Prayer Guide
We take our place within the choir of Creation,
Within the dance of biodiversity,
The rich tapestry of life. The Lord’s name is to be praised.
Scroll down for October’s prayers, or download them below.
To Subscribe:
1. Email Monthly Have an email sent to you at the end of each previous month announcing when the monthly guide is online.
2. Arrange to have emails sent approx. daily Email for daily prayers/meditations
Older prayer guides: Prayer Guide Archive
October 2025 downloads: Small print Doc Small Pdf Large print Doc Large Pdf
Saturday 27th September
A heritage dairy brand best known for its English Cheddar is rolling out birdsong monitoring technology enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) across farms, in a bid to monitor and boost biodiversity, writes Sarah George. Wyke Farms has partnered with Chirrup.ai to add bioacoustic monitoring technology to ten farms across South West England, which collectively supply a quarter of the milk used in its cheesemaking. Monitoring devices will capture bioacoustic data evidencing bird activity across the farms – primarily birdsong. Each device is attached to a tree or pole, and can ‘listen’ across at least a 100-metre radius. Advanced AI is used to analyse the data and calculate an overall ‘biodiversity score’. Farmers will see how their score changes over time from the original baseline… “Birds are brilliant indicators of ecosystem health,” Wyke Farms said in a statement. “With Chirrup’s bioacoustic technology, we can now listen to the land and gather real-time data on species richness and environmental wellbeing. It’s a simple, science-backed way to understand how our farming practices support nature – and where we can do even better.”
https://www.edie.net/somerset-cheesemaker-wyke-farms-turns-to-ai-for-biodiversity-monitoring/
Sunday 28th September
The Season of Creation runs from 1st September to October 4th. The theme this year is Peace with Creation. We will contemplate and pray throughout September, with excerpts from the 9 stations from the Via Creationis, written by the Laudato Si’ Movement.
9th Station: The Goodness of Everything
We adore you, O Creator, and we bless you.
Because by your holy Word you have created the world.
A reading from the Book of Genesis (1:31, 2:3): God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good… God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.
A reading from the Book of History: A few thousand years ago, the love story began between God and the People of Israel. Among other things, we were taught about the goodness of the whole cosmos and the importance of contemplative rest. We were invited to enjoy and be thankful for this created world that is “very good”.
As God saw, we also see that everything is good, very good.
All Creation is good, very good. Praise be to God!
https://seasonofcreation.org/resources/
Monday 29th September
Asian elephants were once widespread across the continent, from the Persian Gulf to China, writes Whitney Kent. Today, they only occupy around 5% of their original range. Within this range, particularly in Southeast Asia and southern China, Asian elephants are sharing space in some of the most densely populated countries. This is putting even greater pressure on these elephant populations as they are increasingly finding their habitats fragmented or disappearing entirely. Infrastructure development can pose a significant threat to Asian elephants as roads and railways intersect with important elephant habitat and become barriers to movement. A recent traffic accident on a Malaysian highway that led to the death of an elephant calf was a tragedy that highlighted the need for improved measures to enable safe elephant movement. Launched In August 2023, WWF’s “Elly Allies” initiative has been helping to build momentum across elephant range countries in Southeast Asia and China to prioritize sustainable and wildlife-friendly infrastructure, among other elephant conservation priorities. Last year, experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN’s) Asian Elephant Transport Working Group, which includes WWF experts, co-authored the first elephant-specific guidelines to help countries reduce collisions and provide safe passage for elephants.
Tuesday 30th September
An uptick in heat extremes, driven by human-caused climate change, has caused tropical bird populations to decline by up to 38% since the 1950s, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis, writes Daisy Dunne. The study combines ecological and climate attribution techniques to trace the fingerprint of fossil-fuelled climate change on declining wildlife populations. It shows that an increase in heat extremes driven by climate change has caused tropical bird populations to decline by 25-38% in the period 1950-2020, when compared to a world without warming. The findings could help to explain why tropical bird numbers have declined even in pristine rainforests, a phenomenon that previously mystified biologists, the scientists say.
Wednesday 1st October
Join with many other Christians from around the world with the monthly Pray and Fast for the Climate Movement on the first of each month. Prayer points for this month will be on their website.
Merciful God, we believe that you uphold and sustain all that you have made, while also lovingly giving us the freedom to live in relationship with the rest of creation. We ask your forgiveness for the ways we have abused that freedom, through what we have done and what we have left undone. We bring our lament and our longing for a renewed earth to you now:
(Christian Climate Action’s prayer for climate grief).
https://prayandfastfortheclimate.org.uk/resources/
Thursday 2nd October
Every year, Americans toss out millions of old phones, laptops, and TVs, writes Junior Brown. But while metals like steel, aluminum [sic], and copper are easily recycled, smaller valuable materials like gallium, indium, and tantalum often end up in landfills. A new method using microwave technology could change that. Researchers at West Virginia University are developing a process that uses microwaves to recover these hard-to-reach materials from electronic waste. The technique promises a cleaner, safer, and cheaper way to recycle components that are essential to modern technology but expensive and mostly controlled by foreign countries.
https://happyeconews.com/recycling-using-microwaves/
Friday 3rd October
Amazon has joined forces with water utilities, researchers and industry groups to create a new knowledge hub aimed at addressing the water footprint of expanding artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, writes Sidhi Mittal … Its mission is twofold: to make AI infrastructure less water-intensive and to use AI tools to improve global water management. Data centres, which power AI systems, are increasingly under scrutiny for their water consumption. They require large volumes of treated freshwater to cool servers, particularly in hot climates, raising concerns in regions already facing water stress. One recent estimate suggests that AI-related infrastructure could soon consume six times more water than Denmark’s does each year. To address this, the group has released a framework titled ‘Principles for Sustainable Water Use by Data Centres’. It lays out four key measures for operators:
- Selecting sites with water availability in mind
- Improving cooling efficiency
- Relying on alternative or recycled water sources
- Replenishing water back into local communities
https://www.edie.net/amazon-forges-new-partnership-to-tackle-ais-rising-water-demand/
Saturday 4th October
Half of global greenhouse gas emissions are now covered by a 2035 climate pledge following a key UN summit this week, Carbon Brief analysis finds. China stole the show at the UN climate summit held in New York on 24 September, announcing a pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 7-10% below peak levels by 2035. However, other major emitters also came forward with new climate-pledge announcements at the event, including the world’s fourth biggest emitter, Russia, and Turkey. Following the summit, around one-third (63) of countries have now announced or submitted their 2035 climate pledges, known as “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs). The NDCs are a formal five-yearly requirement under the “ratchet mechanism” of the Paris Agreement, the landmark deal to keep temperatures well-below 2C, with aspirations to keep to 1.5C, by the end of this century. Nations were meant to have submitted these pledges by 10 February of this year, but around 95% of countries missed this deadline.
Sunday 5th October
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
You made a world of wonder,
A world that takes our breath away. You declared it be good.
We take our place within the choir of Creation,
Within the dance of biodiversity,
The rich tapestry of life.
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
Taken from prayer 17, Jon Swales, https://greenchristian.org.uk/lament-hope-40-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/
Monday 6th October
Mongabay recently published an investigation revealing widespread Brazilian government purchases of shark meat to feed schoolchildren, hospital patients, prisoners and more, write Philip Jacobson and Kuang Keng Kuek Ser. The series has generated public debate in the South American country, which, perhaps surprisingly, is the world’s largest consumer and importer of shark meat. The procurements raise concerns because sharks are being overfished — globally, their populations in the open ocean have declined by an estimated 71% over the past half-century — and their meat tends to contain high levels of heavy metals, which can be especially dangerous for young children, pregnant and nursing mothers, and other vulnerable groups.
Tuesday 7th October
The government has given the go-ahead for a second runway at Gatwick Airport. Friends of the Earth says “the economic case for airport expansion is massively overstated”. Responding to the news that Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has given the go-ahead to Gatwick Airport’s second runway, Rosie Downes, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth, said: “With emissions from aviation rising as climate extremes increasingly batter the planet with more intense floods, droughts and wildfires, it’s a struggle to see how the government can conclude expansion at Gatwick is a wise move. The Secretary of State says a second runway is a “no-brainer” for the economy, but the economic case for airport expansion is massively overstated. Any growth in air passengers leaving the country is likely to mean more UK tourists using their spending power overseas than anything we might gain from visitors.
Wednesday 8th October
[R]esearch with Indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon… examine[s] how film and other media technologies, from smartphones to social platforms, are being used to document environmental change, defend land rights and influence climate debates, write Carolina Machado Oliveira and Antonia Alves Pereira. Together with Indigenous leaders and the Intercultural Faculty in Mato Grosso, Brazil, [they] explore how “educommunication” – which combines media education with active community participation – can build the technical skills and political capacity that young communicators need to tell their stories to different audiences, from local villagers to global leaders. As Cop30, the UN climate summit, comes to Brazil this November, [the] research shows how these digital tools are enabling Indigenous voices to help reshape global understanding of the climate crisis – ensuring their perspectives are present not only in cultural storytelling, but in international environmental decision-making.
Thursday 9th October
Conservationists and zookeepers are celebrating our closest living relative giving birth to a healthy baby, writes Andy Corbley. Heart-tugging photos show the bonobo mother Yuli cradling her tiny newborn after it was born at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire last [month]. Experts have hailed the birth as a ‘globally significant’ moment which could help save one of the world’s rarest apes and humanity’s cousin. Twycross Zoo is the only UK zoo to care for the species, and says the new arrival has the distinguished status as the only baby bonobo in the whole country…“Bonobos are human’s closest living relatives, yet they remain one of the most endangered and least understood apes on Earth,” said Dr. Rebecca Biddle, chief conservation officer at Twycross Zoo. “Every birth is a true milestone and a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when zoos work together.”
Friday 10th October
[At less than two months to go] before this year’s Conference of the Parties, or COP30, only about 36% of the 196 participating countries have confirmed attendance and paid for accommodations, according to a spokesperson for the conference presidency. Author Melina Welling continues: Activists and poorer nations are feeling the crunch as hotel [and other] prices have skyrocketed … The Brazilian government chose Belem because it’s part of the Amazon and to underscore the problems common to growing cities in the developing world, but some prospective attendees are raising questions about how productive the talks will be if they are overshadowed by a big drop in attendance… housing is making it more difficult for people from some poorer countries and Indigenous groups to attend, as well as for those that traditionally attend COP outside of a country delegation, including activists, NGO and nonprofit groups and youth observers. Some organizations that represent them expect to send fewer people.
Saturday 11th October
Malaysia’s state palm oil agency said on Thursday that it welcomed the European Union’s proposal to delay the launch of its anti-deforestation law for a second time. The decision will allow time for the EU to address concerns about the implementation of the regulation, as well as its significant operational and structural flaws, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council said in a statement. The EU deforestation regulation, known as EUDR, will ban the imports of commodities including soy, beef, cocoa and palm oil that are linked to forest destruction. The MPOC questioned the viability of the regulation after heavy investment by companies seeking to comply with the law and broader industry efforts to improve sustainability. “Despite these efforts, the current EUDR framework contains numerous operational deficiencies, which fail to reward responsible leadership in sustainable practices,” it said. The EU had already delayed the law by a year, amid opposition from industry and trade partners like Brazil, Indonesia and the United States, who complained about the cost of compliance.
Sunday 12th October
Praise the Lord, All his creatures! From the rising of the sun to the setting of the same,
The Lord’s name is to be praised. Praise the Lord, All the earth!
From Coral Reefs to Grasslands, From Temperate Forests to Savannas,
From Mountains High to Oceans Deep,
The Lord’s name is to be praised. Asian Hornbills & Hammerhead Sharks honour you,
Vervet Monkeys & Viperfish venerate you,
Gazelles, Gibbons and Giraffes glorify you,
Peacocks and Pelicans praise you, Eagles and Elephants exalt you.
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
Taken from prayer 17, Jon Swales, https://greenchristian.org.uk/lament-hope-40-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/
Monday 13th October
Countries in the Global South hold most of the world’s reserves of critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition, but see few of the profits, according to a new report, writes Bhasker Tripathi. Critical minerals have moved from industrial policy to the heart of climate diplomacy and will be a live issue at COP30 … as governments seek secure, sustainable supplies for batteries, solar panels and other clean technologies. Demand for minerals crucial for renewable energy, like lithium and cobalt, is set to nearly triple by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. As Europe and North America race to loosen China’s hold on supply chains, producer nations in the Global South face growing social and environmental costs, but poor economic returns from the green rush, Oxfam said in a report ….
https://www.context.news/just-transition/who-benefits-from-the-worlds-critical-mineral-riches
Tuesday 14th October
Two years of escalating conflict have caused unprecedented levels of environmental damage in the Gaza Strip, damaging its soils, freshwater supplies and coastline, finds a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). he Environmental Impact of the Conflict in the Gaza Strip, released [in September], says the recovery from some of that damage could take decades. The assessment comes a month after a panel of independent experts determined that parts of the Gaza are in a state of famine. “Ending the human suffering that has engulfed Gaza must be the first priority,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director. “Restoring freshwater systems and removing debris to enable humanitarian access and restore essential services are urgently required to save lives. The recovery of vegetation, freshwater ecosystems and soil will also be critical for food and water security, and to ensure a better future for Gaza’s people.”
Wednesday 15th October
Tonight is a Joy in Enough online talk. Join us at 7pm to hear Mike Mullins speak on how Christianity has contributed to the ecological crisis, and what we can do about it. Mike is a leadership coach and spiritual retreat facilitator, whose background is in Catholic mysticism and psychology. He has run retreats on a range of themes, from finding the divine in the margins of life, masculine spirituality, spirituality and personality difference, to the ineffable nature of the divine. Inspired by his liberal Catholic faith he has a deep interest in interfaith dialogue. He believes that no one faith has a monopoly on truth – we can all learn from each other if we meet in a spirit of humble enquiry, hunger for truth and compassion for all life. As Meister Eckhart said: “Theologians may quarrel but the mystics of the world speak the same language”. Free, but you’ll need to register.
Thursday 16th October
Mars has announced that all ten of its snack production factories in Europe are now powered entirely by renewable energy, as part of its wider plan to achieve net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2050, writes Sidhi Mittal. This includes sites located in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK, which collectively produce about 900,000 tonnes of confectionery annually, including products under brands such as Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, Skittles and Orbit. The company’s shift to renewable power in Europe follows nearly a decade of energy initiatives, beginning with its first regional wind farm in 2016. Mars Snacking has since transitioned its European confectionery operations toward renewable energy and has purchased Guarantees of Origin (GO) certificates for renewable electricity and biomethane equivalent to the amount of electricity and natural gas used in these operations. These certificates confirm that the same amount of renewable energy has been generated, even if some factories remain physically connected to conventional power grids or gas networks.
https://www.edie.net/mars-shifts-european-snack-manufacturing-to-100-renewable-energy/
Friday 17th October
[The Marine Conservation Society’s] Parliamentary Affairs team [were] making waves at this year’s political party conferences. The team [attended] five major conferences- Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative, Plaid Cymru and SNP- to press for stronger action to protect our ocean and sustainably manage our seas. With the May 2026 elections in Scotland and Wales fast approaching, protecting our ocean must be a political priority. [They were] pushing parliamentarians to:
- Tackle threats to the health of our seas by banning the use of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in all consumer products
- Support the introduction of a Marine Spatial Prioritisation Plan to achieve the best economic, climate and nature outcomes for our ocean,
- Co-create a Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy with coastal communities to support the shift towards a sustainable blue economy that regenerates our seas
https://www.mcsuk.org/news/speaking-up-uk-party-conferences/
Saturday 18th October
Amid a rapidly fracturing geopolitical order, there have been growing calls for China to “step into [the] leadership gap” left by the US on climate change, writes Anika Patel. While China has resisted such suggestions – at least officially – it has spent much of the past 12 months nurturing its international status as a partner for other countries, in areas ranging from the economy and global governance through to climate change. President Xi Jinping has maintained a schedule packed with foreign-policy engagements, meeting with world leaders from Russia and India through to the EU. Moreover, this April he made his first international climate speech since 2021, while attending a meeting on climate and the just transition hosted by Brazil. As well as underscoring his nation’s ongoing commitment to climate action, Xi’s presence also hinted at the growing coordination between China and Brazil in this area. More broadly, there is growing recognition of greater alignment between non-western countries – particularly in the global south – in the face of more aggressive US foreign policy.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-will-china-and-the-brics-fill-the-leadership-gap-on-climate-change/
Sunday 19th October
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
And yet, O God,
We are killing the choir,
Making silent the symphony of praise.
Our parasitical use of power leads to Endlings and Extinctions.
Forgive our foolish ways.
Humanity has sinned and done what is wicked in your sight,
Christ, have mercy.
We have moved East of Eden, Christ, have mercy.
We have built Babel and made ourselves as gods,
Christ, have mercy.
Our exploitive economic system has encroached into holy habitats, Forgive our foolish ways.
We lift up to you our oceans,
Christ have mercy.
We lift up to you our rainforests, Christ have mercy.
We lift up to you non-human worshippers facing extinction, Forgive our foolish ways.
Taken from prayer 17, Jon Swales, https://greenchristian.org.uk/lament-hope-40-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/
Monday 20th October
Many parts of the world are predicted to endure “day-zero droughts,” periods of extreme and unprecedented water scarcity, which could happen as soon as this decade in certain hotspots including parts of North America, the Mediterranean and southern Africa, according to a new study. Article author Laura Paddison continues: It’s well known that climate change, driven by burning fossil fuels, is throwing the global water cycle off balance and causing scarcity. What’s much less clear is when and where extreme water shortages will hit. The new research helps provide answers and some of them are surprising, said Christian Franzke, a climate scientist at Pusan National University in South Korea and an author of the study published Tuesday in Nature Communications. The scientists used a large number of climate models to assess the timing and likelihood of day-zero droughts. These are “unprecedented water scarcity events, events which haven’t occurred so far,” Franzke said. It’s when “you turn on your water tap and no water comes out,” he told CNN.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/23/climate/day-zero-drought-water-scarcity
Tuesday 21st October
Farmfoods has dropped its commitment to stop selling eggs from chickens farmed in cages, becoming the only UK supermarket to have ditched the welfare promise, writes Brendan Montague. The chain committed in 2016 to going cage-free by the end of 2025 after campaigning from The Humane League UK, which has now launched a petition in response to what it described as a “betrayal”. George Herd, the chief executive of Farmfoods, made the decision with the company saying it was “unwilling to deny customers access to the good value, nutritious food provided by eggs laid by caged hens.” This claim was made despite the fact that Farmfoods eggs from caged hens cost the same as Aldi’s free-range eggs. Further, an overwhelming 94 per cent of the UK public oppose the use of cages for laying hens.
https://theecologist.org/2025/sep/22/customers-dont-want-cage-eggs
Wednesday 22nd October
The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 has kept two nuclear-armed rivals – India and Pakistan – in a stable river sharing arrangement for more than six decades, write Penny Beames et al. Yet that significant achievement now seems to be at risk. India’s government has stated it is holding the treaty in abeyance and is threatening to cut off water to Pakistan after a terrorist attack killed more than 20 Indian citizens in late April 2025. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the treaty as a “blunder” and a “betrayal” of India’s dignity committed by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and proclaimed that “blood and water cannot flow together.” The 1960 agreement includes no provisions for abeyance or suspension. Regardless, India is threatening to forgo the treaty and keep the Indus’ water for itself.
https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/conflict/deep-currents-assessing-threats-indus-waters-treaty
Thursday 23rd October
Understanding Gen Z and climate change reveals why this generation demands specific data about Scope 3 emissions and supply chain impacts, writes Jamie d’Souza… Generation Z consumers, born between 1997 and 2012, are forcing businesses to substantiate their environmental claims with hard data rather than relying on flashy marketing campaigns. More than half identify climate change as a top concern, and 73% are willing to pay more for sustainable products. This represents the largest consumer group in history prioritizing transparency over brand recognition… The connection between Gen Z and climate change runs deeper than that of previous generations, as they bear what researchers call a disproportionate emotional burden from environmental crises. … This generation demands proof, not promises. Carbon offset programs and vague sustainability pledges don’t impress them. They want companies to provide specific data on reducing emissions and their environmental impact.
https://happyeconews.com/gen-z-and-climate-change/
Friday 24th October
A new study found that 75 streams in Alaska’s Brooks Range have turned orange due to thawing permafrost, which releases metals like iron, aluminum[sic] and cadmium that exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety thresholds for aquatic life, writes Liz Kimbrough. The contamination threatens fish populations, with aluminum concentrations at one location reaching nearly five times the safe limit, and the study suggests this may help explain recent crashes in chum salmon returns that Indigenous communities depend on for food and income. The pollution flows hundreds of miles downstream to coastal communities like Kivalina, where residents who rely on traditional fishing face threats to food security as some tributaries of rivers like the Wulik have begun turning orange.
Saturday 25th October
Two-thirds (62%) of consumers believe companies are engaging in greenwashing – up from just a third in 2023, a new report on environmental sustainability has revealed… The Capgemini Research Institute report, “A world in balance 2025: Unlocking resilience and long-term value through environmental action,” concludes that most organisations say environmental sustainability is a core future-proofing strategy to drive long-term competitiveness, innovation and resilience. The research findings showed a widening credibility gap between brands and consumers, with scepticism around greenwashing rising sharply. Greenwashing misleads the public to believe an organisation is doing more to protect the environment than it actually is, either by promoting false solutions, or distracting from or delaying credible climate action. More than six in ten (62%) consumers believe companies are engaging in greenwashing, up from a third in 2023 and over half in 2024, the research found. And more than three-quarters believe corporations should do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Sunday 26th October
God of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Empower your Church to execute justice and speak truth to power. Equip your Church to work for the healing of the nations and the flourishing of all.
Enable your church to recognise its priestly calling to tend and keep.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
You made a world of wonder,
A world that takes our breath away. You declared it to be good.
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
Amen
Taken from prayer 17, Jon Swales, https://greenchristian.org.uk/lament-hope-40-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/
Monday 27th October
Uttarakhand in India, … is home to several fast-flowing rivers at high altitudes that serve as the perfect backdrop for harnessing energy from water to produce hydroelectric power. In this state, the Tehri dam, situated in Garhwal, is the highest dam in India. The amalgamation of rivers and high mountains in this area is ideally suited to producing electricity for rural and urban areas through hydropower and other renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. In the neighbouring state of Ladakh, the Zoji La is one of the highest mountain passes in the world. It’s surrounded by the rugged terrain of Trans-Himalayas, with cold desert slopes, snow-capped peaks and alpine meadows. This biodiverse region is home to snow leopards, Himalayan brown bears, wolves, Pallas cats, yaks and lynx… However, development of hydropower projects and rapid urbanisation in the Indian Himalayas are actively degrading the environmental and ecological landscape, particularly in the ecologically sensitive, seismically active and fragile regions of Joshimath in Uttarakhand and Zoji La in Ladakh. The construction of hydropower plants, along with associated railways, all-weather highways and tunnels across the Himalayan mountains, is being undertaken without adequate urban planning, design or implementation.
Tuesday 28th October
Space-saving, low-input, pest-free: vertical farming is often regarded as a solution to many of conventional agriculture’s woes, writes Emma Bryce. But the findings of a new study draw a question mark over its prospects, showing in lettuce farm experiments that vertical agriculture had higher environmental impacts than conventional in all but one category. Even when it came to land-use where high-rising vertical farms would appear to have the edge, the study found that in fact these farms had twice the impact of lettuces farmed on conventional fields.
Wednesday 29th October
“COP30 will be the ‘COP of truth,’” Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared on Tuesday, September 23, during his opening speech at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to Lula, the moment must be treated with the utmost seriousness by world leaders if there is to be real progress in confronting climate change…Lula also underscored the importance of climate financing for the Global South. “Developing nations confront climate change even as they battle other challenges. Meanwhile, wealthy countries enjoy a standard of living built on two centuries of emissions. Demanding greater ambition and greater access to resources and technologies is not a matter of charity, but of justice,” he stressed.
Thursday 30th October
The upcoming assessment cycle of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will be authored by more experts from global south institutions than ever before, Carbon Brief analysis finds. Article author Ayesha Tandon continues: More than 660 scientists from 90 countries have been selected to write the three “working group” reports that will form the core of the IPCC’s seventh assessment cycle (AR7). These three reports are scheduled to be published by 2029 and will summarise the latest research on climate change. Carbon Brief analysis finds that a record 42% of authors of these upcoming reports are based at institutions in the global south. … Furthermore, Carbon Brief finds that 46% of the report authors are listed as “female” – the second-highest percentage to date for any group of IPCC reports.
Friday 31st October
Pharmaceuticals are not just in medicine cabinets, writes Jordan Joseph. They also move through wastewater treatment plants, which clean what we send down drains but were not designed to remove many modern drugs. A new study tested how well large municipal plants in Poland filter common medicines and found that several slip past, reaching rivers at levels that can harm aquatic life… The team sampled six large urban plants that follow the same treatment method, one used in many parts of the world. They examined incoming wastewater, treated water, and sludge for over a dozen commonly used medicines. They measured concentrations down to nanograms per liter (ng/L) – billionths of a gram per liter – and calculated a risk quotient that compares measured levels with safe thresholds for algae, invertebrates, and fish. All of the plants allowed some medicines to pass through into rivers and streams. Only a few types were regularly filtered out by the treatment process.
https://www.earth.com/news/water-treatment-plants-cant-keep-medicines-out-of-rivers/
Sources:
Text and links compiled by Emma King. Links accessed September 27th 2025.
Since December 2017 we’ve not been distributing the Prayer Guide as hard copy except under very special circumstances. (We encourage people to print out the Prayer-guide themselves and put it in their local churches.) If you think your circumstances qualify as very special please contact the webeditor
To have the Green Christian prayer guide emailed to you (free), please complete this on-line form