The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, has accepted the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury to lead the Church of England’s Environment Programme with a charge to lead bold, deliberate, collaborative action across the Church to tackle the grave existential crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Bishop Graham will work with the Mission and Public Affairs department of the Church of England to lead the Church of England’s Environment Programme, including the commitment to net-zero carbon impacts across the Church of England by 2030 set by General Synod in February 2020.
Making the announcement, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “The crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are the most grave and existential we face: as human beings, as a Church and as a global community. We welcome Bishop Graham and his long expertise as he steps into the role of Lead Bishop for the Environment. May we pray for him, and the vital work of the Environment Programme."
The Diocese of Chester is a fervent supporter of environmental and sustainability issues. We have our own environment forum which looks at how the diocese can improve awareness and also advise on how we can change our habits to make the world better for all. Last month Bishop Mark joined other faith leaders, campaign groups, businesses, and academics in writing to Boris Johnson to introduce legally binding targets to cut plastic pollution.
Lent 2021
The environment is the focus of the season of Lent in the Diocese of Chester. Led by the diocesan Environment Forum, 40 individuals from around our diocese are each reflecting on God’s word and God’s world. They each delve into scripture and share inspiring personal stories about the small ways in which they are moved to cherish the gift of life. You can find out more and access the daily reflections here.
