Seven Bishops from four continents have pledged to cycle or walk 450 miles each this year rather than driving. This public commitment for action on climate change was made on Saturday, 12^th July at Leominster Priory, Herefordshire.  The pledge was made at a meeting ahead of the Anglican Church's Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, southern England.  The Conference brings together over 800 Bishops and Archbishops from the Anglican Church around the world and takes place once every ten years. 

Bishop Rayford High from Texas commented saying, "As a Christian leader I feel strongly about the impact of climate change on the World's poorest people.  At the Lambeth Conference I will be actively seeking for us to make a clear statement about our concern for the environment and commitment to help alleviate poverty."

In an idea originally conceived by the Marches Energy Agency and put to the Bishops by Dr Isabel Carter of Amber Links, the Bishops have agreed to substitute two or three short car journeys each week for a bicycle or to walk instead.  They hope that between them they can cycle over 3,000 miles and save a tonne of carbon dioxide in the process.  Bishops from New Zealand, Tanzania, Canada, United States and the UK were amongst those taking the pledge at the question and answer session in Leominster. 

Before making the pledge the Bishops were asked by Dr Carter whether they were seeing any signs of climate change in their own Diocese.  Bishop Simon Makundi from Tanzania, described how his region used to have large rivers and trees with green everywhere. "Now it's getting drier and drier and even Mount Kilimanjaro is changing and losing its snow cover. 

Bishop High spoke of changing attitudes in the United States where people were facing up to the fact that they could no longer enjoy unlimited resources. "People are finally coming on board and becoming stewards of what God has given us."

Bishop Susan Moxley from Nova Scotia, Canada described how rising sea levels were affecting graveyards in coastal parishes and added, "We are losing water from the Great Lakes because it is being siphoned south of the border due to a lack of water." And closer to home the Bishop of Hereford said that we must learn to ‘care for God's creation'. He and his wife, would be taking their bikes to Canterbury for the Lambeth conference and using them for journeys around the area. ??

In addition to the seven Bishops who signed the pledge were 21 others from the congregation (making a total saving of 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide).  Simon Ross from the Marches Energy Agency said ‘This is a fantastic public commitment from the Bishops to make practical changes in their own lives.  As well as reducing their carbon emissions they should also feel fitter and healthier for taking regular short periods of exercise.  I wish them every success in their challenge and hope they will be able to spread their personal example further'.