An earlier post noted that on 12 July 2026 there would be a presentation of the report Routemap to Net Zero revised (GS 2418) (“the Report”) to the General Synod by Sir Robert Buckland KBE KC (ex officio) (Third Church Estates Commissioner). This “Take Note” Agenda item is to update Synod on work undertaken on moving to Net Zero by 2030 since the debate in July 2022. There is a summary in the Church Times report (£) “Church of England goal to reach net zero by 2030 will not be met, new progress report forecasts“

Methodist Church

Unsurprisingly, there are a number of similarities between the Methodist church report on its work and aspiration to become net zero by 2030, summarized here, and the Church of England report Routemap to Net Zero revised (GS 2418). The Methodist report states that progress has been made but parts of the Church have struggled to develop a robust strategy to meet the target.

“While progress has been made which wouldn’t have happened without this target, it is important for us to recognise and acknowledge with lament that we will not be a net zero Church by 2030. The target was an aspirational one precisely because we knew the scale of the challenge in achieving it, and it is one which the Church has not had the capacity to achieve. To retain a target we know we are unable to achieve would undermine our credibility on this incredibly important issue and would open us to accusations of ‘greenwashing’”.

The report recommends a move from the 2030 target while also noting all the progress that has been made.

Church of England

Echoing some of these issues, the Church’s report GS 2418 states:

“Progress in some areas has been harder to achieve however; developing the approach for decarbonising Theological Education Institutions and other buildings for example. And progress against some Routemap Milestones is behind schedule (e.g. developing the approach for carbon offsetting and deciding on whether Church landholdings should come into scope or not).  The programme’s capacity is not infinite and lack of progress in these areas is reflective of the scale of the ambition set out in the Routemap and work needing to be prioritised”.

The Programme Team worked with consultants Arup to estimate the likely emissions reductions achievable by 2030; they forecast that by the scheduled end to the Net Zero Carbon Programme in 2024, an emissions reduction of approximately 50% was possible, and further. “If effort is embedded into day-to-day operations and continues beyond 2034 through to 2050  (and the UK Government’s own Climate Change target), getting within the 90% reduction threshold set by the Routemap to Net Zero is possible”.

Pages 18 to 25 of the Report present the progress on milestones for dioceses in the Routemap to Net Zero Carbon 2030[1]. The forecast reduction by 2030 is around 29% from the 2023 level (when the Programme formally commenced); this is the result of a combination of internal action (~50% of the forecast reduction) and reductions secured through external factors (e.g. the decarbonisation of the grid – the remaining ~50%).

“Net zero” and the faculty jurisdiction

The two National Milestones, 2.1 – Agree faculty rule changes for some net zero carbon measures,  and 2.2 – Promote Practical Path to Net Zero for churches are marked as completed, and with regard to the former, the new provisions Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules 2022 came into force on 1 July 2022. These rules introduced:

• Requirement to have due regard to net zero guidance, (rule 2);
• Consultation before starting faculty proceedings, (rule 3);
• Changes to Lists A and B, (rule 4, and changes to the Schedule).

and an Explanatory Note [2]. The judgment Re St. Saviour Croydon [2022] ECC Swk 5, handed down on 21 November 2022, was the first to be considered under the revised legislation; links to this an subsequently reported cases are here. The Report summarizes the response from the dioceses, and is summarized in the following table.

Target Date: 2025; Percentage of dioceses

Comment

This post focusses on the “net zero” provisions within the Church of England and the extent to which these are subject to the faculty jurisdiction. It should be emphasized that in 2024, churches contributed 32.5% of the total church carbon footprint.

At 42.6%, schools were the largest contributor, followed by clergy housing at 14.1%, and cathedrals 2.9%[3]. It is notable that for clergy housing, 21% of dioceses are still replacing gas/oil boilers with like for like as standard practice (4.4.5 Milestone), and for schools, 19% have not Identified schools with end of life boilers, work with school to apply for grant funding for feasibility studies and are not planning to in 2025 (4.3.3 Milestone).

[1] Milestones to Net Zero Carbon 2030

For Dioceses

• 4.1.1 Milestone for Diocese: Convene NZC working group
• 4.1.2 Milestone for Diocese: Provide annual carbon emissions report to Diocesan Synod
• 4.1.4 Milestone for Diocese: Provide outline of decarbonisation plan to Diocesan Synod as a NZAP.
• 4.1 (Consideration 8) Consideration for Diocese: Engage with local authorities regarding potential heat networks.
• 4.2 (Consideration 5) Consideration for Diocese: Identify top 20% churches and plan to support them.]

For Churches and Cathedrals

• 4.2.12 Milestone for Churches and cathedrals: No new oil boilers

For schools

• 4.3.3 Milestone for DBE: Identify schools with end of life boilers, work with school to apply for grant funding for feasibility studies

For housing

• 4.4.2 Milestone for Housing Managers: Retrofitting and maintenance plans in place
• 4.4.5 Milestone for Diocese: Stock improvement plan to decarbonise heat in place that refers to ‘Advice Note: Moving Houses to Net Zero’

For offices

• 4.6.1 Milestone for Office managers: Offices working towards Eco Church Bronze and Silver
• 4.6 (Consideration 2) Consideration for Office managers: Adopt flexible working policy
• 4.6.3 Milestone for Office managers: All offices have a high level NZAP
• 4.6.4 Milestone for Office managers: Review options for EV charging at offices

For land

• 6.2.2 Milestone for Diocese: Review tenancy agreements to include NZC and
  biodiversity
• 4.1.6 Milestone for Diocese: All dioceses audit their landholdings and develop a land management plan.

For work-related travel

• 5.3 (Consideration 2) Consideration for Diocese: Update expenses policies to encourage sustainable transport
• 5.3.3 Milestone for All: Have a Travel Plan that includes ‘no travel’ options

For Comms

• 4.1.3 Milestone for Diocese: Develop a communication strategy to churches and schools
• 5.1 (Consideration 4) Consideration for Diocese: Integrate NZC questions in the Archdeacons Articles of Inquiry.

[2] Explanatory Note

These Rules amend the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 (S.I. 2015/1568) (“the 2015 Rules”).

Rule 2 provides that persons proposing to undertake certain works must, as part of the procedure, provide an explanation of how they have had due regard to guidance issued by the Church Buildings Council on reducing carbon emissions.

Rule 3 makes minor amendments to the procedure for consultation before faculty proceedings can begin, including by imposing a requirement that, where the online faculty system is used for the consultation, responses to the consultation should also use the online system.

Rule 4 introduces the Schedule, which makes amendments to Lists A and B in Schedule 1 to the 2015 Rules. In particular, the amendments in Part 2 of the Schedule are concerned with promoting environmental protection (for example, fitting boilers which do not use fossil fuels and installing charging points for electric vehicles).

Rule 5 makes some minor drafting improvements and corrections to the 2015 Rules, and Rule 6 makes transitional provisions.

The Explanatory Note is not part of the Rules.

[3] See Carbon Footprint Reports, (12 June 2026), and The Church of England, Carbon Emissions Report 2024.