There are many things we can do to live more sustainably. Doing so will help to heal our environment, reduce the heating of our planet, and save lives.
On this page
On this page you will find information, resources and suggestions for action to care for the earth, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, and to stop the wasteful use of earth's resources that destroys ecosystems, species and human communities.
Some ideas for action are small; others involve major changes to the way we live; and some are in between. We hope you will find some ideas here that fit with your own journey of understanding and action. You may also find useful resources on the Church of England website
The page is divided into three sections: Reducing global warming; Reducing pollution; Eco-systems and biodiversity.
1. Reducing global warming
Understanding greenhouse gases and carbon emissions
Emissions from greenhouse gases are the main reason that global temperatures are rising. Carbon dioxide is the major greenhouse gas responsible (largely from use of gas and oil for heating, and fuel in cars and other vehicles). Another greenhouse gas, methane, contributes about 17% of greenhouse gas emissions, largely as a result of emissions from livestock especially cows. These gases have always been in our atmosphere and their warming effect has enabled the earth to maintain a temperature at which life can thrive for all the while that humans have been on earth (several hundreds of thousands of years) and for much longer. However, the concentration of these gases in the earth's atmosphere are now causing the atmosphere to heat up at an alarming rate.
Understanding more about carbon footprints
A carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization, or community. This video explains what carbon footprints are and what contributes to them.
However, there is some controversy about carbon footprints. They have been strongly promoted by fossil fuel companies in an effort to shift the burden of action needed to reduce carbon emissions away from fossil fuel companies to consumers. This article explains the history of the carbon footprint and how they might still be useful.
Carbon footprints vary widely across the world. Individuals in poor countries have much lower carbon footprints than those in richer countries. Rich people have much higher carbon footprints than poor people. The carbon footprint of an average person in the UK is about 8 to 12 tonnes depending on exactly how it is measured. The World Wildlife Fund suggests 8.4 tonnes in 2025. Their figure is based on UK government data that is consumption-based and so includes emissions from imported goods and services. Other websites may give lower figures around 5 tonnes (as does the video above) but they only include emissons within UK borders (territorial emissions) so do not really represent the total carbon footprint of a person living in the UK.
If you want to understand more about carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, you may like to join a carbon literacy course. The Diocesan Environmental Training Lead Rev’d Sandra Eldridge, is a certified carbon literacy trainer and runs courses about three times a year. For more information contact Sandra on seldridge@chelmsford.anglican.org.
Measuring my carbon footprint
There are many different tools for calculating carbon footprints for individuals or organisations. They all have pros and cons, and may give different estimates as they use different assumptions. One commonly used individual carbon footprint tool is the World Wildlife Fund Footprint Tool.
if you want more information about how WWF do their calculations, you can find that here.
Reducing my carbon footprint
How you reduce your carbon footprint depends on what your carbon footprint is to start with and what is contributing to it. Actions won’t be the same for everyone. Also, the larger your footprint now, the more scope there is for reduction. For the average person in the UK, roughly about a quarter of carbon emisions come from each of: travel, home, food, everything else.
Climate Stewards have developed a Carbon Footprint Card Game to help people understand more about the carbon footprint of different activities, and think about ways to cut their footprint.
There are many inspriring examples of how people and organisations have done things to reduce their carbon footprints. See below for an example of what Southend on Sea Local Council have done to one of their houses.
Useful links for learning more about how to reduce your carbon footprint
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Travel
The Energy Saving Trust and Friends of the Earth provide advice on reducing your carbon footprint due to travel.
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Home
The Energy Saving Trust provides advice on saving energy in your home.
Between 8 July 2023 – 10 March 2024 there is a free exhibition on at the Design Museum in Kensington on How to Build a Low-Carbon Home.
Southend on Sea Local Council have retrofitted one of their to show the public how it can be done! Visit their website to find out more, or watch the video above.
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Food
The United Nations provides an explanation about how food production and what we eat affects the environment, and suggests some things we can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food.
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Clothes
The fashion industry produces more carbon emissions than air travel. The Carbon Literacy Project explains why and suggests what we can do about it.
2. Reducing pollution
Different sorts of pollution
Pollution can affect air, water, and soil, changing their composition and making them harmful to the health of life on earth, including human health. Common sources of air pollution are petrol and diesel vehicles, industrial activity, forest fires and household combustion appliances. Common sources of water pollution are chemicals, waste, parasites and bacteria. Common sources of soil pollution are industrial activity, agricultural chemicals and waste.
In the videos below you can hear Adoo-Kissi-Debrah talk about her daughter's death from air pollution, and Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez talking about the complexity of plastic pollution.
Other useful resources
- Greenmatch provide detailed statistics on pollution in the Ocean
- Surfers Against Sewage are a campaigning organisation that provide information and news about sewage and plastic pollution in the Ocean
- Dirty Business is a 2026 Channel 4 docudrama about sewage in our rivers and seas
- Zero Waste by Bea Johnson is a book that describes how Bea transformed her family's health, finances, and relationships for the better by reducing their waste to an astonishing half litre per year, using the 5 Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot (and only in that order!). The principles she used can be applied to many areas.The book offers an inspirational and practical guide to diminishing your environmental footprint and improving your life.
Useful links for learning about how to reduce pollution
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Plastic pollution
The World Wildlife Fund has some tips for reducing plastic pollution.
How to Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum
Review by Derek James, Environmental Advocate for Newham Deanery: "This book gives some frightening statistics of a problem few can be unaware of now. 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year, for example; and 90% of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs. However, McCallum (Greenpeace UK's Head of Oceans) shows how a few easily achievable changes to our lives can make a big change for the better. For instance, he shows how we can give up lasric in the various rooms of our home, in the workplace and in the community. To the four principles of refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle, he adds as even more important "Use Your Voice." He ends on a note of hope: "The movement to give up plastic is bringing together people from all backgrounds and all cultures and starting to paint a vision of a society that works together to create a better world for future generations."
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Air pollution
Sustrans has some suggestions for reducing air pollution.
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Pollution of our rivers
The Rivers Trust suggest some ways to reduce pollution in our waterways.
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Pollution in the Ocean
The Oceanic Society has some suggestions for reducing ocean pollution.
3. Eco system and biodiversity restoration
Understanding the loss of eco systems and biodiversity
The world we live in is changing rapidly. A recent report from the World Wildlife Fund suggests that in the past 50 years we have lost nearly 50% of wildlife from the planet. The National Trust's 2023 State of Nature report suggests that the nature in the UK is similarly depleted. However, it's not just land that is depleted. David Attenborough's 2025 film Ocean describes the loss of eco-systems and life from the Ocean.
Many of these losses can be attributed to deforestation, intensification of agriculture and industrial expansion, and in the case of our seas, industrial fishing including the use of mega-trawlers.
Care for the environment, encouraging biodiversity and reducing environmental degradation
Many of the tips elsewhere on this page for reducing carbon footprints and pollution will also help to reduce environmental degradation. To reduce environmental degradation we need to walk more lightly on this beautiful planet. This includes thinking about the way we shop, for example making sure that the products that we buy are not leading to more deforestation, or more industrial or plastic pollution which leads to eco-system destruction.
The Woodland Trust, Kew Gardens, and the Natural History Museum have some useful tips for encouraging biodiversity in your garden.
The Rainforest Foundation has some suggestions for protecting rainforests.
What The Wild Sea Can Be by Helen Scales makes clear that with so much already damaged and destroyed, discerning the future requires both pessimism and optimism. It offers innovative ideas for protecting coastlines and cleaning toxic waters and insists on the need for ethical and sustainable fisheries and for the prevention of deep-sea mining. Review by Derek James, Diocesan Environmental Advocate for Newham Deanery.
Feral: Rewilding The Land, Sea and Human Life by George Monbiot is a well-researched and persuasive plea for the rewilding of land, sea, and human life. Two short quotes give a flavour of this book: "The environmental movement up till now has necessarily been reactive. We have been clear about what we don't like. But we need to say what we would like. We need to show where hope lies." "I would like to think that we can open our minds to the possibility that other landscapes can exist and they don't necessarily need to exist because of farming." Review by Derek James, Diocesan Environmental Advocate for Newham Deanery.