Tag: environment

Education (Values of British Citizenship) Bill: Bishop of Sheffield speaks in support of legislation

On 18th October 2024, the Bishop of Sheffield spoke at the second reading of the Education (Values of British Citizenship) Bill, a private members bill tabled by Lord Harries of Pentregarth, supporting the bill and welcoming provision to improve provision for education on religion and the environment:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I too congratulate the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Harries, on bringing forward this Private Member’s Bill, and indeed on the many years of thinking and hard work which have brought the Bill to this point. I welcome the Bill, support its aims and heartily welcome the five specific headings, which together give some definition of what is meant by “British values” in an educational context.

Especially in an educational context, it will be vital to foster a culture in which these headline categories are inhabited in a meaningful way. This kind of culture is capable of being fostered as much in the teaching of maths and science as through the teaching of citizenship, PSHE or RE, but these latter subjects provide an opportunity for values to be addressed directly and explicitly. I shall say something further about RE in particular, but the list of values identified in the Bill includes respect for the environment, and I would also like to say something about the potential for a natural history GSCE.

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Bishop of Norwich asks about biodiversity strategy

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answer on 18th October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, in accordance with the commitment of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference Canada in 2022, before COP 16 starts in Colombia on 21 October.

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Bishop of Norwich asks about upcoming convention on biological diversity, international cooperation on conservation, and outdoor education

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answers on 7th October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • what their priorities are for the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in Colombia in October.
  • what assessment they have made of the theme of the forthcoming Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) being designated “Peace with Nature” by the government of Colombia, and in particular of the link between environmental breakdown and conflict internationally; and what are their objectives for COP16 regarding the relationship between humanity and nature to ensure greater global peace.
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Bishop of Norwich takes part in debate on report from Environment and Climate Change Committee

The Bishop of Norwich spoke in a debate on a report from the environment and climate change committee on 11th September 2024, emphasising the need to protect and safeguard the natural environment:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, I believe that restoring land and sea for nature is a crucial part of our response to the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. It is a great privilege to follow four outstanding speakers, real heroes of the environment, particularly for the environment in this nation. It is indeed an extraordinary challenge that we face, but one that I hope we can rise to.

The report contains many excellent recommendations. I commend the noble Lords on the Select Committee who have taken evidence, distilled it and brought us a report containing so much clarity and wisdom. It is imperative that the regulation of habitat protection is retained and strengthened to make sure that protected land is truly being managed for nature. Alongside that, and ultimately far more effective, is for those who own and manage land or use the sea to have a great pride for the natural world in their stewardship and for society at large to value nature. I see the beginnings of a positive change in that regard, as more and more landowners, tenants and people who work the land and the sea recognise our negative impact on the environment and notice the silenced song of creation in so many places.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about sustainability in medication distribution

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 2nd September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage sustainable packaging for all medication distributed by the NHS, including sustainable alternatives to plastic blister packs for pills.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about Air Quality Grant Scheme

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 2nd September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Douglas-Miller on 24 May (HL4084), whether they will consider reinstating funding for the Air Quality Grant Scheme and, if not, what plans they have to better deliver positive outcomes for local air quality and public health.

Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab, DEFRA): No decisions have been made yet on the future of the Air Quality Grant.

Hansard

Kings Speech Debate: Bishop of St Albans speaks on rural and environmental concerns

On 18th July 2024, the Bishop of St Albans gave a speech on issues affecting rural communities during the debate on the Kings Speech, also welcoming the new government’s plans to fight pollution in waterways:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition and add my congratulations to the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, on her new role.

As a long-term advocate for rural areas and the people who live and work in them, I know that our farmers and rural communities are uniquely placed to deliver the Government’s missions of clean energy, increased building and the need to protect and restore our environment. Rural communities and rural businesses play an absolutely crucial role in the economic and social fabric of our country.

I welcome His Majesty’s Government’s plans to introduce measures to tackle pollution in our rivers, lakes and waterways. In my diocese of St Albans, covering Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, we are home to several of this country’s beautiful chalk streams, which, despite being extraordinarily rare and precious habitats, have been utterly devastated by both extraction and pollution. For example, the River Ver in Hertfordshire has been found to have six times higher levels of E. coli than is acceptable in bathing water. Between March and June this year, sewage was discharged directly into the River Ver for more than 2,400 hours.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of and funding to address pollution

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 24th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact that withdrawing funding for the Air Quality Grant Scheme will have on public health.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about protection of heritage and community sites from coastal erosion

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answer on 20th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what funding, other than flood and coastal erosion risk management grant-in-aid, they make available to protect heritage assets and community spaces at risk from coastal erosion.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about coastal erosion in Northumberland

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answers on 17th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government:

  • how heritage significance is taken into account when calculating the value of (1) a coastal erosion protection project, and (2) a grant received through grant-in-aid funding for such a project.
  • what funding they have made available to protect churchyards from coastal erosion where (1) the church is of historical significance, or (2) family members of those recently buried in the churchyard reside in the local community.
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