Church of England suggests ‘carbon fast’ for Lent

With the beginning of lent today, the Church of England urges people to cut down on carbon this year.

Senior bishops James Jones of Liverpool and Richard Charles of London launched the ‘carbon fast’ in conjunction with development agency Tearfund.

This is in response to what they see as a pressing need to cut carbon emissions and thereby protect poorer communities worldwide already suffering from climate change.

The plan covers the 40 day lent period and aims at reducing our carbon footprint through such energy saving actions as giving the dishwasher a day off, stopping our use of plastic bags, checking the house for drafts and insulating the hot water tank.

People beginning the carbon fast are invited to remove a prominent lightbulb for the 40 day period to act as a visual reminder of the need to energy save.

Jones, who is also vice president of Tearfund, spoke of the fact that those in the areas that produce more carbon are least affected, whereas those who are most affected are often producing less carbon and are therefore more powerless to do anything about it.

He spoke of the moral imperative to reduce carbon emissions on those who emit more than their fair share to the world.

Tearfund aids communities worldwide that have been affected by climate change. Tearfund has released figures that indicate the contrast between carbon emissions in the developed and developing world.

Figures released show UK CO2 emissions totalling 9.5 tonnes per person, per year, in contrast to 0.24 tonnes in Bangladesh and 0.067 tonnes in Ethiopia.