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Churches and Carbon Footprints: Ireland’s Inertia

IN 2020, Christopher Shiell and Roger West published an article in this Journal: Cathedrals in Ireland: sustainability problem or opportunity. The authors undertook a comprehensive survey of all 57 cathedrals in Ireland, both Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic. They found that almost all of them faced the same problems: “large draughty spaces with huge thermal mass, no insulation and low occupancy rates.”

They were almost entirely heated by burning fossil fuels: primarily oil and gas-powered boilers running a system of radiators. Not only are these extremely inefficient and polluting, but they are also harmful to the fabric of the building, as the materials are damaged by constant heating and cooling. As the authors note, the same issues apply to many of our parish churches across the country. With the imperative to reduce carbon emissions becoming ever more urgent, and the recovery of the biblical understanding of environmental stewardship, it would appear the churches ought to be leading the way in undertaking renewable energy schemes and energy saving projects. Six years from the Shiell and West report, we can ask: Where are we now? Has anything changed in our churches, and if not, why not? The authors made several recommendations at the conclusion of their article: have any of these been progressed?

* Full article available in printed copies.

Andrew Orr

is Priest in Charge of Youghal Union and Chaplain to Midleton College in the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. He is Chair of Eco Congregation Ireland.