Ambitions to be Carbon-neutral
Bishop Nicholas has welcomed Wiltshire Council’s recognition of the seriousness of climate breakdown and the ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2030, and said their ambitions mirrored many of those the Diocese hoped to achieve.
Bishop Nicholas with the Eco Diocese award, presented by Andy Atkins of A Rocha UK
Speaking after councillors voted in favour of a motion that "Wiltshire Council recognises it cannot and should not wait for national governments of any political party to act where it can take action itself" and agreed that it had "much more to do to achieve carbon neutrality for the County", the Bishop said he appreciated the depth of engagement with the issues by the councillors who took part in the debate.
"I welcome the agreed motion and the suggestions made and I look forward to working alongside Wiltshire Council on these issues which reflect our own concerns and commitment as an Eco Diocese.
"I hope that our parishes and Diocesan Offices within the county can join with others in adopting them where we can.
"Many of them, like switching energy suppliers, encouraging car-sharing and electric cars, monitoring energy use, supporting a green campaign, and ensuring that our buildings are as energy efficient as possible, are steps that we as an Eco Diocese will want to take anyway."
The Bishop was speaking shortly after being presented with a plaque, confirming that we have been given the status of an Eco Diocese with a Bronze Award.
After amendments and merging two motions, Wiltshire councillors pledged to try and make Wiltshire carbon-neutral by 2030 and to work with other local government authorities - both within the UK and internationally - to determine and implement best practice methods to limit Global Warming to less than 1.5°C.
The council also agreed to work with partners in the private sector and civil society across the county and region to deliver this new goal through relevant strategies and plans.
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