Translation form

Text block 1

Diocesan Climate Champion Gavin Douglas calls for a moral response to the environmental damage caused by the carbon emissions from our industrial past and for ministry areas to answer moral responsibility as Eco Churches:Many of us have been celebrating Harvest Festival this month. All life on earth depends on the miracle of photosynthesis that greens the planet, and a few cm of rain and topsoil. For most of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century it seemed that a harvest was guaranteed thanks to modern agricultural technology and practices. Harvest failure was something that happened in the developing world or back in ancient history. Not any longer.actions speak louder than words2022 saw crops parched as the UK sweltered under a heat dome for months with temperatures in the high 20s C and virtually no rain. This year storm Babet submerged crops in many areas from Aberdeenshire and into the Midlands and North Wales. Crops like potatoes and Swedes are spoiled under standing water while winter sown grain seed and topsoil has been swept away.The farming community is under pressure for many reasons and many farmers have no financial buffer or additional crops or livestock to absorb losses. Hitherto events such as Storm Babet were labelled “once in 100 years events.” Unfortunately, climate change is making such events, and the resulting damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure, almost annual occurrences. Practical responses by government and local authorities include “adaptation and mitigation” measures such as flood prevention but these, and repair costs, will continue to rise unless we reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.Then there is a moral response to the environmental damage caused by the carbon emissions from our industrial past. Long ago the prophet Jeremiah (5:25) wrote:“They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ Your wrong doings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.”Climate justice, at home and abroad, demands a practical moral response: treading lightly on the earth and reducing to zero our carbon emissions, and offsetting those that we cannot. Eco Church is the ideal vehicle, but progress has almost stalled:

Text block 2

Most churches should achieve Bronze fairly easily by consciously using environmental prayers, hymns and liturgies and marking the agricultural year. The Eco Church Questionnaire is easy to follow, so if you have registered, have a go!Two things are very helpful to aspiring Eco Churches. The Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) and the CiW Ten Point Plan. The 10 Point Plan suggests actions every church can take, starting with small steps and building up towards larger targets. It has been produced as part of the Church in Wales' commitment to reach net zero carbon by 2030 and will offer churches a chance to show that “actions speak louder than words”Establish an Eco Group and appoint a Lead Climate Champion.Declare a Climate Emergency and devise an environmental policy.Register with A Rocha Eco Church.Measure your carbon footprint using the Energy Footprint Tool (EFT).Devise a Climate Action Plan.Develop a roster for routine church maintenance and repair.Arrange an energy audit.Develop a specific heating strategy.Switch energy tariffs to a (genuine) Green Tarrif.Offset the remainder of your emissions.Energy Footprint Tool (EFT)The EFT was launched by the CiW in April 2023 and 8 digit access codes were issues to Clergy responsible for each church. Using the energy use data of your church building(s), the Energy Footprint Tool calculates the amount of carbon (“the carbon footprint”) each building has produced over the previous calendar year. The calculation helps you to understand where you are starting from and how much progress you are making each year. The tool is easy-to-use, available to all Church in Wales churches, and will assist us in reducing our impact on the climate.Uptake has been disappointing and the EFT will close end December 2023 for figures for 2022. The EFT captures data year on year so that we can monitor progress. A link to the EFT User Guide is at………….

Two column block 3

Energy Footprint Tool

Pecyn Cymorth Ôl-troed Ynni