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The Church of England has set an ambitious target to reach net zero by 2030, and churches across the UK are taking steps to reduce their impact on the environment.
Recent research by Ecclesiastical found churches are switching to LED lighting (57%), reducing paper usage (52%), training volunteers to help reduce their carbon footprint (35%), and switching to a renewable energy supplier (31%).
The Made Simple Guide, entitled Climate Change and Your Church, is intended to help parish churches manage their risks as they make changes to meet their net-zero goals.
The guide covers how churches can manage present-day challenges, including dealing with extreme weather, and maintaining and heating church buildings efficiently, as well as preparing for the future by providing risk management advice on alternative heating and energy options.
It also covers what climate change means for insurance and provides links to further guidance and financial support for churches.
“We know churches up and down the country believe reducing their climate impact is part of their mission to protect God’s creation, and many of them are taking steps to reach net zero.
“As the leading insurer of churches, we want to support churches to navigate the risks and challenges they may face in adapting their buildings for a lower-carbon future.
“We hope this guide supports their journey to become more climate resilient, so we can help churches to thrive and preserve their amazing buildings from climate change for generations to come.”
The Church of England’s 2021 Carbon Emissions Report revealed that church buildings emitted around 411,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Findings from a survey carried out by Ecclesiastical Insurance and The Bible Society revealed that four in five churches (82%) believe that reducing their climate impact was important.
When asked why they believed this almost nine in ten (88%) said that they believed it was the duty of the church to protect the planet, with four in five (83%) saying that it was the right thing to do.
Despite positive steps being taken by churches across the country, almost one in six (16%) churches said that they weren’t taking any steps to reduce their carbon footprint. Three-quarters (72%) said they would like to do more to reduce their footprint, but they were faced with a number of hurdles to do so.
Over half (51%) of churches said they didn’t have the funds to make changes, while over a quarter (29%) said that they didn’t know enough about the issue to understand what they could or should do. More than a quarter (26%) said they didn’t have the skills needed to carry out more work.
Ecclesiastical Insurance is part of the Benefact Group, owned by the Benefact Trust, which recently pledged £1.5 million towards a major climate project, which will support 60 churches, over two years, to achieve net zero by the end of 2025.