Church leaders going green

UK church leaders are urging people to go green in order to protect God’s creation in a report launched at Sheffield Hallam University.

The call comes as the Government announced that the UK will not meet its target to reduce CO2 emissions and resource clean energy sources.

Christian leaders from across the UK have joined forces to respond to the Government's energy strategy review by asserting that it is a moral imperative to be environmentally-aware. They are urging individuals and businesses to enforce a low consumption, non-nuclear, energy plan, informed by Christian principles of wise stewardship, peacemaking, justice, loving our neighbours and moderation in consumption.

The plea is in the environmental Christian organisation’s, Christian Ecology Link (CEL), report Faith and Power. It was compiled by Dr Tim Cooper, head of the Centre for Sustainable Consumption at Sheffield Hallam University.

Faith and Power focuses on promoting energy efficiency, switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy and phasing out nuclear reactors in electricity generation.

It argues that such a strategy is the most appropriate in order to take proper care of God’s creation. It concludes, ‘The high consumption, nuclear path may appear easier for the Government to pursue in the short term, but we believe that there is a moral duty to follow a more challenging and more sustainable option.’

The Bishop of Liverpool, Rt Rev James Jones, said: “Faith and Power comes to similar conclusions to those of the Sustainable Development Commission, which I welcome. What we lack is the commercial leadership to invest in renewable sources of power and the political leadership to reduce our energy consumption.

“People of faith and goodwill must work together to educate and inspire the public to use their own power as consumers and citizens to ensure the future health and safety of the planet.”

The report comes as the Government is encouraging home owners and businesses to fit small power generation plants in their premises – including green power from solar panels and windmills. It is estimated that 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions come from the households.

Dr Cooper, the University’s sustainable consumption expert and CEL chairman, said: “For many years Gordon Brown has done far too little to integrate environmental sustainability within Treasury policy. As a consequence Britain is not doing enough to reduce energy consumption and thereby reduce the threat of climate change.”