The Rt Revd Anna Eltringham, Bishop of Ripon and Lead Bishop for the Environment in the Diocese of Leeds, recently met Archbishop Marinez of Brazil, also Bishop of Amazonia, at a round-table discussion with Christian Aid, A Rocha and others at Lambeth Palace.
Bishop Anna said, “It was very moving and equally challenging to hear about the Amazonian context in which COP30 is currently meeting in Belém.”
Known as the ‘Lungs of the Earth’, the Amazon Forest has suffered severe deforestation and degradation since 2016 following intentional deregulation of the forest’s protection which has destabilised biodiversity locally and exacerbated climate change globally.
A region which should have an extremely humid atmosphere as a rainforest, now regularly experiences drought.
Archbishop Marinez went onto explain that when the world hears about ‘the Amazon’ they tend to think of ‘a forest’.
But they forget there are 1.5 million inhabitants, made up of 180 different cultural groups, whose homes and livelihoods are scarred by deforestation and yet hold the key to protect and manage the forest sustainably for the world’s future, as they have done for generations.
Thankfully Christians from the Diocese of Amazonia and others are working at the grass roots to plant tens of thousands of trees, working with indigenous people to try to protect the forest which is critical to the future of humanity.
Bishop Anna continued, “Hearing directly from Archbishop Marinez made me realise more than ever that caring for God’s creation is as much an imperative to love God’s people and work together for Justice.
“As part of the global Anglican family, and sitting alongside my sister at this meeting, I found a fresh desire to care for my siblings around the world who are on the frontline of the ecological disaster.
“It has inspired me to do more to campaign for Climate Justice, and I encourage churches and Christians to do so too and get involved in the Anglican Communion’s Lungs of the Earth campaign.”
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