Tag: Church of England

Church of England invests GBP 30m in kickstarting net zero plans

Stuart Mitchell

Thousands of churches, cathedrals, schools and clergy houses in England will benefit from the first phase of grants and projects worth £30 million, as part of the Church of England’s ambitious plan to achieve net zero by 2030. The aim is to support the Church in reducing carbon emissions from the energy used in churches, schools, cathedrals, houses and other buildings, saving money by improving the energy efficiency of buildings, and switching to cheaper, more reliable, renewable energy sources. “The ambition to be net zero by 2030 is at the…

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Church Commissioners publishes full report into historic links to transatlantic chattel slavery and announces new funding commitment of £100m in response to findings

Stuart Mitchell

The report follows an interim announcement in June 2022, which reported for the first time, and with great dismay, that the Church Commissioners’ endowment had historic links to transatlantic chattel slavery*. The endowment traces its origins partly to Queen Anne’s Bounty, a fund established in 1704. In response to the findings, the Church Commissioners’ Board has committed itself to trying to address some of the past wrongs by investing in a better future. It will seek to do this through committing £100 million of funding, delivered over the next nine…

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Church investors Announce Tougher Line on AGM Voting Policy

Stuart Mitchell

The Church Investors Group (CIG or the Group), representing 70 members and £21bn in assets, has this week written to the leaders of FTSE 350 companies to inform them that it will be enhancing its scrutiny of corporates ESG aspects this AGM season. The CIG already holds companies to high standards on executive pay, boardroom gender diversity, climate change, and tax justice. It regularly votes against executive remuneration schemes and votes against the reappointment of directors when pay schemes are particularly excessive. This year, new measures extend expectations on diversity…

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General Synod sets 2030 Net Zero carbon target

Stuart Mitchell

At its February 2020 meeting, members of the General Synod voted in favour of a revised date encouraging all parts of the Church of England to take action and ramp-up efforts to reduce emissions. A motion approved today called for urgent steps to examine requirements to reach the new target, and draw up an action plan. An amendment by Canon Prof Martin Gainsborough (Bristol) introduced a more ambitious target date of 2030, fifteen years ahead of the original proposal. The motion follows the launch of the Church of England’s first…

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