
Photo Credit: Diocese of Salisbury
[ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] A tough new goal to cut greenhouse gas emission in the UK to almost zero by 2050 has been welcomed by the Church of England’s lead bishop on the environment. The Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam, said: “this announcement is very welcome, and the UK can be proud to be setting an example by making this commitment to address the global climate emergency.”
But he warned that the commitment must be backed by “relentless action”.
The new terms, which were announced by Prime Minister Theresa May, aim to reduce emissions by 2050 from the original target of 80 per cent to “net zero”. Mrs May said reducing pollution would also benefit public health and cut NHS costs.
Bishop Nicholas said: “Christians and people of all faiths have long called for action on climate change both to preserve the natural world on which we all rely, and to protect God’s creation for generations to come.
“Climate change affects us all, but the world’s poorest are most vulnerable to extreme weather events and the least able to cope with the impact. It is imperative for us as Christians to press for action to deal with these threats.
“Ours is the first generation to know the full scale of the risks posed by climate change and could be the last able to do anything meaningful about it.”
Britain is the first major nation to propose this target – and it has been widely praised by green groups.