This page forms part of the Diocese of London's Shrinking the Footprint microsite. For the introductory page, see here.
The national Shrinking the Footprint campaign was inspired by the General Synod report 'Sharing God's Planet'.
Christians believe the environment was entrusted to human beings by God, who commanded us to 'till and keep it' (Genesis 2:15). Others lived here before we came along; we in turn must hand it on to posterity. We think it's wrong to leave it in a worse state than we found it.
Moreover, we say it's wrong to treat this world as solely for own use. We should share it:
The Five Marks of Mission were established by the Consultative Council of the worldwide Anglican Communion:
Care for the environment is mandated by the Fifth Mark of Mission. It also entails aspects of all the others:
We think climate change is the most serious and urgent environmental threat we face. It's easy to displace it with restoring economic growth – but time is very short; climate change might well slip past the point of no return.
As a whole, the planet's surface temperature is rising – about 0.8 deg C over the last century, currently continuing at about 0.13-0.17 deg C per decade. The 12 warmest years recorded have all been in the last 15 years. 1998, 2005 and 2010 were the three equal hottest. A warmer climate means a wetter climate. 2010 was the wettest year recorded worldwide – leading to numerous flood disasters.
Of course there are irregular ups and downs in the temperature and the weather, in different years and places – individual heat waves or freezing winters don't always reflect the global trend. They may be caused partly by disruption from human-induced climate change, partly from natural variations such as solar cycles, by winds and currents, or random events like volcanoes.
Some natural cycles such as El Nino may be accentuated by global warming. Over longer periods or larger areas, the effects of steadily increasing warming are expected to dominate, and to escalate in their severity.
This sustained global warming trend is caused by human activity producing greenhouse gas emissions. Thus our actions cause climate change and climate disruption – resulting in human suffering, shattered lives.
Whatever the outcome, we should do all we can to help deal with it – let’s be part of God’s solution.
Therefore the Diocese's environmental efforts are directed, first and foremost, to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions – carbon dioxide (CO2) mainly (so they are often called 'carbon emissions').
This means urgently attending to our buildings and how we heat and light them, to transport and lifestyles including what we buy and eat. Just some of these matters are introduced in paragraphs below. Read about our efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings here.
Download a talk by the Head of Environmental Challenge to a study day of the Diocese’s Quinquennial Inspectors:
| Facing the Facts of Climate Change |
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'Carbon emissions' are gases (called 'greenhouse gases' or 'GHGs'), which we humans put into the air. Most kinds of GHGs have carbon in them.
Each of us is responsible for a share of these gases, each church too:
Carbon emissions add to the greenhouse effect, which causes global warming and climate change.
The greenhouse effect is like a blanket of gases in the atmosphere, which let sunlight in but then trap some of the heat. The main greenhouse gases are water vapour and carbon dioxide (CO2). These are natural and wholesome in themselves: animals (including humans) breathe CO2 out, plants breathe it in. That still leaves some in the air. This quantity of CO2 is relatively small, but very significant. When the atmosphere contains the right concentration, it stays more or less within temperatures suitable for life as we know it to go on. When there is too much, as now, this causes the earth to warm up.
During the last century or so, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the air has been going up sharply, due to human activity, mainly:
All these things release vast amounts of CO2, more than plants (or the sea) can take in – disturbing the natural balance and causing warming.
We know the extra CO2 in the air comes from fossil fuels, because it has a different isotopic signature (the sizes of the carbon nuclei). Carbon from fossil fuels is all C12. Carbon naturally occurring in the biosphere has some C14 mixed in (with a little C13 in the air and water). The proportion of C14 is therefore diminishing, as CO2 in the atmosphere increases.
Some GHGs other than CO2 are not natural at all (eg HFCs, PFCs); some are toxic (eg oxides of nitrogen, produced by vehicles and aviation). We have to drastically curtail our production of these.
Coal burning and aviation are particularly insidious, as the aerosols they release cause short term temperature changes that mask the longer term warming. It’s like taking opiates without treating the illness. On 12 September 2001, daily temperature ranges across the USA rose about 1 deg C, because there were no planes in the sky.
The warming problem is further aggravated by feedback effects. Once forests are gone, there are less left to breathe in CO2. While the warming itself releases more CO2 and water vapour from the oceans. The Arctic is warming especially fast – as the ice melts there is less to reflect sunlight back into space, so the heat goes straight into the ocean. Methane (an exceptionally potent GHG) is now being released in volume from the permafrost and the ocean floor, as they thaw. This may presage a global climate emergency.
Ozone is a natural constituent of the atmosphere which protects the earth from harmful UV radiation. It has been depleted by CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) leaking from older fridges, air conditioning and aerosols.
CFCs are regulated by the Montreal Protocol of 1987 – the ozone hole was getting less, but recently it has got worse again over the Arctic. International observance of the Montreal Protocol needs to remain tight, and we should make sure any very old fridges or spray cans are safely disposed of.
CFCs don't just cause ozone depletion; they are also among several greenhouse gases (besides CO2) that cause global warming. The hole in the ozone layer is often confused with the greenhouse effect – they are distinct issues though in different ways they both affect the climate. Global warming caused by greenhouse gases remains the dominant concern.
These by-products of emissions have been mitigated to some extent by exclusion of coal burning and other sources from urban areas (eg through the Clean Air Acts in London) and by filtration.
However the struggle has to be continually renewed, e.g. through London’s Low Emissions Zone controlling tailpipe emissions.
Landscapes are suffering severe impacts from our hands. Direct human impacts are arguably the strongest influence on the evolution of landscapes – for good or ill – interfering with the natural interplay of rainfall and erosion, contour and sea level. That’s even before considering climate change.
Consider just the effect of development and engineering on rivers. Major rivers the world over are silting and drying up due to pollution and damming – obstructing run-off into the sea. Even in the UK, our rivers are embanked and flood plains are built over – a major cause of flooding.
Seemingly innocent actions like paving over our front gardens exacerbate the problem.
Our impacts on the ocean may be even more grave. These include the casual discarding of plastic which ends up in a huge gathering of plastic around Midway Island in the Pacific. Marine life is also affected by rising temperatures. Even worse, corals and shelled creatures are harmed by reducing alkalinity in the water, caused by dissolved CO2.
The other headline concern which we seek to address is sustainability: in simple terms, the capacity to keep things going. Climate change and sustainability are the two major tracks in the UN's programmes.
The Brundtland Commission of 1987 defined sustainable development as:
"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
This implies taking account not just of the bottom line, but of indirect costs such as the depletion of resources and damage to the environment, which compromise the ability of future (and present) generations (and other creatures too) to meet their needs.
The world is again coming together to discuss global sustainability at the UN's 'Rio+20' conference in Rio de Janeiro from 20-22 June 2012. This is the successor to the seminal Earth Summit of 1992, also in Rio.
Visit Route around the World to learn more.
The Diocese aims to make all its own building developments sustainable and carbon neutral.
The first fully sustainable diocesan development is the Parsonage House completed in 2011 for St John's Church in Wembley, designed and built to Code 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. St John's Vicarage has been awarded the highest ever score awarded under the Code, at the 2012 Awards by BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method).
Another pioneer in sustainable construction is the new Church Centre at St Paul's Hammersmith by Richard Griffiths Architects.
Advice on parish building projects is given by the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), supported by the Care of Churches Team. Click here for the DAC and Care of Churches Team.
The DAC takes the environment and sustainability into consideration. Contact Geoffrey Hunter, Head of Care of Churches at 
or 020 7932 1230.
The Head of Environmental Challenge is also the Environmental and Sustainability Consultant to the DAC.
Advice on sustainable building is available as part of the outputs of Generic Building Solutions.
See also:
In 2009, Harriet Bell worked as a student intern from Forum for the Future with the Head of Environmental Challenge, developing more ideas for Sustainable Construction in churches. Download Harriet's report here.
| Sustainable construction report |
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Climate risks to churches and their buildings in London over the next few years may include:
Severe winters remain not much less likely in the UK than extreme heat. There is some evidence they may increase for a few years, due to perverse effects of warming in the Arctic.
Major flooding occurred several years in succession during the 2000s; the Diocese's Property Department retains a store of sandbags. Worldwide, alternating floods and droughts are becoming the norm; we aren't exempt in the UK.
We may be overdue a major wind storm.
Potential impacts on particular buildings should be assessed through quinquennial inspections (QIs). Owing to successive PCCs, QIs and architects, over the last 15-20 years an immense volume of stone repairs has been done in the Diocese. Steeples were rebuilt after being scraped of their soot – e.g. St Mary-le-Strand, St Clement Danes. Others had rusting iron ties replaced, e.g. St Mary Aldermary in the City.
Has your PCC prioritised remaining essential repairs – especially to steeples, spires and finials? Sandstone and soft limestone or brick are the most vulnerable materials.
Where resources are tight, at least get a steeplejack's survey and report. A photogrammatic survey may be considered, making any reconstruction easier.
Some more points for thought and action:
See talks to the study day of the Diocese’s Quinquennial Inspectors.
Chief among the causes of climate change are energy use and fossil fuels. Traditionally we have relied on three sources of fossil fuels:
There are four main issues constraining energy supplies:
The trend towards exploring the Arctic for new sources of fossil fuels, becoming available as ice cover diminishes, is particularly to be deplored. This is exploiting the consequences of climate change in order to increase its causes.
Nuclear power is controversial and has suffered a severe setback since the Fukushima disaster. The risk of earthquake and tsunami in the UK may happily be remote. Decommissioning and disposal of nuclear waste have improved, but remain problematic. The carbon footprint of nuclear power is not negligible. The economics of procurement and delivery are marginal at best.
So, we all need to cut our energy use (as far as our health permits – an ageing population needs more heat and can less afford it). Increasing deployment of renewable energy is also needed. It is essential, though that is not to belittle its own challenges.
As far as we possibly can, we should reduce the dependence of our churches and ourselves on sources of energy that are causing harm to the planet.
Read more about our efforts to cut energy and carbon here. And download our handy advice leaflet on energy and carbon (titled 'Gas and Electricity Prices') below. See also Climate Action Plans.
| Energy saving tips, Gas & Electricity prices |
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Church members are encouraged to plan how they travel with the environment in mind.
From worst to best, aeroplanes and ships, cars, buses, rail and tube, cycling and walking rank in that order as far as emissions are concerned.
Aviation contributes about 2% of world emissions, two to four times that after taking account of emissions at altitude. We encourage church members to consider alternatives to non-essential flying.
Read more about transport and air travel.
'Water and waste' are issues in their own right – and have climate change implications. Water conservation and flooding are problems in different kinds of weather.
From April 2012, Thames Water and several other regions around the UK are now in drought and remain subject to a hosepipe ban. The recent rains will take some time to replenish reservoirs and the water table. It is an irony of climate change that while there is more rainfall worldwide, it tends to be dumped on a few select places – e.g. Pakistan and Queensland – all at once; while others (North China, India, the Sahel) run short. We should be sparing, as well as mindful of the much more serious problems faced by others.
The quantity of waste we send to landfill needs to be reduced drastically – space for more sites is finite. Plastic and packaging need to be reduced as much as possible.
London Bio-packaging and Keep Cup are among suitable companies and products.
Waste collection authorities (your council or group of councils) are not obliged to collect or recycle non-domestic waste, though some do so. Otherwise churches, like any business, are expected to organise their own recycling. Following a resolution from Central Barnet Deanery, passed by Diocesan Synod in 2009, we are working on a system of kerbside collections and recycling for churches to opt into.
Download our handy advice leaflet on water and waste.
| Water & waste |
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Jesus said 'Man shall not live by bread alone" (Matthew 4:4). He also turned water into wine. And He celebrated the sharing of a meal with his disciples in the Last Supper; we still commemorate this in the Eucharist of the Bread and Wine – by which we remember His Body and Blood, shed for our redemption.
The Diocese encourages sustainable and ethical growing and eating.
Read more about sustainable Food and drink and download our handy leaflet below.
| Not...by bread alone |
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There are at least 224 churchyards and gardens in the Diocese of London.
All Saints Harrow Weald and St Mary Magdalene Holloway were among recent award winners in the 'Green Corners' competition, run by the Conservation Foundation.
The Diocesan Chancellor has issued statutory guidance on how to look after churchyard trees – see 'Trees in Churchyards' in downloads from www.london.anglican.org/DACInDepthAdvice.
New trees can be planted. This may be assisted by partnering with the Woodland Trust, subject to faculty permission informed by the necessary disciplines in the Chancellor's guidance.
See also 'Churchyards and Wildlife' in downloads from www.london.anglican.org/DACInDepthAdvice.
Biodiversity denotes a specific aspect of wild nature worldwide – its variety at every level – eco-systems, groups and individual species, populations, individuals and their habitats.
There is widespread agreement that this diversity is becoming severely depleted, and that individual species are becoming extinct at an increasing rate, largely due to human populations and behaviours.
The Church of England was a partner in the UN's International Year of Biodiversity 2010 (IYB).
The Diocese engaged with local authorities in their preparation of Biodiversity Action Plans - see 'Biodiversity Action Plans' in downloads from www.london.anglican.org/DACInDepthAdvice.
Centred on St Olave Hart Street, under the banner 'Greening the City', bee-keeping and bird life are being fostered in a project in the City of London, including in churchyards. Contact St Olave's gained a boost when it recently recovered the bust of William Turner, a 16th century English Priest and ornithologist - the bust had been looted during WWII!
Download our handy advice leaflet on fauna and flora, Plants, Animals, Creation, below.
| Fauna and flora, Plants, Animals, Creation |
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In partnership with the Dioceses of Southwark and Chelmsford, the Diocese of London is developing a project for a survey to assess the content and state of fauna and flora, their habitats and ecologies, in churchyards across Greater London. Fundraising for this project is progressing.
This is called ‘Churchyards Ecology Survey’, and is Phase 1 of a longer term project under the banner ‘Churchyards for London’.
Phase 2, to follow, will embrace three themes:
