Churches have a vital financial role to play in accelerating the transition to net zero emissions, according to a new report from the Christian climate campaign group, Operation Noah.

The report, Church Investment in Climate Solution: Financing a Liveable Future, which was released in November quotes a UN estimate that religious institutions manage a combined $3 trillion (£2.5 trillion) of investments globally.

It identifies opportunities for investment, including renewable energy, energy storage, buildings, transport, land use and cooking, which, it says offer huge economic as well as environmental benefits. It also says that every pound spent on renewable energy generates three times more jobs than fossil fuel investments.

Martin Palmer, CEO of FaithInvest (an international group advising faith groups on how to invest in line with their beliefs and values), said: “To achieve the scale of investments necessary to turn the market towards a sustainable world and away from climate and biodiversity disaster, faith institutions have to take up the challenge of putting their money where their mouths are! And Churches in the UK have the resources to do this. Can we hope that it will also increase the actions necessary to help tip the balance? This report is a prophetic witness.”

Read the report at https://brightnow.org. uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Church-Investment-in-Climate-Solutions.pdf