Churches Pilot New Carbon Footprint Trail

A groundbreaking new Methodist Church pilot will allow churches to track their carbon emissions as the Church moves towards a net zero future. 

The Methodist Church has long been committed to reducing its carbon footprint across the Connexion, amid the increasing threat of climate change in the UK and across the world.

But it has often been difficult for individual churches to measure their emissions, leading to problems in getting an accurate overall picture. 

Now the Bristol and Yorkshire West Districts, and the Trinity Circuit in the Sheffield District, are taking part in a new pilot of a carbon footprint tool which, if successful, could be implemented across the Connexion. 

At the Methodist Conference earlier this year, it was noted that the Connexional Council has directed the Connexional Team to implement a mechanism that enables churches to record their carbon footprint.

Climate stewards are working to develop a carbon footprint tool, building on their existing tool, 360 Carbon, which is used by over 600 Methodist churches.

The new tool will help churches to better understand their carbon emissions, as well as allowing circuits, districts and the Connexional Team to understand emissions across the whole Connexion, aggregate data and monitor progress towards becoming a net zero Church.

It will help churches to identify ways they can reduce their emissions, becoming more energy-efficient and saving money on energy costs.

Finally, it will help churches to monitor their progress in reducing their emissions, and see the effect that energy efficiency measures have had. This will enable churches to access external funding, as funders will often want to see the impact funding has made.

Across September and early October, the Connexional Team will be working with churches and climate stewards across three districts to pilot the tool, with feedback being used to develop it and ensure it’s ready for churches across the Connexion to use from January 2027.

Dr Hamish Leese, Director of Environmental Engagement, said: “The new carbon footprint tool is a key milestone in the Methodist Church’s ambition to be a net zero Church, allowing us to establish a baseline for our emissions and understand how we can reduce those emissions. 

“Crucially, the tool will allow churches, circuits and districts to understand their carbon footprint and the actions they can take to reduce it, and to include the Church’s net zero ambitions in their planning. 

“The Methodist Conference identified climate change as a crisis for God’s creation and a fundamental injustice, and we recognise engagement with these issues as inherently and inescapably ones of mission and discipleship.”