Churn Climate Change Action Group
The purpose of the Churn Churches Climate Action Group is to encourage conversation and action within the communities served by the Churn Benefice to reduce the impact of Climate Change.
Climate change is happening; it is difficult to ignore the extreme climate events that are occurring across the globe. It may seem anything that an individual can do about it is like trying to stop Niagara falls with a teaspoon; but acting together we can and will reduce the predicted impact on future generations.
The Mission of the Church has always included ‘To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth’. This gives ample reason for the Church to acknowledge the Climate Emergency and to campaign for changes to reduce the impact of this.
A Rocha UK’s Easy Eco Tips 2024 Calendar - Click here to download the detail for each month.
JANUARY Make ‘enjoying nature’ your priority. FEBRUARY Go green for Lent. MARCH Celebrate Spring. APRIL Fit more active travel into your day and daily routine. MAY Say no to the mow. JUNE Join #30DaysWild. JULY Taste the benefits of seasonal and local food. AUGUST Assist local wildlife during hot weather. SEPTEMBER Step outside this Season of Creation OCTOBER Contribute to wildlife conservation. NOVEMBER Green your home. DECEMBER Celebrate a Greener Christmas.
Care for Creation course
A six-series, online course for anyone interested in understanding more about the theology and science of caring for creation, and practical ideas about how to take action, both as individuals and as churches.
The course runs from 30 January, is free to attend, and will led by our Environment Programme Manager in partnership with Winchester Diocese.
Contact Hannah Mann on [email protected] to sign up or find out more.
Planet Earth and Wild Isles. If you enjoyed Planet Earth and Wild Isles on BBC1, Bishop Steven's message is a must watch: the biblical imperative for Christians to invest resources to restore nature alongside working towards net zero.
Climate News
Cop28 deal includes oil and gas goals for first time. The giants of carbon energy came to the UAE Cop to praise fossil fuels – then agreed to start leaving them in the ground. They still have plenty of wriggle room, but the final text is progress. See the report on the Tortoise Media website for more details.
The COP28 Outcomes Summit featured panel discussions giving their analysis on what progress was made in Dubai, especially on the global stocktake, loss and damage and climate finance, followed by a discussion on what remains to be addressed at future COP summits. Teresa May gave the opening address and Ed Milliband the closing address. The meeting was recorded on YouTube. To download a summary of notes taken during this COP 28 outcomes summit, Click Here.
Let Justice Flow Like a River.
Do you have 3 minutes to hear the voices of children calling for us all to take climate action?. Children from around the world have joined together to record Let Justice Flow Like a River, a song written by Fischy Music and commissioned by Christian Aid. The song reflects on climate justice and talks about the importance of taking action. It has been released on Youtube and will be shown at COP 28.
Bishop Steven’s contribution to the Lords debate of the King's Speech. On 13 November Bishop Steven spoke on climate and artificial intelligence – both areas of existential risk in this decade. Please bring to the attention of our politicians the points emphasised the Bishop Steven. An easy way to find your MP and local councillors is to go to the WriteToThem website and enter your postcode. Every letter from a constituent counts!
1. How will the Government demonstrate the leadership to translate the ambition to reach net zero into effective leadership of granular policy across every government department with an increased sense of urgency in the legislative program? How will they achieve the necessary cross party and cross societal consensus?
2. How will the Government consult with civil society so that the dialogue about the kind of society we are building under the growing influence of AI may be informed by trade unions academia, community groups and faith groups?
The Bishop of Reading speaks to Radio Berkshire. Following the passing of a General Synod motion on Responding to the Climate Emergency, Bishop Olivia joined BBC Radio Berkshire to talk about the motion and what it means for the Church. Listen here.
The CCCA Presents to the Deanery Synod. The script for the CCCA presentation to the Deanery Synod on 20th Jul 2023 urged us all to contact our Westminster and local repersentatives to try to convince them that their approach to the climate mebergency will impact votes at the next election.
Warmest Years and Warmest Ocean on Record. It is likely the oceans are now at their warmest for 1,000 years and heating faster than at any time in the last 2,000 years. Read More
Greta Thurnborg publishes THE CLIMATE BOOK. The science concerning the future impact of climate change is clear; what is missing is the political action to address this.
HOUSE OF LORDS Environment and Climate Change Committee Report published 26th July 2923. 'The Government is clearly not on course to meet 30 by 30. Achieving the target requires urgent action and we submit this report to the Government as they plan to launch later this year a map identifying sites counting towards 30 by 30. We conclude it must be accompanied by a delivery action plan.'
Al Gore at the World Economic Forum, Davos. We have all the proven technology to get to 2030 targets and have planned technologies to get to 2050. But emissions are still going up. What is missing is the political will to address this. See his address to the World Economic Forum.
BEIS Independent Net Zero Review. Published on 13th January. This 360 page report by Chris Skidmore (Click here for shorter comments by ENDS) travelled to all four nations of the UK, received over 1800 responses to the Call for Evidence, and held more than 50 round-tables. The CCCA contributed to this Review. The Executive Summary includes: ‘None of this will happen without a step change in the government’s approach to delivering net zero. ’The Conclusion states ‘Government must meet the net present danger of not acting fast enough by taking forward a series of policy recommendations that can be delivered now. We have termed these the ‘25 by 2025’ that the Government must seek to take forward recognising that there is no time to waste.'
‘Political Will’ means action by all of us! Action to lobby politicians. We need to give our politicians the confidence to tackle this. Actions to encourage businesses to address the Climate Emergency. Action to reduce our carbon footprint. An easy way to find your MP and local councillors is to go to the WriteToThem website and enter your postcode. Every letter from a constituent counts!
Climate Action
× Input to Public Consultations. The CCCA and other local climate action groups with whom we cooperate have submitted comments to public consultations and will continue to do so. Click here for the CCCA responses to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: Our response to the Reforms to National Planning Policy public consultation was submitted on 2nd March 2023.
× Action to Lobby Politicians
× Your MP. Please inform your MP if you agree that leadership from the top is needed for more government action to address climate change. MPs are aware of what needs to be done but may need a nudge to raise this to the top of the agenda. Conservative MP, Chris Skidmore’s 340 page report calls for action in many government departments. The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee 1st Report of Session 2022–23, published 12 October 2022 is entitled 'In Our Hands: Behaviour Change for Climate and Environmental Goals’. The Oxfordshire based ‘Bioabundance’ website lists 11 topics to raise with your MP. Scroll down that page to see the topics you are concerned about and follow the links for more ionformation on these.
What is missing is leadership from 10 Downing Street to make this happen. All MPs need to know that their constituents feel that not enough is being done to protect the environment for our children and grandchildren. MPs must use their persuasive powers to raise this high enough up the political agenda for action to be driven forward by leadership from the top.
We are all aware from the news items that the climate is getting rougher. Scientists tell us we can do a lot to reduce the impact. Please tell your MP you care about this. You can find your MP here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP. Please include your name and postcode and that you are a constituent. Let’s make this happen! Click here for a sample letter and more information about where Government Action now is needed to meet our future climate targets.
× Contact County and District Councillors. Please write to your councillors to ask them to work towards the conclusions of the Pathways to a Zero Carbon Oxfordshire report. Click here for more about the Pathway to Zero Carbon and suggested text for a letter to a councillor.
The debate is taking place between Oxfordshire District Councillors on how many new houses are needed in Oxfordshire and what proportion of these should be the number we need of truly affordable homes for the less well off in already developed areas; rather than lots of market value houses in green-field sites. If you care about this, please write to of email your District Councillors. They need to get the message that climate friendly policies will get them votes!
Click here on how to contact Councillors. An easy way to find your MP and local councillors is to go to the WriteToThem website and enter your postcode. Every letter from a constituent counts!
× Actions to Encourage Businesses to Address the Climate Emergency
How and what do you buy? What is the environmental impact of your purchase? Do you need it? Buy second hand? Re-use? Avoid products with too much packaging. Buy grass fed meat and not factory farmed. Factory farmed chickens are the worst!
Where and how do you work? Work with your employer to raise awareness of the environmental impact of your work and what can be done to reduce this. You need to consider the lifecycle impact from production, to use, to disposal.
× Where and how can you invest your money? Many businesses have realised the need to protect the environment; some just talk about it without doing much. Such unsubstantiated claims are known as ‘Greenwash’. Some are making significant progress. The Tortoise Responsibility100 Index seeks to differentiate between businesses which talk the talk and those who walk the walk. There are other sites which recommend ethical and green investments including Climate Action Oxfordshire and Abundance.
× Action to Reduce our Carbon Footprint
Notices. The Churn Churches Climate Action Group will provide notices which will advise you what individuals can do to reduce their carbon footprint to help avert climate disaster. Over the coming months we will cover how you can reduce your carbon footprint, and potentially save money, with topics covering: Loft Insulation (Click here to see this). Did you know that approximately a quarter of the heat from your home is lost through the roof if you don’t have loft insulation? Draught Proofing your Home, (Click here to see this). Draught-proofing your home is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save energy, and money.Short films: These show how to save energy in your home; with examples from real people. The films cover low-cost energy saving measures; insulating your walls, loft and floor, air source heat pumps, solar panels and storage, double or triple glazing and ventilation, help with finance, opportunities for contractors. Click on the link and then on the film titles.
Other Local Climate Action Initiatives
Hagbourne and Upton Group for Sustainability
Campaign for the Protection of Rural England Oxfordshire
Christian Concern for One World
Oxford Diocese Environmental Action
Communities for a Zero Carbon Oxford