Here we provide links to Christian organisations and development agencies involved in environment and climate change issues, plus web pages and information provided by the churches. We also have a section of links to other groups.
- Networks (of organisations)
- Christian organisations
- Development agencies
- Churches
- Other groups
- Archived resources
- Other faiths
Networks (of organisations)
ACT Alliance
The ACT Alliance, is a coalition of more than 140 faith-based member organisations working in long-term development, advocacy and humanitarian assistance. It is organised in national and regional forums operating in more than 120 countries. Its goal is to promote a locally-led and coordinated approach to advocacy, humanitarian and developmental issues.
The Climate Coalition
Together with Stop Climate Chaos Cymru and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, it aims to be the broadest and most diverse coalition yet established within the UK to campaign for changes to government policy on climate change. Its membership includes many Christian environmental organisations, along with other UK leading environmental bodies and international development agencies.
Pray and Fast for the Climate
A movement of Christians praying and fasting on the 1st of each month for climate justice. It is supported by members of the ‘Faith for the Climate’ network, including A Rocha UK, the Baptist Union, Christian Aid, the Church of England and Shrinking the Footprint, the Methodist Church, Operation Noah, Tearfund and the United Reformed Church.
Climate Sunday
In the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, over 2,200 churches and church groups throughout Britain and Ireland participated in the Climate Sunday Initiative, resourced by a coalition of 31 denominations and charities, and members of the Environmental Issues Network (EIN) of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI). While the initiative has now ended, resources are still available on the website.
Faith for the Climate
The network currently has over 200 members, including faith-based organisations and individual faith leaders and activists working on climate change, on a voluntary or professional basis. It works in collaboration with other national and international networks, faith-based and secular, on climate action.
Christian organisations
A Rocha
A Rocha is a Christian conservation organisation. Started in Portugal in 1983 (where A Rocha means ‘the rock’) it now works in many countries around the world, operating by means of distinctively Christian projects and with a variety of partners. It is involved in scientific research, environmental education and community-based conservation projects.
As well as providing speakers for Church events, the At Your Service website provides Creation care resources for churches..
In Jan 2016 it launched Eco Church in partnership with Christian Aid, the Church of England, the Methodist Church and Tearfund.
Christian Concern for One World (CCOW)
CCOW’s work includes care for creation and the website has a range of resources including series of Bible studies and courses, and those for prayer, study and action.
Climate Stewards
A Christian carbon offsetting charity that invites individuals, churches, charities and businesses to ‘reduce what you can and offset what you can’t’.
Eco Church
Eco Church, the successor to Eco-Congregation in England and Wales, launched on 26 Jan 2016 and provides resources for churches to do an environmental audit (church check-up) and to encourage appropriate action. There is an award scheme designed to affirm good practice in environmental stewardship. Eco Church is an A Rocha UK project, run in partnership with Christian Aid, the Church of England, the Methodist Church and Tearfund.
Eco-congregation
In Scotland, Eco-Congregation is an independent charity offering a programme ‘to enthuse and equip churches to weave environmental issues into their life and mission in an enjoyable and stimulating way’. Eco-Congregation Ireland was initiated by the Church in Society Forum of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting and is run by a committee working in a voluntary capacity. Each of the main Christian churches on the island is represented.
Ecumenical Water Network (EWN)
An initiative of Christian churches and organisations to promote the preservation, responsible management and the equitable distribution of water for all. EWN facilitates exchanges of information, providing resources for churches, Christian organisations and others about the global water crisis and community-based solutions and initiatives. It also promotes and coordinates advocacy towards the recognition and implementation of the human right to water. The Secretariat of the EWN is located at the World Council of Churches in Geneva.
European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN)
The European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) is a church network promoting co-operation in caring for creation. Its aims are to share information and experiences in environmental work among widely varied Christian traditions, and to encourage a united witness in caring for God’s creation. Formed in 1998, ECEN is a network of the Conference of European Churches (CEC)and is CEC’s main way of addressing environmental issues from the perspective of Christian theology and a Christian way of life.
Green Christian
Green Christian (formerly Christian Ecology Link – CEL) describes itself as ‘a community of ordinary Christians from all backgrounds and traditions’. It seeks to: ‘let loose hope in this damaged, exploited and unjust world; pioneer practical discipleship in shared prayer, struggle and action; equip prophetic witness through our campaigns and resources; and empower agents of change in churches and the green movement’.
Green Christian has a range of resources including Green Christian magazine, a Carbon Reduction Course (ecocell) and material around LOAF – Locally produced, Organically grown, Animal friendly and Fairly traded food.
Current campaigns include Joy in Enough, to promote a new way of thinking about the economy.
John Ray Initiative
The John Ray Initiative (JRI) is an educational charity with ‘a vision to bring together scientific and Christian understandings of the environment in a way that can be widely communicated and lead to effective action’. It was formed in 1997 in ‘recognition of the urgent need to respond to the global environmental crisis and the challenges of sustainable development and environmental stewardship’.
Operation Noah
Operation Noah is an ecumenical Christian charity aiming to provide ‘leadership, focus and inspiration in response to the growing threat of catastrophic climate change endangering God’s creation’. Its trustees, staff and supporters are cross-denominational and include members of the Catholic, Anglican and free churches.
The theological basis for its work is set out in the Ash Wednesday Declaration, launched at the beginning of Lent 2012, challenging the church to ‘realise that care for God’s creation – and concern about climate change – is foundational to the Christian gospel and central to the church’s mission’.
Its current campaign Bright Now aims to persuade churches to disinvest from fossil fuel companies.
Originally a joint project of Christian Ecology Link (CEL) and the Environmental Issues Network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, it is now set up as a separate organisation while retaining its Christian focus. Individuals are encouraged to support Operation Noah’s campaign aims.
Development agencies
Christian Aid
Christian Aid works globally for ‘profound change that eradicates the causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all, regardless of faith or nationality’. It campaigns for climate justice as millions of the world’s poorest people are already feeling the impact of climate change through droughts, floods and extreme weather, and provides a range of campaigning and worship resources.
One of its campaigns, The Big Shift, aimed to end the use of fossil fuels.
In May 2020, Christian Aid updated its paper (first produced in October 2014), Song of the Prophets: A global theology on climate change.
An earlier publication ‘All creation groaning’: a theological approach to climate change and development outlines a theological approach based on the starting point that climate change is essentially a justice issue.
Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance and the Climate Coalition.
CAFOD
CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and part of Caritas International. It raises funds so that it can promote long-term development, respond to emergencies, raise public awareness of the causes of poverty, speak out on behalf of poor communities, and promote social justice in witness to Christian faith and gospel values.
CAFOD is a member of the Climate Coalition.
CAFOD’s campaigns for the climate, the latest initiative in the run-up to COP26.
Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF)
The official aid and international development charity of the Catholic Church in Scotland.
Tearfund
Tearfund is a Christian relief and development agency working with a global network of local churches to help eradicate poverty. It’s work on climate change includes producing a number of policy reports. It campaigns for action to tackle the climate crisis and provides prayers via texts.
Trocaire
Trocaire is the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland. One of its campaigns is for climate justice.
Churches
Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT)
The Joint Public Issues Team works on behalf of the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church in the area of public issues. Its website has a number of briefings on environmental issues including ‘Not just to survive, but to thrive‘, three ways to begin to make changes to see the world not just surviving but thriving, and ‘Hope in God’s Future’, a report and study guide setting out the position of the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church on climate change.
Church of England
The Church of England Environment Programme aims to enable the church to address — in faith, practice and mission — the issue of climate change.
In February 2020, the Church of England’s General Synod set new targets for all parts of the church to work to become carbon ‘net zero’ by 2030. It provides a range of support and guidance to help churches get to Net Zero Carbon.
Scottish Episcopal Church
In 2020 Synod members backed a motion which paves the way to a commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Prior to that, in 2017, the General Synod highly commended a joint report on climate change action and fossil fuel investments. It produced a Statement of Principles of Sustainability in 2011.
Church of Scotland
The General Assembly has set a target of 2030 for the Church of Scotland to be a ‘Net Zero’ organisation. The Church of Scotland is part of the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition and shares the coalition’s aim to build public pressure on governments at home and abroad to prevent irreversible and damaging global warming.
Methodist Church
The Methodist Church has a web section with information on Environment and Climate Change plus details of Carbon Reduction Opportunities. The Revd Simon Topping has also written a series of blogs on the theology of climate justice.
The 2011 Methodist Conference made an official Conference Statement on climate change, based on the report and study guide ‘Hope in God’s Future’ which sets out the position of the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church on climate change.
Religious Society of Friends
At the 2011 Yearly Meeting Gathering, Quakers in Britain made a corporate commitment to become a low-carbon, sustainable community and the Quaker Living Witness project supports this. The website includes a sustainability toolkit, a quarterly newsletter quarterly newsletter ‘earthQuaker’, plus a range of other material.
The Quakers in Britain website details work on climate justice and economic justice and outlines the spiritual basis for Quaker climate action.
Catholic Church in England and Wales
The website for the Catholic Church Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales includes details of the Season of Creation, a Global Healing film-based resource, theology resources and how to save energy and recycle at home.
A national prize for Catholic parishes putting their faith into action by living simply, sustainably with creation, and in solidarity with people in poverty. It is inspired by the papal letter Populorum Progressio.
Other groups
Christian Climate Action
‘A community of Christians supporting each other to take meaningful action in the face of imminent and catastrophic, anthropogenic climate breakdown. We are inspired by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. Following the example of social justice movements of the past, we carry out acts of public witness, nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to urge those in power to make the changes needed.’
Young Christian Climate Network
An action-focused community of Christians in the UK aged 18-30, committed to following Jesus in the pursuit of climate justice, which launched in August 2020.
Archived resources
The Green Bible
Verses and passages that speak to God’s care for creation are highlighted in green, and it includes a ‘green Bible index’, essays by scholars and faith leaders, and personal study guide. Originally printed on recycled paper, using soy-based ink with a cotton/linen cover, it was also made available to buy as an ebook. However, it may now only be available pre-owned.
Other faiths
Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences
An internationally recognised body which articulates the Islamic position on issues relating to destruction of the Earth’s eco-systems while at the same time suggesting practical responses for Muslims. Its newsletter is EcoIslam.