More than 3,500 churches have switched their electricity from fossil fuels to renewable energy, or have registered to do so, according to research published by Christian charities.
Around 2,000 of the switches come from 16 Catholic dioceses which are running entirely on renewable energy, the figures from Christian Aid, Tearfund and Cafod say.
The majority of the Salvation Army’s UK sites and a third of Britain’s Quaker Meeting Houses have also made the switch.
In addition, nearly 700 churches from across denominations have so far individually signed up through the bigchurchswitch.org.uk website promoted by Christian Aid and Tearfund. The charities have announced that in light of the success of the initiative, it will now be extended into the new year.
Another 340 congregations have also signed up to a broader scheme called ‘Eco-Church’, committing to a range of environmental improvements. And 21 Catholic parishes have received a ‘Live Simply’ award, in recognition of commitments to sustainability and solidarity with people in poverty.
Loretta Minghella, chief executive of Christian Aid, said: “We need a big shift to renewable energy and a shared commitment to leave the vast majority of fossil fuel reserves in the ground. This action by thousands of churches shows a groundswell of public support for renewables to which governments must respond by doing all they can to shift to a clean energy future.”
Fossil fuel divestment
A spokesman from Christian Aid said that the switching churches are engaging in has helped move millions of pounds from fossil fuels to renewables, but is doing so through energy bills rather than investments. The campaign is separate from calls for divestment in fossil fuels.
Operation Noah leads the church part of the disinvestment and divestment movement in the UK. So far several denominations including the Church of England, Methodist Church, Quakers and URC in Scotland have started to drop their fossil fuel investments in whole or in part.
Last year, the Church of England withdrew £12m of investment in fossil fuels.
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