Eco Comment – Zeroing in on Climate Change

Every so often something happens which has a real impact and helps bring our faith to life in different ways.  Last Friday, Sue, Zoe and myself represented Wakefield Cathedral at the Church of England’s ‘Net Zero Day’ held at Church House, Westminster.  The event brought together fellow Christians from across all the Anglican cathedrals in England to hear about progress with the Church’s aim of reaching Net Zero by 2030.  As ever with these events, certain elements stand out and for me; it was the chance to meet people from across the country who are all working to achieve one of the central tenets of the Church’s mission to conserve and protect God’s creation.

During the day, we had the opportunity to consider how our journey along the Eco Church pathway is more than receiving an award, but instead helps us set out where we can make a difference as Christians in the communities in which we live.  There was some technical detail provided around heat pumps, which certainly stretched my physics O-level to the full trying to understand the concept of “coefficient of performance”, though the overall benefit was clear enough where it is practical to fit these.  In the afternoon, there were four excellent case studies presented by cathedrals who have piloted aspects of the Net Zero decarbonisation programme, with the one from Newcastle very much aligned to the reordering of our own cathedral a few years ago.

On reflection, it struck me that we have a real opportunity to consider what more we can do to enhance our environment as the next chapter of our journey to Net Zero unfolds.

Mark Buckle
(on behalf of the Eco Group)