Issues in Focus

Environment

The Archbishop's belief in the need for each of us to be better stewards of God's creation is reflected in his many public statements about the environment, collected here

Archbishop Planting a Tree
His support for the Church's national 'Shrinking the Footprint' exercise, as well as other environmentally responsible measures that have been recently introduced within Lambeth Palace, go hand in hand with his strongly held and expressed beliefs in the necessity for action on climate change.

June 2009

03 June 2009
Archbishop urges prayer for planet on Environment Sunday - June 7
The Archbishop of Canterbury is urging churches to use Environment Sunday (June 7) to pray for the planet and campaign for climate change in the run up to the important UN talks later this year in Copenhagen.

March 2009

25 March 2009
Renewing the Face of the Earth: Human Responsibility and the Environment
The Archbishop gives a lecture at the Ebor Lecture, York Minster, to spell out why respect for the environment is not an optional extra, particularly for Christians. Dr Williams suggests that "we are capable of changing our situation"; in "Christian terms, this needs a radical change of heart, a conversion." The Ebor Lectures are a series of lectures which aim to relate faith to public concerns.

December 2008

09 December 2008
Churches urge Europe's leaders to build a greener economy
In advance of the EU summit this month, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden and the Presiding Bishop of EKD have written to the President of the Council of the European Union, HE Nicolas Sarkozy, urging him to ensure that "that climate considerations are not marginalised in the search to find short and medium term solutions to immediate economic pressures."

July 2008

26 July 2008
The Archbishop on the Church's Responsibility for the Environment
Article in The Guardian Newspaper

June 2008

16 June 2008
Archbishop Opens Eco-Garden at Archbishop Sumner C of E Primary School, London
The Archbishop Sumner Church of England Primary School in Lambeth, London, invited the Archbishop to formally open their new eco-garden, designed to 'acknowledge its history and future as part of God's world'.

06 June 2008
Archbishop and Church Leaders call for worshippers to make 'Time for God's Creation'
Church leaders have called upon Christians throughout England to use the period from 1st September until 4th October as an opportunity to put the environment at the heart of their worship.

May 2008

13 May 2008
Archbishop's speech at 'Together' climate change event
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams welcomed participants to the 'Together' climate change event at Lambeth Palace. The full transcript of his speech and his responses to questions from Jon Snow at the round table discussion are below.

13 May 2008
Government and business leaders talk climate change at Lambeth Palace
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and the Bishop of London the Rt. Revd Richard Chartres welcomed leaders from business, government and civil society to Lambeth Palace today for a Climate Change round table.

April 2008

25 April 2008
Archbishop's environment interview - 'Green Futures' magazine
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, spoke about wide-ranging environmental issues in an interview with Martin Wright for 'Green Futures' magazine. Read extracts of the interview below.

December 2007

31 December 2007
Archbishop's New Year Message - God 'Doesn't Do Waste'
Video and full text of Archbishop Rowan Williams' New Year Message

25 December 2007
Archbishop's Christmas Sermon, Canterbury Cathedral

19 December 2007
Climate Change Action a Moral Imperative for Justice

November 2007

30 November 2007
Church Leaders - A Climate Treaty for Climate Justice
European church leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, have warned governments that "Substantially reducing global emissions of greenhouse gasses will not avoid the serious impacts of climate change already experienced by many of the world's most vulnerable communities"