global financial player, but at present the government has not met its own international commitments for overseas aid or climate finance. We want to drive climate finance up the agenda of the G7 and COP26 meetings. For the UK, hosting both meetings in a year is a huge opportunity, and we feel we must mobilise as individuals and as the UK Church to scrutinise the decisions happening on our doorstep.

We are encouraged by the many people we know who are praying ahead of COP26, and by the skills and energy that many volunteers are bringing to the Relay. One verse we are returning to repeatedly is ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18). We pray leaders would have the vision they need to bring flourishing in the midst of the ‘storms’ of the pandemic and climate change. 

You can follow the journey of the Relay via social media. YCCN is @YCCNetwork on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We will join with you in prayer.

The Relay is open to people of all ages. You can walk some of the route, offer accommodation to walkers or arrange to ‘meet and greet’ walkers as they pass through your area. Find out how to get involved.

New book: A Light for the Pathway

Posted in: News

Operation Noah Patron, Bishop David Atkinson, has written a new book exploring the Psalms.

What did the Psalmists of Israel believe? How did they practice their religion? What impact did their faith in God had on the way they handled the struggles and uncertainties of life? How does this speak to us today?

A Light for the Pathway explores some themes which underlie the faith of the psalmists; for example, covenant, creation, law, justice, humanity, suffering, lament, restoration and pilgrimage. Holding these together is the overarching theme of God’s steadfast love throughout their history. The psalms are prayers and praises, often used in temple worships, some intimate and personal, many corporate and full of thanksgiving. Some are celebrations of the kingly rule of God over all creation. How do we Christians today approach this ancient hymn book, which is full of poetic imagination and deep spirituality? How can it help our own journeys on our pathways of faith and hope? This side of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, can we hear in the psalms words of comfort for our struggles of faith, as well as joy in our worship, in today’s confusing world?

Bishop David Atkinson, former Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, is a retired Church of England bishop and a patron of Operation Noah. He is the author of several books, including Renewing the Face of the Earth: a theological and pastoral response to Climate Change.

Order A Light for the Pathway

PRESS RELEASE: Faith institutions divest from fossil fuels and call for just recovery ahead of G7 and COP26

Posted in: News
Date posted: 17 May 2021

As world leaders prepare to meet at the G7 Summit, 36 more faith institutions announce divestment

London, For immediate release

Photo attached / Interviews available

Contact: James Buchanan, Operation Noah: james.buchanan@operationnoah.org, +44 7801 570 653

Today, 36 faith institutions from 11 countries announce their divestment from fossil fuels. It comes from institutions in Brazil, Argentina, India, the Philippines, Uganda, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, the UK and the United States. These commitments highlight the urgent need to divest from fossil fuels and invest in clean alternatives in response to the growing climate crisis.

This announcement comes from Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist institutions, among others. The group includes the Church in Wales, with more than £700 million ($975 million) of assets under management, which voted to divest from fossil fuels at its Governing Body meeting in April. It also includes the Diocese of Bristol and the Diocese of Oxford, the first Church of England dioceses to announce their divestment from fossil fuels, as well as the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Catholic Diocese of Hallam and the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.

The global divestment announcement takes place as the UK prepares to host the G7 Summit in June and the UN climate summit (COP26) in Glasgow in November. As governments around the world continue to invest significant sums in economic recovery packages, it is vital that these investments support a just and green recovery from Covid-19. Yet, as the UN has stated, only 18% of the Covid-19 recovery spending announced by the world’s 50 biggest economies in 2020 can be considered green.

The announcement comes a day before the Royal Dutch Shell AGM is set to take place, on Tuesday 18 May. Shell has been coming under considerable pressure as a result of its plans to increase gas production by 20 per cent in the next few years. The Methodist Church announced it had divested its remaining fossil fuel holdings at the end of April, including £21 million of shares in Royal Dutch Shell, citing Shell’s ‘inadequate’ climate plans. The Church of Scotland recently announced that it had also sold its remaining shares in oil and gas companies.

The announcement takes place during Laudato Si’ Week, a celebration of the progress the Roman Catholic Church has made on its journey to ecological conversion following Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change and ecology. As well as the Catholic Diocese of Hallam, six Catholic dioceses in Ireland and several religious orders are announcing their divestment commitments.

Faith communities have long been at the forefront of the global divestment movement, and have contributed the single greatest number of commitments. Out of the global total of over 1,300 divestment commitments made to date, more than 450 are from faith institutions.

A full list of the 36 institutions divesting from fossil fuels and statements from leaders can be found here.

Statements from leaders:

Bill McKibben, author, environmentalist and co-founder of 350.org, said: “When faith communities divest from fossil fuels, it is a powerful reminder of both the practical and the moral depth of the climate crisis. There is no way to stand up for the most vulnerable people on earth, and to safeguard the rest of Creation, unless you’re willing to take on the fossil fuel industry.”

Rt Revd Dr Joanna Penberthy, Bishop of St Davids in the Church in Wales, said: “Every part of the world is now feeling the effects of climate change. At our Governing Body meeting in April, the Church in Wales declared a climate emergency, pledged ourselves to reach net-zero carbon emissions ideally by the end of this decade, and took the decision to divest from fossil fuels by the end of the year. Whilst these decisions are a major step forward for us, we recognise that there is still much to be done, and we hope that the actions of the churches will encourage governments and industry to work towards alternatives which will help to arrest and overcome the disastrous global warming which is affecting us all.”

Rt Revd Ernesto Manuel, Anglican Bishop of Nampula in Northern Mozambique, said: “Fossil fuel investments increase climate change and impacts on those most vulnerable, and also destabilise communities. We have seen how over 700,000 people in Northern Mozambique have been displaced – many fleeing for their lives in terror from insurgents. Dozens have been beheaded, even children as young as 12. This violence only occurs in the areas where gas prospecting is taking place. Locals are not consulted and nor do they benefit, only suffering the impacts of rising prices, pollution and loss of land. We plead with the international community – take your money out of fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy which is decentralised, benefits local people and does not contribute to climate change.”

Revd Dr Dave Gregory, Convenor of the Baptist Union’s Environmental Network and former Baptist Union President, who is a former meteorologist at the Met Office and the European Weather Centre, said: “It was inspiring to hear so many voices from across the generations and different parts of the Baptist Together family recognising the importance of the decision to divest from fossil fuels, and agreeing that this was the way we need to walk with Jesus together in the face of the climate and environmental crisis which for many in our world is an immediate climate emergency.”

Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, Bishop of Bristol in the Church of England, said: “In taking seriously our response to the climate emergency, I’m pleased to be able to share that the Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF) has made this commitment to disinvest from fossil fuels. Care for creation is a core mark of mission for the Church, and this is an important step towards realising our net zero carbon aims.”

Rt Revd Ralph Heskett, Catholic Bishop of Hallam, said: “The Diocese of Hallam divested of the most damaging fossil fuel companies many years ago. In recent months, we have decided to divest of the remainder of our investments with fossil fuel companies and instructed brokers to actively seek opportunities for investing in companies involved in renewable forms of energy. The Diocese continues to review our actions and investments to care for our common home.”

James Buchanan, Bright Now Campaign Manager at Operation Noah, said: “As the UK prepares to host the G7 and COP26 this year, it is hugely encouraging to see so many Churches and faith groups announcing their divestment from fossil fuels. We urge governments around the world to follow their lead by ending support for fossil fuels and investing in the clean technologies of the future.”

Tomás Insua, Executive Director of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, said: “Our common home cannot take any more dirty fossil energy, so today’s announcement is great news. It’s heartening to see how Catholic institutions are implementing the Vatican’s fossil fuel divestment guidelines, in tandem with so many other faith-based institutions. I hope it inspires many others to follow suit, decisively responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

ENDS

Contact: James Buchanan, Operation Noah: james.buchanan@operationnoah.org, +44 7801 570 653

Notes for editors:

1. Operation Noah is a Christian charity working with the Church to inspire action on climate change. It works with all Christian denominations. operationnoah.org

2. Laudato Si Week https://laudatosiweek.org/ 

3. The Church in Wales Governing Body declared a climate emergency and voted overwhelmingly to divest from fossil fuels in April 2021. https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/news-and-events/church-declares-climate-emergency/

4. According to UN analysis, just 18% of Covid-19 recovery spending announced by the world’s 50 biggest economies in 2020 can be considered green. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-un-idUSKBN2B21LG

5. Shell is planning to increase gas production by more than 20 per cent in the next few years. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/11/shell-grow-gas-business-energy-net-zero-carbon

6. The Methodist Church sold its shares in Shell in April 2021 due to the company’s ‘inadequate’ climate plans. https://www.ft.com/content/9c8195ac-2203-428d-b6c3-91cb717eb084

7. The Church of Scotland announced on 7 May that it had sold its remaining shares in oil and gas companies. https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/2021/articles/church-of-scotland-investor-trust-to-announce-disinvest-from-oil-and-gas

8. In February 2021, the UK Supreme Court allowed a group of 42,500 Nigerian farmers and fishermen to sue Shell in English courts. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/nigerians-win-uk-court-ok-sue-shell-over-oil-spills-2021-02-12/

9. UK government faces legal action over $1 billion public financing of a Mozambique gas project. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/04/23/uk-faces-legal-action-public-finance-mozambique-gas-project/

10. The Global Divestment Announcement Statement can be found at the bottom of this blog: https://brightnow.org.uk/news/global-divestment-announcement-divest-your-church-cop26/

Methodist Church divests from all fossil fuel companies

Posted in: News
Date posted: 4 May 2021

London, 30 April 2021

For immediate release

Contact: James Buchanan, Operation Noah: 

james.buchanan@operationnoah.org, 07801 570 653

The Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church has fully divested from fossil fuel companies, after selling its remaining shares in Shell and Equinor.

The decision followed advice received from the Methodist Church’s Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment (JACEI) earlier this month, that no oil and gas companies are currently aligned with the climate change targets set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Central Finance Board divested from coal and tar sands in 2015.

The Methodist Church has sold almost £21m in shares in Shell, as well as selling around £2m of bonds in Norwegian oil company Equinor.

David Palmer, Chief Executive of the Central Finance of the Methodist Church, which oversees £1.3bn of investments, said: ‘The patience of the Church has run out.’ He added: ‘The pace of change across the oil and gas sector has been inadequate and we welcome the recommendation of JACEI to disinvest.’

Revd Dr Stephen Wigley, Chair of JACEI, commented: ‘The Committee has determined that the slow pace of corporate change means that the oil and gas sector is failing to meet the targets set by the Paris Accord. Shell, along with its peers, is currently failing to play a substantial enough role in addressing the climate emergency.’

The decision comes after the Methodist Conference and Methodist Council both supported resolutions on fossil fuel divestment last year. 

The 2017 Methodist Conference passed a motion calling for divestment from any fossil fuel company that had ‘not aligned their business investment plans with the Paris Agreement target of a global temperature rise well below 2 degrees’ by the 2020 Conference.

The Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church previously announced in June 2020 that it would divest from BP and Total.

In the same month, 260 Methodists, including 114 ministers and former Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Methodist Conference, signed a letter calling for the Central Finance Board to complete divestment from all fossil fuel companies. The group highlighted recent Transition Pathway Initiative and Carbon Tracker analysis, showing that no oil and gas companies had aligned their business investment plans with the Paris Agreement goals.

The Methodist Council passed a resolution on divestment in October 2020, after the Methodist Conference: ‘The Council supports the request that JACEI recommends that the Central Finance Board… disinvests before the 2021 Conference from all oil and gas companies which are not currently aligned with the Paris Agreement target of a global temperature rise well below 2 degrees.’ The issue had been referred to Council by the Methodist Conference in July 2020.

Michael Pryke, Chair of the Methodist Zero Carbon Group and former Methodist Youth President, welcomed the news: ‘It’s excellent to see the Methodist Church divesting from oil and gas companies. The prophetic voice of the Church has been heard and the reaction has been amazing to witness. But we mustn’t get complacent, as we still have a lot to do to achieve net zero by 2030.’

Martha Rand, Vice Chair of the Methodist Zero Carbon Group, who proposed the motion on divestment at Methodist Conference as a representative of the Methodist Youth Assembly, said: ‘I’m overjoyed to hear today that the Central Finance Board has fully divested from oil and gas. As Methodists and Christians, it is vital that we show our concern for God’s world and our siblings around the globe through action as well as words. This is a brilliant and important step we have taken. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen, especially Operation Noah and everyone in the Methodist Zero Carbon Group.’

James Buchanan, Bright Now Campaign Manager at Operation Noah, a Christian climate change charity, said: ‘This is a hugely significant and welcome step by the Methodist Church in responding to the climate emergency, especially as the UK prepares to host COP26 in November. We thank all the Methodists who have campaigned tirelessly to make this happen. We hope other Churches will join them in supporting a just and green recovery by divesting from fossil fuels and investing in the clean technologies of the future.’

ENDS

Contact: James Buchanan, Operation Noah:

james.buchanan@operationnoah.org , 07801 570 653

Notes for editors:

1. Operation Noah is a Christian charity working with the Church to inspire action on the climate crisis. It works with all Christian denominations.

2. The Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church has divested from all oil and gas stocks. https://www.cfbmethodistchurch.org.uk/news/the-central-finance-board-of-the-methodist-church-divests-from-all-oil-and-gas-stocks/

3. In February 2021, US environmentalist and co-founder of 350.org Bill McKibben addressed nearly 400 people at an online event on fossil fuel divestment in the Methodist Church. https://brightnow.org.uk/news/methodist-divestment-webinar-bill-mckibben/

4. The Methodist Council voted in favour of a resolution on fossil fuel divestment in October 2020. https://brightnow.org.uk/news/methodist-council-supports-resolution-fossil-fuel-divestment/

5. The Central Finance Board announced in June 2020 that it had divested from BP and Total. https://brightnow.org.uk/news/methodist-church-divests-from-bp-total-continues-investing-4-oil-companies/6. 260 Methodists, including 114 ministers, signed a letter calling on the Central Finance Board to complete divestment from fossil fuels. https://brightnow.org.uk/news/100-methodist-ministers-call-for-divestment-ahead-of-methodist-conference/

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