Bishop’s meat-free Fridays idea to beat climate change praised

A Church of England Bishop’s idea to help fight climate change has been praised by a Midlands green energy expert.

The Bishop of Norwich, the Right Rev Graham Usher, has urged worshippers to revive the ancient Christian tradition of meat-free Fridays during Lent which would help the Anglican church reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2030.

“It is a novel and a simple idea that could be very effective,” said environment specialist Ron Fox, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science Innovation Park.

Speaking at the General Synod, the church’s national body, the Bishop said that if the churches’ 854,000 regular church-goers then stopped having meat one day a week for a year they could save more than 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – the equivalent to about 60,000 return flights from London to New York.

Bishop Graham, who chairs the House of Bishops, said it was in line with the long-established Christian practice of avoiding meat on Fridays during Lent, which this year began last Wednesday.

He added that he was sure worshippers could develop more imaginative menus than the soggy fish fingers he used to get at Friday school dinners.

A lay member of the Synod, Professor Lynn Nichol, pointed out that a similar call from Roman Catholic bishops in 2011 led to 28 per cent of the 4.15 million Catholics in England and Wales cutting out meat on Fridays.

Scientists calculated that this led to a reduction of 55,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

Ron said the problem with eating meat was that livestock farming produces 15 per cent of global greenhouse emissions – almost equal to those produced by the transport sector.

The two areas of concern are that firstly ruminant livestock like cows and sheep produce methane in their digestive process, a gas that is worse than carbon dioxide for causing global warming.

Secondly, to make room for grazing pastures and cropland, natural forests and grasslands are destroyed, causing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere each year.

The tradition of not eating meat is linked to Jesus’ sacrificial death on Good Friday to save humanity and in the past Fridays were seen as days of fasting and abstinence.

Going back to pre-Reformation England in the 15th century many of the general population did not eat meat on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday for the whole of Lent and on the eves of other important feast days.

Meat-free days were reintroduced in the reign of Edward VI and Elizabeth I, mainly to support the fishing industry, the Navy and to conserve meat.

A Church of England spokesperson said the environmental working group was pleased to see this issue raised at General Synod and that members would continue to look at ways to encourage a reduced carbon lifestyle, including eating less meat, as part of the church’s Christian witness.

If you want any advice on ways to help fight climate change, contact Ron on 0845 474 6641.

Caption: Give up meat on Fridays in Lent to help fight climate change urges a Bishop.