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Date posted: 22 February 2023
DAY 26 – THURSDAY 23 MARCH
On Day 26 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of York to stop funding fossil fuels and divest this Lent. York is one of seven Church of England dioceses still investing in fossil fuel companies, which continue to overheat the planet, underinvest in renewables, mislead the public and explore for new oil and gas against scientific warnings.
This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report which it described as a ‘survival guide’ and ‘final warning’. The report makes clear that if the world is to avoid the most severe climate impacts, new fossil fuel developments, which every major fossil fuel company is pursuing, must be stopped; in fact, the world can’t even afford to burn all the fossil fuels from existing developments.
‘There’s not a cut-off day (for fossil fuels), but it’s clear that the fossil fuel infrastructure we already have will blow through that carbon budget,’ Dr Oliver Geden, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs and a member of the IPCC report’s core writing team, said this week.
Though the Church of England continues to invest in fossil fuels at a national level, the Church of England Environment Working Group announced earlier this month that it had signed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, which has also been backed by the Anglican Consultative Council of the Anglican Communion. The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty calls for a halt to all new fossil fuel developments.
We’re calling on Churches and dioceses not just to call for an end to all new fossil fuel developments, but to stop funding them and divest this Lent.
DAY 25 – WEDNESDAY 22 MARCH
On Day 25 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool to make a formal divestment commitment. Liverpool – which is a Bronze Eco Diocese – is one of 17 dioceses in the Church of England which currently has no money directly invested in fossil fuel companies but has yet to commit never to invest in the future.
Our prayer today asks God to help the Church ‘bandage the wounds of those caught beneath the wheels of climate injustice’ and to give each of us the courage to ‘drive a spoke into the wheel of climate injustice itself’. Divesting from fossil fuels is one way to begin to dismantle an energy system that, almost invisibly, fuels the climate crisis, degrades our Common Home and leads to violence, mass displacement and human rights violations.
The World Bank reports that only one-tenth of the world’s greenhouse gases are emitted by 74 lowest income countries, but that these same countries will be most affected by the effects of climate change. In fact, compared to the 1980s, these countries have already experienced approximately eight times as many natural disasters in the past 10 years.
By 2050, the World Economic Forum suggests that unchecked climate change could force more than 200 million people to migrate within their own countries, ‘pushing up to 130 million people into poverty and unravelling decades of hard-won development achievements’.
DAY 24 – TUESDAY 21 MARCH
On Day 24 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, parishioner Alan Ramage is calling on his diocese – the Diocese of Exeter – to make a formal commitment to divest from fossil fuels. Exeter is one of 17 Church of England dioceses that currently has no direct investments in fossil fuels, but has yet to commit never to invest in fossil fuels in the future.
Yesterday’s alarming IPCC report explained out how rapid cuts to fossil fuels can still avert the worst effects of global heating; in response to the findings, UN Secretary General António Guterres said that all countries should bring forward their Net Zero plans by a decade.
Alan Ramage calls on the Church of England to align its own Net Zero ambitions with its investments and get out of fossil fuels entirely. And for good reason: fossil fuel companies continue to overheat the planet, underinvest in renewables, lobby against climate action, mislead the public and seek out new oil and gas fields against scientific warnings.
In fact, 20 large fossil fuel companies – including Shell, Exxon and BP – plan to spend nearly $1 trillion on new oil and gas developments by 2030.
In addition to the Church of England working to ensure its buildings are Net Zero carbon, Alan Ramage says that, ‘across the board as a Church, you need to be ensuring you are divesting (from fossil fuels) as well.’
DAY 23 – MONDAY 20 MARCH
On Day 23 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Chester to make a divestment commitment. Chester, like 16 other dioceses in the Church of England, currently has no fossil fuel investments but has yet to commit never to invest in fossil fuels in the future.
Making a divestment commitment is so important because it sends the message to markets and to wider society that there is no future in fossil fuels. And it’s particularly powerful when faith groups divest, as it removes the moral cover that fossil fuel companies – which continue to overheat the planet and underinvest in renewables, all while exploring for more oil and gas in violation of dire scientific warnings – are happy to exploit.
As the UN Secretary General António Guterres has said, ‘the world’s biggest polluters are guilty of arson of our only home’. Indeed, though scientists say we need to nearly halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, global emissions are still going up, and 20 of the largest oil and gas companies plan to spend nearly $1 trillion on new fossil fuel developments by 2030.
This Lent, we’re praying that Chester will make a full divestment commitment, sending the message that – as António Guterres has so powerfully said – ‘fossil fuels are a dead end – for our planet, for humanity and yes, for economies’.
DAY 22 – SATURDAY 18 MARCH
On Day 22 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Catholic Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle to make a full divestment commitment this Lent. Hexham & Newcastle is one of two Catholic dioceses in England and Wales that currently has no direct investments in fossil fuel companies but has yet to commit never to invest in fossil fuels in the future.
Our prayer for today is challenging, and calls on followers of Jesus to overturn the tables of injustice. The burning of fossil fuels not only disproportionately impacts lower income countries that have done the least to cause the climate crisis, but also harms the millions of people in the UK still forced to heat their poorly-insulated homes with expensive fossil gas – all of this while fossil fuel companies report billions of pounds in profits.
To make matters worse, fossil fuel companies continue to underinvest in renewables, mislead the public, and lobby against climate legislation while exploring for new oil and gas in violation of dire scientific warnings.
DAY 21 – FRIDAY 17 MARCH
On Day 21 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Salisbury to fully divest from fossil fuel companies, which continue to overheat the planet, underinvest in renewables, displace vulnerable communities and fuel violence around the world.
Salisbury is one of 17 Church of England dioceses that currently has no direct investments in fossil fuel companies but has yet to prohibit investing in fossil fuels in the future. But should Salisbury divest this Lent, it could join 18 CofE dioceses to have already made a full divestment commitment, including London, Bristol, Oxford, Truro, Rochester and Birmingham.
According to Revd Dr Rachel Mash, environmental coordinator for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the ‘oil curse’ is real: promises of fossil-fuelled prosperity for African communities that actually lead to impoverishment, ecological damage, civil war, displacement and human rights violations. ‘Oil companies promise vast profits and prosperity, but the reality is that they leave pollution and political upheaval,’ Rachel said.
DAY 20 – THURSDAY 16 MARCH
On Day 20 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re giving thanks for the Church of England Diocese of Rochester, which announced its divestment commitment just last month, two days before Ash Wednesday, becoming the 18th CofE diocese to make a full divestment commitment.
In making the commitment to divest from fossil fuel companies – which continue to overheat the planet and underinvest in renewables, all while recording record profits – Matthew Girt, the diocesan secretary, said:
‘I am pleased we have made this commitment which speaks to our Christian concern to care for God’s creation. Our Diocesan financial investments provide much needed income to support mission and ministry across the Diocese and will provide some of the funds needed to make energy efficiency improvements to our clergy housing, which will significantly help us reach the target of carbon net zero emissions. Where we invest our money is very important and this decision is the right thing to do as we respond to the climate crisis together.’
In addition to divesting from fossil fuels, Operation Noah has been encouraging dioceses, Churches and faith groups to increase their investment in climate solutions. We were excited to see that Rochester plans to do just that, with its Bishop’s Council announcing it would continue its investment in renewable energy, such as solar and wind, alongside providing capital to early-stage technology companies that support a sustainable transition, ‘with a long-term target of allocating around 15% of the diocese’s funds to such positive impact investments’, the diocese said.
DAY 19 – WEDNESDAY 15 MARCH
On Day 19 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Salford to divest from fossil fuels this Lent.
Salford is still invested in fossil fuel companies despite the Vatican urging Catholics in 2020 – the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on the environment, ‘Laudato Si’ – to divest from fossil fuels. In addition to Salford, nine other dioceses in the Catholic Church in England and Wales are still investing in fossil fuels.
Last year, Most Revd Bill Nolan – the Archbishop of Glasgow and the Lead Bishop on the Environment for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, which has already divested from fossil fuels – said, ‘I think it’s going to get to the stage (where) it will be an embarrassment for any Catholic institution that hasn’t divested. This has gone from a purely symbolic gesture to something much, much more than that.’
DAY 18 – TUESDAY 14 MARCH
On Day 18 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Leeds in the Church of England to make a divestment commitment this Lent, especially as fossil fuel companies report record profits while simultaneously underinvesting in renewables, overheating the planet, lobbying against climate action and exploiting the poor.
The Diocese of Leeds, like 17 other CofE dioceses, currently has no direct investments in fossil fuel companies but has yet to make a full divestment commitment and pledge never to invest in fossil fuels in the future.
Joining the divestment movement has never been more critical: research shows 20 large fossil fuel companies plan to spend nearly $1 trillion on new fossil fuel sites by 2030, and six Western fossil fuel companies reported combined profits of £219 billion in 2022, more than double the previous year, with BP announcing plans to scale back its climate ambitions.
DAY 17 – MONDAY 13 MARCH
On Day 17 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, Andrew Jenkins – a parishioner and environmental campaigner in Nottinghamshire – is calling on the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham to divest this Lent.
Despite being awarded the status of ‘Bronze Eco Diocese’ last year, Southwell and Nottingham is one of seven Church of England dioceses still investing in fossil fuel companies, which continue to overheat the planet, underinvest in renewables, extort the poor and displace communities.
Andrew Jenkins, who has previously worked to resettle coastal communities in Bangladesh displaced by rising sea levels caused by human-driven climate change, is calling on his diocese to change its approach – from investor engagement, hoping that fossil fuel companies will someday change their ways, to divestment.
‘Surely the best way to encourage change is to withdraw the diocese’s money,’ Andrew says. ‘In the Church Times last year there was an article: “Don’t ‘Faithwash’ Fossil Fuel Firms“. The authors drew on the wisdom and experience of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said climate change is the human rights issue of our time…he rejected the approach of constructive engagement and called for disinvestment from fossil fuel companies. It’s the poorest in the world who suffer the most from climate change. So we urge our bishop, and our diocese, to take a moral stand on this issue and not wait for the oil and gas companies to change.’
DAY 16 – SATURDAY 11 MARCH
On Day 16 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Carlisle to make a divestment commitment this Lent.
Carlisle is one of 17 Church of England dioceses which currently has no investments in fossil fuel companies – an industry that continues to overheat the planet, underinvest in renewables and explore for new oil and gas against dire scientific warnings – but has yet to pledge never to invest in fossil fuels in the future.
Our prayer today is that Carlisle would consider not only how the burning of fossil fuels is fuelling the climate crisis, but also the refugee crisis, especially in those parts of the world most vulnerable to climate change. According to Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 90% of the refugees under the UNHCR’s mandate come from countries on the front lines of the climate emergency.
‘From Burkina Faso to Bangladesh…climate change is increasing poverty, instability and human movement; it is fuelling tensions and competition over dwindling resource’, Grandi says.
DAY 15 – FRIDAY 10 MARCH
On Day 15 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re celebrating the Diocese of Lichfield’s decision to divest! Lichfield publicly announced its divestment on 16 February, a process it said it had been working towards for some time and a decision that diocesan Chief Executive Julie Jones indicated was connected to taking the climate emergency seriously.
‘We take the climate emergency seriously, recognise that we must do better and are working to a Diocesan Environmental Action Plan which includes a commitment to be net zero by 2030,’ Jones said. ‘As a diocese, we have worked with the companies who manage our investments to ensure that we are fully divested from fossil fuels. We are pleased that this has now been achieved and that we have a clear commitment to not reinvesting in the future’.
Lichfield is one of 18 Church of England dioceses to have made a full divestment commitment. As fossil fuel companies continue to overheat the planet, underinvest in renewables and explore for more oil and gas in violation of dire scientific warnings, nearly half of Church of England dioceses have now made a full divestment commitment, and only seven Church of England dioceses are still directly invested in fossil fuel companies.
‘Divestment will send a positive and hopeful message to the people of this country – and to those in vulnerable communities across the globe,’ said Rt Revd Dr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.
DAY 14 – THURSDAY 9 MARCH
On Day 14 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Hereford to divest this Lent. Today, parishioner Vanessa Faulkner calls on her diocese to divest from fossil fuels, especially in light of fossil fuel companies’ extreme profits and reckless expansion plans.
Indeed, research shows that 20 large fossil fuel companies plan to spend nearly $1 trillion by 2030 on new oil and gas sites.
‘There’s so much evidence to show that we need to stop all oil and gas exploration now – we just don’t need any more – and these companies are not heeding those calls,’ Vanessa says. ‘I hope and pray that the Diocese of Hereford will join the call to divest this Lent.’
Last year, over 500 UK Church leaders – including 68 Anglican and Catholic bishops – called for no new fossil fuels. And earlier this year, the Anglican Communion also called for no new fossil fuels while simultaneously recommending bishops and Anglican Churches sign the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is trying to bring an end to the fossil fuel era.
Despite dire scientific warnings about the climate impacts if we fail to nearly halve global emissions by 2030, fossil fuel companies continue to underinvest in renewable energy and aggressively pursue new oil and gas fields, with BP recently scaling back its climate ambitions.
DAY 13 – WEDNESDAY 8 MARCH
On Day 13 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Blackburn to divest this Lent and join 18 other Church of England dioceses in saying no to the fossil fuel industry, which continues to underinvest in renewables and overheat the planet, all while extorting the poor and degrading our natural environment. Blackburn currently has no fossil fuel investments, but has yet to commit never to invest in the future.
The fossil fuel Divestment Movement represents an enormous $39.2 trillion of assets under management, and faith groups are leading the way! In fact, faith groups have divested from fossil fuels more than any other sector. In the UK alone, nearly every major denomination – including the Baptist Union, Methodist Church, United Reformed Church, Quakers and Catholic Bishops Conference of Scotland – has now divested from fossil fuels.
DAY 12 – TUESDAY 7 MARCH
On Day 12 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Peterborough to divest from fossil fuels. Peterborough is one of just seven Church of England dioceses still invested in fossil fuel companies – an industry that continues to overheat the planet, underinvest in renewables and explore for new oil and gas against scientific warnings. In making a divestment commitment, Peterborough could join 18 other CofE dioceses, including London, Bristol, Oxford and Truro.
It’s increasingly clear that as global emissions continue to go up – and as 20 large oil and gas companies plan to spend nearly $1 trillion on new fossil fuel developments by 2030 – investor engagement hasn’t worked and has arguably delayed the renewable energy transition. Delay is the new climate denial – and as the writer and environmental campaigner Bill McKibben has said, winning slowly is losing. What oil and gas companies do seem to be concerned about, however, is divestment, as the quotes below indicate.
DAY 11 – MONDAY 6 MARCH
On Day 11 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Canterbury to make a divestment commitment. Despite fossil fuel companies’ human rights abuses, underinvestment in renewables, attempts to stall climate legislation, and dangerous expansion plans, 24 dioceses in the Church of England have yet to make a divestment commitment, including Canterbury, which currently has no fossil fuel investments but – like 17 other Church of England dioceses – has yet to commit never to invest in fossil fuels in the future.
Anglicans in the Global South, such as Rt Revd Manuel Ernesto, Bishop of Nampula in Northern Mozambique, are calling on investors to take their money out of fossil fuels which ‘increase climate change and destabilise communities’ and invest in renewable energy ‘which is decentralised, benefits local people and does not contribute to climate change’.
DAY 10 – SATURDAY 4 MARCH
On Day 10 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Catholic diocese of Nottingham – which is one of 10 Catholic dioceses in England and Wales still invested in fossil fuels – to make a divestment commitment and join Catholic dioceses like Birmingham, Southwark and Brentwood in the Green Zone of our Catholic Divestment Table.
Why should the Diocese of Nottingham divest this Lent? Because fossil fuel companies are not planning on a fair and fast transition away from fossil fuels, which are the driving cause of global heating, but are instead planning to increase production, which will lead to more extreme weather events, more climate refugees and more misery. It’s no longer ethical to stay invested in or profit from fossil fuels, which is why in 2020, the Vatican urged Catholics to disinvest from fossil fuel companies.
DAY 9 – FRIDAY 3 MARCH
On Day 9 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Catholic Diocese of East Anglia to make a divestment commitment. Though the Vatican urged Catholics to disinvest from fossil fuels in 2020, East Anglia is one of 10 Catholic dioceses in England and Wales still investing in fossil fuels. As fossil fuel companies overheat the planet, underinvest in renewables, lobby against climate action and make record profits from other people’s pain, we’re calling on dioceses to divest this Lent.
DAY 8 – THURSDAY 2 MARCH
On Day 8 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Catholic Diocese of Westminster to make a formal divestment commitment. Though Westminster currently has no direct fossil fuel investments, it could commit never to invest in fossil fuels in the future and thereby divest this Lent.
Both Westminster and the Catholic Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle currently have no fossil fuel investments but have yet to make a divestment commitment. Ten dioceses in the Catholic Church in England and Wales have made full divestment commitments, while 10 dioceses are still investing in fossil fuels despite the Vatican having urged Catholics in 2020 to disinvest from fossil fuel companies.
DAY 7 – WEDNESDAY 1 MARCH
On Day 7 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of Plymouth to make a divestment commitment. In 2020, the Vatican urged Catholics to disinvest from fossil fuel companies, but 12 Catholic dioceses in England and Wales have yet to make a divestment commitment. We’re encouraging Plymouth to join 10 other Catholic dioceses in the Green Zone of our Catholic Divestment Table, a group that includes the Archdioceses of Birmingham and Southwark.
DAY 6 – TUESDAY 28 FEBRUARY
BREAKING: The Diocese of Northampton divests! The Diocese of Northampton today announced on their website that they had made a divestment commitment shortly after we publicly called on them to divest. Northampton was keen to point out that they had made the decision to divest back in October 2022, though, from what we understand, that decision was only publicised on their website this morning. In light of this news, and alongside additional information we have received from other Catholic dioceses, we have updated our Catholic Divestment Table (below).
On Day 6 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, Aisling Griffin – a parishioner in the Catholic Diocese of Northampton – is calling on Northampton to say no to fossil fuels and make a divestment commitment. The Diocese of Northampton could join 9 other Catholic dioceses in England and Wales, including the Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Archdiocese of Southwark, if it were to divest this Lent.
DAY 5 – MONDAY 27 FEBRUARY
On Day 5 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Archdiocese of Liverpool to make a divestment commitment. In 2020, the Vatican urged Catholics to disinvest from fossil fuel companies, but 13 Catholic dioceses in England and Wales have yet to make a divestment commitment. As fossil fuel companies continue to overheat the planet and explore for new oil and gas against UN and International Energy Agency (IEA) warnings, we’re praying for dioceses to divest this Lent.
DAY 4 – SATURDAY 25 FEBRUARY
On Day 4 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re praying for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich to make a divestment commitment. Like 16 other dioceses in the Church of England, St Edmundsbury currently has no fossil fuel investments, but has yet to commit never to invest in fossil fuels in the future. St Edmundsbury was one of the first dioceses in the country to be named an A Rocha Bronze Eco Diocese. We’re calling on St Edmundsbury to continue its eco journey by making a divestment commitment this Lent, saying no to fossil fuels and yes to climate solutions.
DAY 3 – FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY
On Day 3 of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, Rachel Mander – a parishioner in the Diocese of Sheffield and a member of Young Christian Climate Network – calls on Sheffield to divest this Lent. Sheffield is one of 17 dioceses in The Church of England that has no fossil fuel investments but has yet to commit never to invest in fossil fuels in the future.
DAY 2 – THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY
On the second day of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re encouraging the CofE Diocese of Chelmsford – which currently has no investments in fossil fuels – to make a formal commitment never to invest in the future. Chelmsford is one of 17 Church of England dioceses that has no money invested in fossil fuels but has yet to join the divestment movement and make a formal commitment never to invest in the future. Here, Cameron Conant – an Operation Noah trustee and parishioner in the Diocese of Chelmsford – encourages Chelmsford to formally divest.
DAY 1: ASH WEDNESDAY – 22 FEBRUARY
On the first day of our ’40 Days, 40 Dioceses’ campaign, we’re celebrating the recent decision by the Diocese of London to divest from fossil fuels. Though London began 2023 with money still invested in fossil fuels, it now has no investments, marking a major win for our campaign. Given London’s size and influence within the wider Church of England, we believe it could be a tipping point in our campaign to get the CofE out of fossil fuels.
