General Synod passed two motions June 28 encouraging the church to further action on climate change after a lengthy debate and several amendments.
The first of these motions requests the primate of the Anglican Church of Canada to sign a letter from the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, a nonprofit that aims to rally civil society around the world to phase out fossil fuels. The organization’s faith letter, which General Synod requested the primate sign, calls governments to end expansion of coal, oil and gas production; phase out existing production in a fair and equitable manner, providing for the differing needs of developing countries and more dependent regions; and “ensure a global just transition to 100% access to renewable energy globally,” enabling all communities, including the global South, to flourish.
The resolution’s mover, Bishop Helen Kennedy of the diocese of Qu’Appelle, reminded members their baptismal covenant as Anglicans calls them to respect, sustain and renew the life of the earth.
“Every action matters; every choice matters. So let us make a small step in the right direction,” she said.
The motion drew objections from several members from dioceses in Alberta and Newfoundland, constituencies which, they told Synod, were full of parishioners who depended on the fossil fuel industry for their livelihoods. Likewise, several members from Indigenous communities, as well as dioceses in northern Canada, said their communities were more dependent on fossil fuels through no fault of their own, but because alternative energy sources were unavailable or impractical in their regions. Solar panels, for example, do not work in regions with 24-hour darkness in the dead of winter, said Bishop Ann Martha Keenainak of the diocese of the Arctic. Travelling around the diocese to perform their ministry to parishioners and even the daily requirement of getting goods shipped to the North from southern Canada mean bishops, clergy and lay people in the North are dependent on fossil fuels, she said.
Despite these concerns, the motion carried 140 to 76.
The second resolution began as a motion encouraging the Anglican Church of Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings to zero as quickly as possible, with a deadline of 2035 at the latest. However, the resolution underwent several significant revisions as it was extensively debated on the floor.
A secondary clause was added to the final version of the resolution, which reads “And, be it resolved that this General Synod acknowledge the challenges present in remote communities, especially the North, and encourage dioceses with historic wealth obtained via fossil fuels investments to share that wealth to support this transition.” No standard which might be used to determine which dioceses had obtained wealth via fossil fuels investments emerged from the ensuing discussion.
Some, including Logan Liut, youth member from Toronto, said they felt the amendment made the resolution more realistic and more actionable. Others were less sure. Amy Collard, lay member from the diocese of Niagara, said she was concerned that the same dioceses whose representatives had just told General Synod their parishioners stood to lose jobs from dismantling the fossil fuel industry were now being asked to share the “historic wealth” gained from fossil fuels.
“I don’t think I could in good conscience support asking those people who will be losing their jobs to then share the historic wealth,” she said. “The average person is not wealthy.”
Others, including the mover of the resolution, Bishop Mary Irwin-Gibson of the diocese of Montreal, argued that the amendment was not in line with the original intent of the resolution. Chancellor of General Synod Canon (lay) Clare Burns informed the assembly that the amendment was in order, however.
General Synod debated the resolution and its amendments for about 45 minutes, touching on environmental, economic and Indigenous issues, as well as the division of wealth across regions of the church. The amendment passed with a vote of 109 in favour and 103 opposed and the amended motion passed with a vote of 177 to 34.
