Catholic Environment Bishop: It's time to sprint towards climate action

Bishops John Arnold, William Nolan, Martin Hayes and Catholic climate campaigners

The episcopal lead for the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales on the Environment, Bishop John Arnold of Salford, has called for more urgent action on the climate crisis. In a statement on his diocesan website on 23 July, after a record-breaking heatwave in the UK, he said:

"This is not going to just peak and then we'll hear no more of it. It's going to get gradually worse. We are warming the globe and we're not reacting quickly enough to avoid the damage or to even begin to repair the damage that we've done. We've already been told that some of the damage is irreparable, so we've got to think and we've got to act. Unfortunately, the government is not fulfilling the promises made at COP26…. The politics of our nation must take full measure of climate change and the climate crisis.

"I know that we're jogging along, showing an interest in climate change - but jogging is not enough. We've got to start sprinting at this stage to make sure that we are caring for our common home and our brothers and sisters."

He described the recent heatwave as a "wake-up call," saying, "this week, we've witnessed temperatures never before reached here in the UK and, here in our own diocese, temperatures also saw record highs as some parishes nudged 40 degrees and firefighters battled flames in nearby communities."

Bishop John thanked parishes and schools already working to live more sustainably and campaign for environmental justice. Bishop Arnold invited involvement in the second diocesan Walk for Creation on Sunday 2 October.

Bishop John: "It's time to sprint towards climate action": www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqkUbJhN_WM

Environment Mission in Salford Diocese: www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/diocese/environment/

Environment webpages of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales: www.cbcew.org.uk/environment/