As more faith groups commit to investing in climate solutions – most recently the Methodist Church of Great Britain – experts estimate global climate finance must triple by 2035
23 September 2026: A new report from Operation Noah – ‘Investing with Purpose’ – is offering practical pathways for Church investment in climate solutions. Globally, Christian groups manage hundreds of billions of pounds, with the Church Investors Group’s 67 members, largely based in Britain and Ireland, managing combined investment assets of over £26bn.
But despite the opportunity to align their finances with their values – and despite a growing list of faith groups scaling up their green investments, including the Methodist Church of Great Britain which has just signed the Green Investment Declaration – many faith institutions are still hesitant to invest in climate solutions due to concerns about returns and confusion around the regulatory environment. Yet investment is urgently needed: the Climate Policy Initiative suggests yearly global climate finance must treble by 2035 to ensure a climate-aligned, sustainable world.
This new report from Operation Noah addresses a variety of concerns some faith groups may have around green investment and offers case studies of groups that have already invested in climate solutions; the report also includes a theological reflection, ways to invest, immediate actions to take and climate solutions that investors may want to consider financing.
Campaign Director Clare Fussell, a report author, writes: ‘Churches are well placed to use their historic wealth to help turn the tide and accelerate the green transition. While their collective hundreds of billions of pounds are but a drop in the ocean of wider finance flows, their powerful moral voice has the potential to influence much greater investment into climate solutions across society. This influence was clearly seen through the fossil fuel divestment movement, where faith institutions’ actions built momentum across universities, local authorities and others, seeing hundreds of billions in additional finance being made off-limits to fossil fuel companies’.
The report comes in the midst of Operation Noah’s multi-city Green Investment Roadshow, and on the heels of the Methodist Church of Great Britain having committed earlier this month to investing more than 5% of its financial assets in climate solutions. Andrew Harper, Deputy CEO of Epworth Investment Management, which is owned by the Methodist Church’s Central Finance Board, said, ‘Millions around the world are suffering the most extreme effects of the climate emergency…people are dying, homes are being lost, there are catastrophes, floods, all sorts of natural disasters, and agriculture is under immense strain…we must act now…we believe the climate emergency is real to the fullest extent and that action must be taken today.’
Operation Noah is an award-winning charity working to inspire the Church to take action on the climate crisis. In addition to divesting from fossil fuels, Operation Noah encourages Churches and faith groups around the world to invest in climate solutions alongside implementing better land use practices, such as peat restoration and tree growing, as well as supporting mainstream campaigns that challenge the fossil-fuelled status quo. Learn more at www.operationnoah.org.
