Climate emergency hub
Welcome to our climate emergency information and resource centre. These pages contain a wealth of information about how climate change is impacting communities across the Anglican Communion and how they are responding.
Anglicans across the world have long been engaged with environmental concerns. As a global, connected body with a shared identity that transcends national borders, the Anglican Communion has a distinct perspective on climate change. Anglicans are on the frontlines of the climate emergency and they are also actively involved in shaping solutions. We also have the capacity to leverage our shared identity to mobilise our networks for climate justice and climate action.
We are facing a climate and ecological crisis. Extreme weather events, sea level rise and changed rainfall patterns are severely impacting millions of people across the world. Climate change is wreaking havoc on the biodiversity of our common home, threatening the integrity of creation.
Across the Communion, Anglicans are on the front line of the climate emergency. They are not only affected by the impacts of climate change but are also taking action to respond to its challenges.
This page is a gateway to a host of information and resources about climate change – and wider environmental concerns – and how Anglicans across the world are engaged. See below for links and to the right for resources that can be downloaded.
And here it is in a nutshell! The short video below explores the questions: How are people across the world being impacted by the climate and ecological emergencies? How are Anglicans across the Communion responding? And how might we all strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth – the fifth Anglican Mark of Mission?
The science of climate change
Click here for a page of useful links to information about climate change, fact-checking sites and examples of Christian scientists talking and writing about climate change.
Impacts of climate change
Stories of how climate change is affecting people in different parts of the Communion can be found here: Impacts of Climate Change Across the Communion.
Intersectional issues
The impacts of climate change do not affect people equally or in isolation from other factors adversely affecting people’s lives. Indigenous people, young people, poor and vulnerable people and women are disproportionately affected by the climate emergency and its impacts. Our page on intersectional issues looks at how factors combine to compound vulnerability and make for worse outcomes for people:
- Indigenous communities, who are particularly marginalized in face of the climate emergency;
- Young people, who are now facing the fallout of the decisions made by past generations;
- Climate and environment through a gender lens
- Climate-induced displacement, migration & trafficking
- The relationship between climate, conflict, peace and reconciliation
- Climate change and sustainable development
- Climate Change and Biodiversity loss
The global response to climate change: the UNFCCC
Click here for information about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the historic Paris Agreement.
Anglican responses to climate change
- For examples of local responses to climate change across the Communion, click here.
- For examples of connecting and sharing best practice across the Communion, click here.
- For examples of Communion-wide responses, click here.
- See also this video conversation about faith and science: How is the Church engaging with science in responding to environmental issues?
The Church and its members are an integral part of local communities. The Church is present…
…before disasters hit during disasters, building community cohesion and resilience
…during disasters, providing emergency relief
…and afterwards, helping with long-term recovery.
Anglicans are engaged in mitigation and adaptation initiatives; the Church preaches and teaches about creation care; it shares best practice and training to build community resilience, especially through the Pastors and Disasters toolkit. In addition, the Anglican Communion has an active Environmental Network, has proactive “eco-bishops” across the Communion, engages with the United Nations on environmental and climate change concerns, and has made numerous statements about protecting our common home (Lambeth Conference resolutions here and Anglican Consultative Council resolutions here). Indeed, the Communion sees creation care as a central tenet of its mission, expressed in the fifth Anglican mark of mission: to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Water is the primary means by which climate change is experienced by millions of people across the world: whether through rising sea levels (leading to salination of soil, crop loss and land loss), stronger and more frequent storms, flooding or drought. The video opposite, Troubled Waters, captures some of these impacts but also how churches across the world are responding.
Why does the Anglican Alliance care about climate change?
The Anglican Alliance connects, equips and inspires the worldwide Anglican family to work for a world free of poverty and injustice and to safeguard creation. Climate change is a major factor driving poverty and migration, as well as having wider severe detrimental impacts on the environment.
The Anglican Alliance also provides a convening platform for Anglican churches and agencies to work together in the aftermath of disasters, many of which are climate related. Helping build resilience to disasters and building partnerships for response and resilience is an increasingly important part of our work. See here.
Climate change is therefore a cross-cutting issue that is part of each of our three pillars of relief, development and advocacy.
“It is our sacred duty to protect the planet, as well as our neighbours around the world who are on the front line of climate change”