Voices for climate and nature in parliament
An invitation to an event in Parliament gives Mary Aiston the opportunity to share Quakers' concern for climate justice and hear from campaigners.
Quakers in Britain's longstanding concern for climate justice and sustainability secured us an invitation to the launch of the Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus, a cross-party group of MPs and peers who champion joined-up action on climate and nature.
The launch of the Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus was hosted by Zero Hour, the campaign group behind the Climate and Nature Bill. Efforts to get legislation through parliament on this issue have a complicated history. The most recent attempt was, through a private member's bill which aimed to require the environment secretary to create and implement a strategy, with annual targets, to reduce the UK's carbon dioxide emissions and reverse the degradation of nature. That bill failed to clear its first parliamentary hurdle in January 2025 but secured a promise from government ministers to work with interested MPs to find a way forward. Campaigners hope that there will be another opportunity to table a private members' bill on this the next time there is a ballot, expected to be in the spring of 2026.
Giving MPs a mandate for climate action
There were speeches from MPs and Lords from different parties, as well as from the broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham.
We heard that too often, when challenged about climate and nature, MPs say “nobody raises this issue on the doorstep". So, a key message was to remove that excuse by making sure every MP gets a visit at their surgery at least twice a year from someone who cares about climate and nature: to say “thank you" if they are already active and to challenge if they are not.
Hearing from campaigners
While the speeches were good the best part of this type of event is the chance to work the room: hearing from other people and sharing the Quaker position on climate justice.
I learnt about the Nature Friendly Farming Network, led by farmers who are seeking to influence and support farmers to put nature at the heart of farming. I heard how Friends of the Earth recognise environmental justice as a social and political problem; and from youth campaigners who were thoughtful about how to manage the risk that activists get dispirited and burnt out.
There was a lot of discussion in the room about how to counter growing political opposition to policies to tackle climate change, with a big focus on working locally, identifying and campaigning on the climate and nature issues in every constituency.
Our role as Quakers
I explained the spiritual basis for Quakers' concern for climate justice, and our hope that when a small church takes action it might influence larger churches and organisations to do so. I also talked about how Quakers are speaking out on the related issue of legal restrictions on the right to peaceful protest.
Many people I spoke to were welcoming of the Quaker presence. Several told me their group meets in a Quaker meeting house. A young person commented that “you're the ones who always turn up and take the trouble to look after everyone else" which I think meant we not only join protests, but we remember to bring food to share! I also heard concern about the police raid on Westminster Meeting House in March 2025 and got some probing theological questions including “How can you say there is that of God in Donald Trump?".
Ask you MP to attend the National Emergency Briefing on climate, 27 November 2025
