Gearing up for global political action

This year and next are crucial in moving forwards to global agreement on climate change. Time is running out fast. The replacement for the Kyoto protocol will be prepared during the UN hosted Lima COP (climate summit) in December 2014 and hopefully agreed during the Paris COP in 2015. This also coincides with the replacement of the Millenium Development Goals that expire in 2015. The European Union is setting climate targets this spring that will also strongly influence international decisions. As our valued supporters, we urgently need your help to make as much impact as possible. Our coordinator Kate does a great job but only works two days a week; our amazing group of trustees achieve much of what we do on a voluntary basis. Operation Noah receives many positive mentions and despite our small size, we have a massive impact! I hope that, as our trusted supporters, this encourages you. So here are a few requests:

• Please sign up two or three other people (more if possible!) to receive this newsletter. There is also a sign up sheet to use at events.
• Use our huge range of resources to help raise awareness across church communities about climate change and a biblical viewpoint.
• Please consider giving regularly by standing order. We urgently need to employ more campaigning staff. If 500 of you decide today to do this and commit £5 or more each month we could do this.
• Ask your church if they would support Operation Noah by pledging £100 or more each year (and please sign up church leaders to receive our mailings).
• Come and join us at our Supporters’ Meeting in June where you will meet with many interesting and committed people – come and be inspired and equipped for action!

Building the Will for Action

Wednesday 7 May, 6.30pm, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London

Here is an event not to be missed at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday 7 May. The United Nations, Churches, investors, security experts and environmentalists come together to highlight the pressing importance of collective action on climate change. Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, will speak about the challenges and highlight what faith communities, the City and the UK must do. A panel of distinguished speakers, chaired by Bishop James Jones, will identify key impacts of climate change on their sector and look at ways to help build the will for political action. This event is free and you can register here.

For the Love of … God, God’s People, God’s Planet!

Let's do something about climate change

Operation Noah is part of the Climate Coalition (formerly Stop Climate Chaos), over 100 organisations with millions of supporters, working together for climate action. We may all be passionate about different things but we’re united in our determination to tackle climate change and to influence the big political decisions coming up in the next two years. ‘For the Love of …’ campaign kicks off this week. This is where we can shout about what we love that is threatened by climate change. The campaign is designed to break the ‘climate silence’ and to enable the general public, including people in your churches, to add their voices to the huge growing climate movement across the UK.

What do you love? We are inviting supporters to send in their personal messages, and encourage others to do so, that will be presented to politicians in June/July as well as during key political moments over the next two years. Please get involved here (website will be live this Thursday 10 April).

Voice of the church on climate change

At a Christian network meeting in February, co-hosted by Operation Noah and Christian Aid, over thirty organisations came together to look at ways of helping the Churches to speak and take action more clearly and more urgently in response to climate change. Bishop Peter Price spoke about the four interconnected big issues that cannot be considered in isolation: that of the environment (in this case climate change); human rights; peace-building; and poverty / socioeconomic development.

A number of great ideas to take forward for collaboration came out of the afternoon:

1. Developing a clear, unified ask of politicians
In the run-up to the General Election (GE) in May 2015 and the EU elections in May 2014, we should come together behind one clear campaign ask, calling for action from our politicians. The Hope for the Future campaign is starting to make headway on this.

2. Working with the Churches as investors
The Churches have a responsibility to steward their resources fairly, ethically and sustainably. What are our levers for change when working with Church structures around issues like investments, procurement and energy use?

3. Campaign to the media to present a more balanced position on climate change
The media systematically misrepresents the level of consensus around climate change by giving equal airtime to climate sceptics and lobbyists, which creates uncertainty among the public when the science is clear. Ideas for a letter-writing campaign or ‘climate watchdogs’ to monitor their regional media outlets were explored.

4. A theology of climate change (inspired by Jubilee 2000)
The Jubilee 2000 movement truly mobilised the grassroots churches to campaign for social justice. It worked because it had a key theological principle behind it. What’s the equivalent for climate change? The Ash Wednesday Declaration (AWD) is an excellent starting point and the challenge remains of creating a positive vision of hope and presenting this through the churches.

5. Day of Prayer for our changing climate
There was desire for an ecumenical drawing together of people to pray for our climate regularly and at significant events. A day of prayer and fasting is being proposed to happen on the first day of every month. Operation Noah is hoping to host an event this autumn to get this started.

Going forwards we are seeking to build on this coalition and link with other NGOs and faith groups to revitalise the grass roots movement so that it can really make a difference. Please get in touch if you are interested in getting involved in any of these areas.