Diocese of Coventry Environmental Policy
In 2024, Earth Overshoot Day is predicted to be on Monday 29th of July. Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. This is occurring earlier each year as we increasingly use more ecological resources and services than nature can regenerate through overfishing, overharvesting and emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through industry, transport and agriculture than forests or oceans can sequester. We need to learn to 'live more simply, that oythers may simply live.'
The DEG views its commitment to the environment as rooted in the good news of Jesus Christ; this was expressed in Paul’s letter to the Colossians (Col., 1: 15-20), where he relates the role of Christ in the creation of all things and in reconciling to himself all things “… by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross”. Through his incarnation, Jesus shows that God is committed to his created world and to us and therefore we should be committed to his world too. Jesus not only reconciles us to God but to one another and to his world; it is significant that the first person to see the risen Jesus mistook him for the gardener. Indeed he is the new Adam and that is what he calls us to be. Learn more about this by signing on for the Bishop'sCertificate in Discipleship and Mission Module on Creation Care when this is next offered at https://www.coventry.anglican.org/your-faith/bcdm/.
The DEG promotes its message, rooted in the gospel, through meetings such as 'Eco Church and Cherishing Churchyards' (see DEG News page) and through presentations at Deanery Synods, PCCs and in church services and meetings. To find out more about this, please contact the Chair of the DEG Godfrey.Armitage@Coventry.Anglican.org.
The DEG organised the Reconciling a Wounded Planet conference at Coventry Cathedral in September 2015 where Christians came together to consider ‘stories of hope’ in the midst of the growing environmental crisis that the world is experiencing. Do follow it's updates on Facebook or on Twitter @RawpCoventry.
The main initiative the DEG supports is Eco Church, an A Rocha UK award scheme for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s Earth. Eco Church was launched in the Coventry Diocese on the 23rd February 2016 at St Peter’s Church in Wellesbourne. Visit our own webpage on Eco Church for further details of the project and our progress in the Diocese.The Diocese became a Bronze Award Eco Diocese in 2019. This programme helps us to address the challenges the Diocese set ourselves in our Diocesan Environmental Statement in 2009. We are aiming to become a Silver Eco Diocese by 2026.
Since the Church of England General Synod pledged to aim for Net Zero Carbon by 2030, the Diocese has been actively involved in working towards Net Zero Carbon through its NZC2030 Steering Group, which is chaired by the Chair of the DEG..
As part of the Diocesan Centenary in 2018, the DEG organised The Centenary Tree Project, in which a tree was offered to every church and every Church of England school in the Diocese to commemmorate the Centenary.
Operation Noah is an ecumenical Christian charity providing leadership, focus and inspiration in response to the growing threat of catastrophic climate change; we have been developing a working relationship with Operation Noah to promote disinvestment and to promote investment in processes that increase carbon capture. Look at the website http://operationnoah.org/ for further details. The Diocese no longer holds any investments in fossil fuels, and should it wish to reinvest, it would have to get this past Diocesan Synod. Please consider supporting Operation Noah, either individually or as a parish; this could be an expression of your 'Community and Global Engagement' as part of the Eco Church scheme.
Divestment: The Diocese of Coventry currently has no investments in fossil fuels. For more information on Divestment, please visit the Bright Now website: http://brightnow.org.uk/action/divest-your-church-season-of-creation/