A multi-faith 'No' to fossil fuels

The 42 faith institutions came from 14 countries, including 21 from the UK, and is the largest-ever joint announcement of divestment from fossil fuels from faith institutions. Countries include the UK, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Myanmar, Spain and the United States.

The multi-faith announcement came from Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, United Reformed, Baptist, Quaker and Buddhist institutions, plus others, with over £1.1 billion in assets under management. The group includes the Catholic Diocese of Arundel & Brighton, the Jesuits in Britain, 3 United Reformed Church (URC) Synods, Oasis Churches and Global Charity, 4 Quaker meetings, 3 Methodist churches and Westminster College, Cambridge.

Earlier this month, a new report showed that none of the major oil companies are compliant with the Paris agreement targets. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rt Revd Dr Rowan Williams, said:

"The current health crisis has highlighted as never before the need for coherent international action in the face of global threat. Can we learn the lesson and apply it to the global threat of climate change? To do so means taking practical and effective steps to reduce our lethal dependence on fossil fuels."

The UK organisations announcing their divestment commitments are as follows:
• Diocese of Arundel & Brighton (Catholic Church)
• Jesuits in Britain (Catholic Church)
• Sisters of St Josephs of Peace (UK) (Catholic Church)
• West Midlands Synod (United Reformed Church)
• Northern Synod (United Reformed Church)
• Mersey Synod (United Reformed Church)
• Trinity United Church, Ringwood (United Reformed Church)
• Westminster College, Cambridge (United Reformed Church)
• Lancaster Methodist Church (Methodist)
• Stroud Methodist Church (Methodist)
• Banner Cross Methodist Church, Sheffield (Methodist)
• Wellspring Church, Wirksworth (Baptist/Methodist)
• Dronfield Baptist Church (Baptist)
• St Peter and St Pauls, Chaldon (Church of England)
• Dunscore Parish Church (Church of Scotland)
• Oasis Churches and Global Charity (Non-denominational network of churches and charity)
• Sussex East Quaker Area Meeting (Quakers in Britain)
• North East Thames Quaker Trust (Quakers in Britain)
• York Quaker Area Meeting (Quakers in Britain)
• Hereford Quaker Local Meeting (Quakers in Britain)
• Triratna Buddhist Community Highlands (Buddhist)

The global divestment announcement marks the start of Laudato Si’ Week, a global commemoration of the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change and ecology.

Tomás Insua, executive director of Global Catholic Climate Movement said:

"Every dollar invested in fossil fuels is a vote for suffering. These institutions are taking prophetic action to light the way towards a more just and sustainable future because now more than ever, we need to protect our communities and build a just recovery together."

Prof Isabel Apawo Phiri, World Council of Churches Deputy General Secretary said:

"We reiterate the urgent concerns of Christians around the world in relation to climate change and its adverse effects on the whole of creation. The moral imperative of fossil fuel divestment and of investing in a low-carbon path to realizing economic, social, and ecological wellbeing and sustainability for the whole creation is more urgent than ever."

The Revd Rachel Mash, Coordinator of Green Anglicans (Anglican Church of Southern Africa) said:

"The Covid-19 crisis shows us that our current way of living is unsustainable, we are sick because the Earth is sick. We cannot go back to normal, we must grow back to a new way of sustainable living. As we move into a post Covid-19 era, we must move away from sources of energy that contribute to climate change and air pollution."

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