THE electorate should vote for political parties “who want to see climate justice”, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, the lead bishop for the environment, has said. He was backing a new film on the climate crisis aimed at churches.
Bishop Usher has joined the Roman Catholic lead bishop for the environment, the Bishop of Salford, the Right Revd John Arnold, and Christian groups, in calling on churches to screen People’s Emergency Briefing, which premiered this month.
The 50-minute film was made by the National Emergency Briefing (NEB), which is demanding that the UK Government stages a prime-time, televised emergency briefing on the climate and nature crisis.
Before local and mayoral elections in England, and in Scottish and Welsh parliament seats, on 7 May, Bishop Usher told the Church Times on Thursday: “Once the film is seen, then sustained action needs to happen — first by voting for those who want to see climate justice and nature protection high on the political agenda both locally and nationally.”
He continued: “We are the first generation to see the effects of climate change and the last that can do anything about it. The People’s Emergency Briefing is a wake-up call for all of us. The threat posed by climate change and loss of biodiversity dwarfs that of other crises, and the public need to be informed, so that together we can turn the situation around.
“The Church of England has a clear role in caring for God’s creation and taking prophetic action. With a Christian presence in every community in England, I strongly encourage our churches, chaplaincies, and schools to host screenings of this timely and important film.”
The NEB is a UK-wide public information initiative aimed at briefing the public and Parliament. In November, the NEB convened more than 1200 people — including MPs, peers, and leaders from business, culture, faith, and civil society — at Westminster Central Hall for an “emergency briefing” delivered by leading UK experts. The initiative is independent and non-party political.
OPERATION NOAHA screening of the film in St Pancras New Church, on Saturday
The coalition backing the film includes the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and the Joint Public Issues Team, which is a partnership between the Methodist Church, the Baptist Union, and the United Reformed Church.
Bishop Arnold said: “Our faith calls us to care for our ‘Common Home’ and we must study the signs of the times and take the action that is needed to repair our relationship with God’s creation. The People’s Emergency Briefing lays bare how serious the climate and nature crisis is, the significance of the threat to our common home, and the impacts it will have on people’s lives, and the need to come together to respond to this emergency.
“Our faith compels us to speak up on matters of justice and morality, and, by joining this initiative, we can play our part in calling for the Government to take the action that is urgently needed. The Catholic Church in England and Wales has environmental leads in every diocese across the country and, with nearly 3000 churches, we will be encouraging as many parishes to screen the People’s Emergency Briefing as possible.”
The General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, Dr Nicola Brady, said: “The positive response from churches to the invitation to host and facilitate engagement with the National Emergency Briefing reflects a deep concern with the ways in which climate breakdown is impacting our local communities and the whole of humanity.”
On Saturday, the TV presenter and activist Chris Packham, who presents the film, hosted a sold-out screening at St Pancras New Church, in London. St Alban’s Cathedral, on Sunday, hosted its screening, which was attended by Daisy Cooper MP, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats.
The Chair of the National Emergency Briefing, Mike Berners-Lee, said: “This film is for everyone, of every political and religious persuasion or none. It lays out essential information that all of us need to know.”