Jesuit Missions calls on politicians to back vital Climate and Nature Bill

Jesuit Missions is urging MPs to support the Climate and Nature Bill, which will enable the UK to fully address the scale of the global environmental crisis.

The Bill, which is set for a crucial Second Reading in Parliament on Friday, 24 January, will establish clear goals to help the country tackle climate change and damage to the natural world.

It includes a commitment to helping keep global temperature rises below 1.5C, reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, and getting everyone on board when it comes to ending fossil fuel use.

Jesuit Missions is firmly behind these proposed actions, having seen the devastating impact climate change and environmental degradation can have on its partners in the Global South.

The bid to support the Bill, which was developed by scientists, climate and nature experts, and environmental activists is being run by campaign group Zero Hour. It was first introduced in September 2020 by Caroline Lucas and has the backing of more than 150 parliamentarians representing all major UK political parties.

Jesuit Missions supports Zero Hour's initiative that calls on people to contact their MP, asking them to get behind the campaign - this can be done at zerohour.uk

Richard Solly, Advocacy and Campaigns Officer at Jesuit Missions, said: "We're supporting the Climate and Nature Bill because it links climate change with other forms of damage to ecosystems, and damage to nature in this country with damage to the climate caused by the UK's overseas investments and trade.

"Last year was the hottest year on record globally. The second hottest year on record was 2023. We have now breached the UN's goal of keeping average global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees. Farmers in the UK last year suffered one of the worst harvests on record because of changing rainfall patterns, threatening our food security.

"Drought and floods are causing very serious problems for communities that Jesuit Missions is supporting in South Sudan, Rwanda, Madagascar and India. We need to act more quickly and more seriously. The Climate and Nature Bill is a good way to do so. Please ask your MP to support it."

Mary Colwell, author, environmentalist and Jesuit Missions' supporter, said: "It is hard to watch the planet burning, drowning and dying, the overwhelming feeling of powerlessness is damaging for our hearts and minds, and compounds the uneasy sense that we are part of the reason the Earth is straining under so many demands.

"All of us, however, are more powerful than we realise, there are concrete things that we can do to that will make a difference. We can, through our actions, raise the level of awareness of what is happening and promote how to put things right. Actions give us hope, and hope goes hand in hand with courage, a duet that can change the world.

"On 24th January, the Climate and Nature Bill will be debated in parliament; this is an important piece of legislation that will require the UK to protect its environment. We are so fortunate to have a political voice, and now is a time to shout loudly. It will help secure the bill and give us heart to keep going, to do whatever we can to heal Planet Earth. Please write you your MP and make change happen."

Allan Gray, Political Communications Manager at Zero Hour, said: "Our legislation on climate-nature is outdated and no longer fit for purpose. With an increased understanding of the science and the interconnectedness of climate and nature emergency, we need legally binding targets that deliver a joined-up strategy to halt and reverse nature loss and deliver decarbonisation in line with international agreements.

"As the legislation currently stands, neither the Kunming-Montreal framework on biodiversity nor the Paris Agreement on climate are in UK law; the CAN Bill would change that and bring our legislation in line with the ambition the UK has set out at international conferences."

Jesuit Missions is the international mission and development organisation of the Jesuits in Britain. For more than 60 years, it has supported vulnerable communities in the Global South. It engages in projects in multiple countries and regularly works with schools and parishes in the UK.

LINK

Jesuit Missions: https://jesuitmissions.org.uk/