Campaign of the Year
Operation Noah Bright Now Campaign
@OperationNoah
Supporters and Staff of Operation Noah at The Big One, Fossil Free Churches march. April 2023
The summer of 2023 witnessed the complete divestment from fossil fuels by the Church of England’s National Investing Bodies. This followed a decade of effort and work by Operation Noah’s Bright Now campaign, which has now seen nearly all UK Churches take this vital step for climate action.
The Campaign
The Bright Now Campaign inspires church action and leadership on the climate crisis. Their vision is for all Christian denominations and communities in the UK and beyond to:
- divest from companies involved in the extraction of fossil fuels
- take a leading and influential role in the national debate on the ethics of investment in fossil fuels
- support the development of clean alternatives to fossil fuels through their investment policies.
The campaign influences change at local, regional and national levels. Locally, they support grassroots campaigners with tactics and resources, including mobilisation events, letter templates, research, and reports. They also work directly to leverage change through regional and national decision-making bodies via engagement at synods, conferences, and with boards of trustees. Their Lent 2023 ‘40 days, 40 dioceses’ action directed a daily focus on the 40 Church of England and Roman Catholic dioceses which were yet to divest from fossil fuels.
Bright Now petition handed in at Church of England General Synod which votes for fossil fuel divestment. July 2018
Our campaign success in 2023 built on years of hard work from our staff, trustees and supporters and we are delighted that this has been recognised by our shortlisting for the Campaign of the Year award. As Churches move from investing in fossil fuels to climate solutions we are seeing a wider impact on other investors. We will work and pray to see the Church show more leadership in vital action on the climate crisis.”
Revd. Dr. Darrell Hannah, Chair of Trustees
Bright Now petition handed in at Church of England General Synod which votes for fossil fuel divestment. July 2018
Our campaign success in 2023 built on years of hard work from our staff, trustees and supporters and we are delighted that this has been recognised by our shortlisting for the Campaign of the Year award. As Churches move from investing in fossil fuels to climate solutions we are seeing a wider impact on other investors. We will work and pray to see the Church show more leadership in vital action on the climate crisis.”
Revd. Dr. Darrell Hannah, Chair of Trustees
The Change
Every national Church in the UK has now made the decision to divest from fossil fuels, except for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Only two of 42 Church of England (CofE) dioceses and nine of 22 Catholic dioceses in the UK still hold fossil fuel investments.
In June 2023, after ten years of campaigning, the CofE Church Commissioners & Pensions Board announced their decision to divest from fossil fuels. In 2015, they had around £200m invested in Shell and BP. They acknowledged that no fossil fuel companies are aligned with the Paris Agreement and that their best efforts to engage with the companies had been unsuccessful. The news was covered in national and international press, including the Financial Times, Reuters, the Telegraph, and the Guardian.
As UK Church bodies and religious orders moved their money out of funding fossil fuels, many heeded their call to instead invest funds in climate solutions – making a positive choice for their assets and the planet. The CofE Church Commissioners reported £800m invested in climate solutions in July 2023, while the Society of the Holy Child Jesus have invested 37% of their £36.9m portfolio in a climate active endowments fund.
The Future
They’re not done yet and are still working for divestment from the remaining few UK Church bodies investing in fossil fuels. Their major focus is now on encouraging more investment in climate solutions, such as renewable energy and climate conscious use of Church land, including growing trees and sustainable agriculture. They are in the process of launching a Green Investment Declaration and creating new resources to support Churches to take more climate action. They are also part of a wider movement targeting Church investment via banks and moving these funds to more ethical choices.
Who else was involved?
We launched our campaign with a Fossil Free tour organised with 350.org and People & Planet. Global Divestment Announcements involved partners Laudato Si’ Movement, World Council of Churches, Green Anglicans and GreenFaith. Recent campaigning included a 2021 webinar with Anglican Communion Environmental Network, Christian Aid, Tearfund and Eco-congregation Scotland and prayer vigils with Young Christian Climate Network and Christian Climate Action. Grateful thanks to former campaign staff James Buchanan, Julia Corcoran, Helena Ritter and Ellie Roberts as well as all trustees and supporters past and present.
