Church leaders discuss environmental issues at Newry conference

Over 200 church leaders, clergy, educators, community activists and local congregation representatives from across Ireland gathered in Newry at the weekend for an ecumenical event combining prayer, reflection and a strong call to action in response to the climate and ecological crisis, with particular focus on the pollution of Lough Neagh and threats to waterways across the island.

The "Let Justice Flow Like Rivers" Creation Care Conference took place at the Canal Court Hotel on Saturday 17 January, bringing together participants from different faith traditions and civic backgrounds in what organisers described as a spirit of shared responsibility and hope.

During the conference, Catholic Primate Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh; Bishop Sarah Groves, President of the Irish Council of Churches, and, Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop John McDowell, led the gathering in a prayers for creation.

Minister Andrew Muir MLA, Northern Ireland's Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, delivered a keynote contribution outlining the scale of environmental challenges and the need for coordinated, science-informed governance. Other keynote speakers included Dr Hilary Marlow from Cambridge, who offered biblical reflection on water, justice and creation, Jim McAdam, who spoke about lived experience deriving from an understanding of the science and the need for sustained community action, and Gail Heffner from USA's Plaster Creek Stewards, who highlighted the vital role faith communities can play when prayer is united with practical commitment.

Dr Hilary Marlow, teacher of Hebrew Bible and Biblical Hebrew in the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Cambridge, asked the audience, "What do environmental issues have to do with the Bible?"  Dr Marlow continued, "The Bible is the story of God, and God's world - it is much bigger than us!  There are many scriptural references to creation and our place within it.  As Christians, we all have a responsibility to consider how these scriptures might change our daily words and actions.  Creation is like God's voice to us, speaking to challenge the sin of injustice against all creatures, including humanity itself.  Climate injustice is a systemic human problem at the root of many the world's problems including human poverty, species extinction, carbon emissions, and warfare."

Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh, emphasised the moral and spiritual urgency of care for creation, reminding participants that environmental degradation is inseparable from injustice towards the poor, future generations and vulnerable communities. Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, underlined the importance of listening to science, to local communities and to one another, and stressed the need for cooperation across church, civic, educational, business and political leadership.

Agricultural and environmental expert, Dr Jim McAdam, reflected on the extent of pollution in Lough Neagh which supplies 45% of drinking water in the north.  The audience heard that the lough has a mean depth of 8.9m, which makes it relatively shallow and facilitates its warm temperature.  It provides a diverse habitat for many species of fish, birds, land animals, flora and fauna, as well as being a very important resource for human recreation, fisheries, commercial activity, and our cultural and spiritual heritage.  However, pollution, largely arising from localised intensive agriculture, septic tanks and inadequate waste water treatment, has contributed to the lough's nutrient enrichment, especially the saturation of blue-green algae, which in turn creates toxins in the water that are very harmful to the local ecology and environment, including human beings.  In addition, climate change means that the lough is getting warmer, with a greater potential for flooding of farms situated around the lough. Dr McAdam said "The challenge for us is to support farmers to find nature based, scientifically proven, solutions, that remove nutrients from the ground and prevent these from entering the lough from the surrounding catchment area, so as to improve the lough's water quality for the benefit of our own and future generations."

Local groups from across Ireland shared experiences rooted in their own places, with parishes, schools, eco-congregations, residents' associations and community initiatives illustrating how creation care is already taking shape on the ground, while also identifying the challenges that remain. Participants were reminded that faith calls people to be "doers, not merely hearers."

This was expressed through a wide range of personal and parish pledges, including planting native trees, creating wildflower gardens, saving water, reducing consumption, protecting rivers, working with farmers as stewards of the land, strengthening environmental education, and building upstream–downstream and cross-community partnerships.

The key organiser of the event, Rev Dr Karen Campbell, General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches, said, "We have had a great line-up of speakers, drawing from the perspectives of faith, eco-care, science, and the lived experience of local congregations.  So many here today, and across Ireland, are already working hard and responsibly to care for God's beautiful world, and whatever stage they are at on that journey, I hope that they may mutually collaborate to care for our common home, and not just in Ireland.  Our lived reality is that we are all interdependent in this global eco-system of creation."

The conference also highlighted the need for systemic change, including effective environmental regulation, a just transition, and careful attention to scientific evidence and lived experience. Participants were encouraged to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty as a framework for a fair and managed transition away from fossil fuels.

Churches and communities were invited to engage actively with the Season of Creation 2026, which will focus on the theme "Living Water," echoing the conference's central concern for rivers and waterways as sacred, shared and threatened sources of life. The event addressed wider threats to rivers, lakes, bogs and ecosystems across the island, bringing together faith leaders and activists determined to turn concern into concrete action.