On 17th March 2020 the Bishop of Salisbury, Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, received a written answer to a question on climate change and migration:
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: HL1792 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any link between climate change and migration. Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks about link between climate change and migration”
On 12th March 2020 the House of Lords debated a motion from Baroness Parminter, “To move that this House takes note of the case for investing in, and embracing, a green economy that promotes resource efficiency and zero carbon usage.” The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Viv Faull, spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for bringing this debate before the House. As has been said already, and will no doubt be said again, our climate is at a crisis point. As your Lordships are well aware, we continue to see significant losses of biodiversity, increases in global temperatures, rising sea levels and extreme weather events. In the knowledge that these circumstances will disproportionately affect the poorest, and as a nation that has historically consumed large amounts of carbon, it is our moral imperative to act now.
I find myself in the privileged position of representing both a Church and a city to which this issue matters a great deal. Only two weeks ago, Bristol welcomed Greta Thunberg to its College Green, where she addressed more than 15,000 young people. She said that
“nothing is being done to halt this crisis despite all the beautiful words and promises from our elected officials.”
It is my hope that our work here today and in the future will amount to much more than just beautiful words.
On 9th and 10th March 2020 the Bishop of Salisbury, Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, received written answers to questions on illegal waste exports
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: HL1788 To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), what assessment they have made of the proportion of shipping containers being returned following inspection; and what action they intend to take as a result. Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks Government for figures on illegal waste exports”
On 25th February 2020 Lord Greaves asked the Government “what steps they are taking to compensate households and local businesses that have been affected by flooding caused by recent storms and heavy rainfall.” The Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd John Inge, asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Worcester: My Lords, Worcestershire has been as badly affected as anywhere in England by the recent floods and the river level is still rising in Worcester. At the same time, I have to observe that a great deal of work has been done since 2007, which has meant the damage has been much less than would otherwise have been the case. I support the call for swift and full compensation. At the same time, I pay tribute to the emergency services, which have been superb during these floods. Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to them?
Continue reading “Bishop of Worcester pays tribute to emergency services responding to floods”
On 13th February 2020 the House of Lords debated a motion from Lord Kinnoull, “that this House takes note of the threats posed by pests and diseases to native trees in the United Kingdom.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull, for obtaining the debate and the noble and learned Lord, Lord Cope of Craighead, for his excellent introduction. For these Benches, and indeed for many Members of your Lordships’ House, trees have a special significance. They feature in the first chapter of the holy scriptures in Genesis and they reappear in the final chapter of the Bible in the Book of Revelation chapter 22, where we find that enigmatic phrase:
“the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans on the importance of planting more trees and native species”
On 13th February 2020 the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, answered written questions from Jim Shannon MP, on carbon emissions, religious freedom, strategic development funding, church planting, green investments, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, the Primates’ Meeting, new technologies, marriage and family life.On 6th February 2020 the House of Lords debated a motion from Lord Browne of Ladyton, “That this House takes note, further to the report by UK FIRES, Absolute Zero, published in November 2019, of technological and lifestyle efforts (1) to address climate change, and (2) to meet the 2050 net zero carbon emissions target”. The Bishop of Oxford, Rt Revd Steven Croft, spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, I warmly welcome this report and this vital debate. Never before in the scale of human history has there been such a wide and deep threat to our ecosystem or to human flourishing that was so clear and predictable on the horizon. Technology alone is not enough.
In his letter to the whole world in 2015, Pope Francis notes how
“the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor”.
Our response must be nothing less, he argues, than an “ecological conversion” of every person and every part of society. Responding to the current emergency is the responsibility of every family, workplace, village, town and city, company and public institution.
Continue reading “Bishop of Oxford on climate emergency and work of church”
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: HL944 To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there has been any increase in fly-tipping in the last five years; and what consideration they have given to legislative and regulatory reforms to support local authorities and the police in the prevention of such a crime.Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about scale of and response to fly-tipping”
On 28th January 2020 the House of Lords debated a question from Lord Collins of Highbury, asking Government”what consideration they have given to formulating their pledge at the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth 2020 summit, and what they are doing to build commitments from other countries.” The Bishop of Oxford, Rt Revd Steven Croft, spoke in the debate:
The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, I, too, welcome this timely debate. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Collins, and welcome the opportunity offered by the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit.
It is moving to note, as other noble Lords have mentioned, that the number of people suffering from hunger has been increasing since 2015, albeit slowly. We know that behind the statistics lie terrible and moving stories of human suffering, disease and death, especially across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It is sobering to ponder on the one hand the challenge of providing a sustainable diet and preventing the lifelong consequences of malnutrition and, on the other, the striking rise in obesity across the world and consequent health problems. Continue reading “Bishop of Oxford asks Government about links between food security, poor nutrition and climate change”
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury:Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks questions on plastic waste trade and recycling”
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