Throughout history, Christians have recognised the splendour of the natural world and what it reveals to us about God.
From St Francis of Assisi, who saw God reflected in nature, to the Church of England, which recognises Creation Care as the Fifth Mark of Mission, the Church must use its land for the benefit of climate and nature – something that is now more urgent than ever, as an inhabitable world hangs in the balance.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that for the world to limit global heating to 1.5°C and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, greenhouse gas emissions must be nearly halved by 2030. This will involve a rapid reduction in fossil fuel emissions – the driving cause of global heating – but also increased nature-based solutions in order to remove carbon already present in the atmosphere.
The Church must also do more to prevent the extinction of species, which scientists say is currently happening up to 1,000 times faster than expected, a trend that is particularly acute in the UK – one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
The Church can play a significant role in addressing these challenges, especially the Church of England, which is one of the largest landowners in the country. Our report, Church Land and the Climate Crisis, makes three key recommendations to Church landowners in addressing the climate and nature crises: growing more trees, protecting and restoring peatland and supporting tenant farmers to reduce emissions. Our Church Land Use Vision sets out 7 target areas – from protecting 30% of land for nature by 2030 to restoring 100% of degraded peatland by 2030.
Sign our Open Letter
- Add your voice to our Church Land Use Campaign
Did you know that Churches are some of the largest landowners in the country?
Yet a lot of church land is causing environmental degradation, for example through excessive pesticide runoff from agricultural land causing river pollution and degraded peatland emitting carbon dioxide.
We are calling on Churches to ensure their land is part of the solution and not part of the problem, for example, growing trees, sustainable farming, and restoring peatland.
Sign your name onto this open letter to be handed in to national church leaders across all major UK denominations on World Environment Day, 5th June 2025.
We’d love to include your stories of local projects you’re involved with or inspired by that use land or produce in ways that benefit the climate and environment, and inspire church leaders to do the same and get behind this campaign.
To: +Steven Cottrell – Archbishop of York
+Vincent Nichols – Archbishop of Westminster
Revd Rosemary Frew – Moderator of the Church of Scotland
Most Revd Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales
Steve Finamore – President of the Baptist Union
Revd Helen Cameron – President of the Methodist Conference
Paul Parker – Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain
We, the undersigned, feel strongly that action to reduce emissions and protect nature on church land is an important part of the prophetic leadership that is so desperately needed at this time.
We would like to challenge you, as representatives of our national church bodies, to be more accountable for your use of land and investments in land, recognising the importance of being good stewards of the land under our care.
We call on church landowners to take urgent action on the seven areas of Operation Noah’s Church Land Use Vision by the end of 2025, using church land for climate and biodiversity benefit.
Where your denomination owns minimal land, we ask you to publicly support Operation Noah’s Church Land Use Vision, and pursue ways to support sustainable land use via your investments and through amplifying the call to others.
Where we know of inspiring local actions on church land or with church communities, we have shared details to encourage greater national action.
We are in a climate and nature emergency, and much has already been lost. However, it is never too late to act in accordance with God’s first instruction to humanity – to ’till and keep’ the earth. Together we can take and inspire greater action to protect God’s precious creation and our shared home.
Signed:
[Add your name to the list of signatories by filling in the form]
