Please send divestment postcards to the three Conservative Councillors on the East Sussex Pension Committee!

Local Conservatives have just booted one of their own Councillors off the East Sussex Pension Committee – the five-person decision-making body for the East Sussex Pension Fund – over fears that he *might* have been too sympathetic to divesting the Fund from fossil fuels (see below for more details).

So it’s time to ratchet up the pressure!

This summer, please take 10 mins to send postcards to the three Conservative Councillors currently on the East Sussex Pension Committee. Make sure they know that by clinging on to its remaining investments in fossil fuels (which may soon amount to no more than 0.5% of the Fund) the Fund is providing a fig-leaf for fossil fuel companies’ ongoing attempts to block effective climate action and missing a huge opportunity to show real leadership on the climate crisis.

14-foot Attenborough puppet joins fossil fuel protest at County Hall

Press Release
Divest East Sussex [1]
23 July 2021
More info: 07596 483 272

PHOTOS: https://tinyurl.com/attenboroughin1 and https://tinyurl.com/attenboroughin2 [CAPTION: Supporters of Divest East Sussex holding an ‘Attenborough-in’ outside County Hall in Lewes to protest the Council’s ongoing investment in fossil fuel companies, 23 July 2021. PHOTO: Katie Vandyck]

14-FOOT DAVID ATTENBOROUGH PUPPET JOINS MASS ‘ATTENBOROUGH-IN’ OUTSIDE COUNTY HALL
It’s time for the East Sussex Pension Fund to stop investing in fossil fuel companies, say campaigners

Friday 23 July, County Hall, Lewes: A fourteen-foot tall puppet of David Attenborough joined dozens of members of the public from across East Sussex, Brighton and Hove this morning for a mass ‘Attenborough-in’ outside County Hall in Lewes. The event, for which participants donned David Attenborough masks, was held to highlight the East Sussex Pension Fund’s continued investment in the giant oil and gas companies, like Shell and BP, that are driving the climate crisis. The following quote from the beloved naturalist was prominently displayed: ‘It’s crazy that our banks and our pensions are investing in fossil fuel, when these are the very things that are jeopardising the future that we are saving for.’ [2]

Long a focus for climate campaigners, the East Sussex Pension Fund – the local government pension scheme for East Sussex, Brighton and Hove, which is administered by ESCC – still has tens of millions of local people’s pensions invested in the oil and gas majors like Shell and BP [3].

Join the mass ‘Attenborough-in’ outside County Hall on Friday 23 July!

IT’S TIME TO DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS!

Join the mass ‘Attenborough-in’ (David Attenborough masks provided) outside County Hall in Lewes on the date of the next Full Council meeting:
FRIDAY 23 JULY, 8.30 – 10am
Outside County Hall, Lewes (St Anne’s Crescent, BN7 1UE)

Socially-distanced demo. Please wear a face mask and let us know that you’re coming (divesteastsussex@gmail.com).

‘It’s crazy that our banks and our pensions are investing in fossil fuel, when these are the very things that are jeopardising the future that we are saving for.’ – David Attenborough

Brighton campaigners post giant ear to ESCC, demanding Brighton & Hove voice on local pensions

Press Release
20 July 2021
Divest Brighton and Hove
More info: 07765038963

PHOTOS: https://tinyurl.com/divestear0, https://tinyurl.com/divestear1, https://tinyurl.com/divestear2, https://tinyurl.com/divestear3 [Brighton & Hove campaigners posting a giant ear to East Sussex County Council to launch the new petition, demanding a say for Brighton and Hove City Council in local pensions]

CAMPAIGNERS POST GIANT EAR TO EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL, DEMANDING BRIGHTON AND HOVE VOICE ON LOCAL PENSIONS
County Council ‘just not listening’ to Brighton and Hove on fossil fuel investments say climate campaigners

Tuesday 20th July, Brighton: Brighton and Hove campaigners have posted a giant ear to the Leader of East Sussex County Council (ESCC), calling on ESCC to grant Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) representation on the East Sussex Pension Fund, the local government pension scheme for Brighton, Hove and East Sussex. Campaigners say ESCC is ‘just not listening’ to BHCC’s concerns about the Fund’s continued investment in the giant oil and gas companies, like Shell and BP, which are driving the climate crisis, and have started a petition demanding that BHCC should now be granted a role in decision-making over the Fund’s investments [1].

The East Sussex Pension Fund currently has tens of millions of pounds of local people’s pensions invested in oil and gas companies [2]. Such companies are forecast to spend trillions of dollars over the next decade on new oil and gas fields – none of which is compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C [3].

We need YOUR help to tell ESCC: it’s time to divest from fossil fuels!

‘We are approaching a decisive moment … Th[e] gap between rhetoric and action needs to close if we are to have a fighting chance of reaching net zero by 2050 and limiting the rise of global temperatures to 1.5°C’ – Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency

We need YOUR* help to tell East Sussex County Council (ESCC) it needs to close its ‘gap between rhetoric and action’ on climate change: it’s time to divest from fossil fuels!

Please take 2 mins to email the question below to ESCC by 4pm on Thursday 15 July – full details below.

* Residents of East Sussex, Brighton and Hove – ESCC runs *your* Local Government Pension Scheme.

Young people in East Sussex, Brighton & Hove: we need your help!

Are you:
– concerned about climate change?
– living in East Sussex, Brighton or Hove?
– aged between 8 – 25?

If so – and you have five minutes to spare – then we need your help!

Divest East Sussex is looking for 22 local young people to film clips for a short video message to local Councillors about East Sussex County Council (ESCC)’s continued investment in fossil fuels. (ESCC runs the local government pension scheme covering East Sussex, Brighton and Hove. It currently has over £60m of local people’s pensions invested in the likes of Shell and BP.)

If you’re interested (or you know a local young person who might be) then please get in touch with us ASAP: messagefordivest@gmail.com. No technical skills required!

Council meeting rejects fresh proposal to divest local pensions from fossil fuels

Press Release
Divest East Sussex [1]
12 July 2021
More info: 07596 483 272

PHOTOS: https://tinyurl.com/welcomebackescc1
 [Divestment campaigners greet the newly-elected Councillors on their way into County Hall in Lewes, 25 May 2021. Photo: Fran Witt]

COUNCIL MEETING REJECTS FRESH PROPOSAL TO DIVEST LOCAL PENSIONS FROM FOSSIL FUELS
Mass ‘Attenborough-in’ outside County Hall planned for 23 July

Monday 12 July, County Hall, Lewes: The East Sussex Pension Committee rejected a fresh proposal to divest the East Sussex Pension Fund from the fossil fuel companies that are driving the climate crisis, this morning. The proposal was rejected by 3 votes to 2, with Cllrs David Tutt (Lib Dem, Eastbourne – St Anthony’s) and Julia Hilton (Green, Old Hastings & Tressell) voting in favour of full divestment, and the three Conservative Councillors – Gerard Fox (Hailsham New Town), Paul Redstone (Northern Rother) and Sam Adeniji (Seaford North) – voting against it.

Long a focus for climate campaigners, the East Sussex Pension Fund – the local government pension scheme for East Sussex, Brighton and Hove, which is administered by ESCC – still has tens of millions of local people’s pensions invested in the oil and gas majors like Shell and BP [2].

County Council still stonewalling public on oil investments

Press Release
Divest East Sussex [1]
27 May 2021
More info: 07596 483 272

PHOTOS: https://tinyurl.com/welcomebackescc1
[Divestment campaigners greet the newly-elected Councillors on their way into County Hall in Lewes, 25 May 2021. Photo: Fran Witt]

COUNTY COUNCIL STILL STONEWALLING PUBLIC ON OIL INVESTMENTS
Pension Committee chair unable to give a single example of the Fund challenging its investment managers over new oil exploration

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has continued to stonewall over its investments in fossil fuels, in its latest response to questions from members of the public. The East Sussex Pension Fund – the local government pension scheme for East Sussex, Brighton and Hove, which is administered by ESCC – currently has over £70m of local people’s pension monies invested in such companies [2].

Seventy-seven members of the public from across East Sussex, Brighton and Hove submitted a four-part question to Tuesday’s (25 May) Full Council meeting of East Sussex County Council (ESCC).

In its written response ESCC continues to claim that it is powerless to stop investing local people’s pensions in the oil companies whose actions are rapidly making catastrophic climate change inevitable (even though other pension funds are in the process of fully divesting) [3].

ESCC was also ‘unable’ to say what the Pension Fund’s investment managers would do if the oil companies in which they currently invest continue to explore for new oil and continue to approve new oil extraction projects [4]. The Chair of the East Sussex Pension Committee (Cllr Gerard Fox) was also failed to provide a single example of the Fund challenging its investment managers over this crucial topic [5]. According to the International Energy Agency, limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require fossil fuel companies to stop all new oil and gas exploration projects from this year onwards [6].

ESCC still stonewalling public on oil investments

Seventy-seven members of the public submitted Divest East Sussex’s long four-part question to East Sussex County Council (ESCC)’s 25 May Full Council, with four more people submitting variants or their own questions.

A written response has been provided by Cllr Gerard Fox, the chair of the East Sussex Pension Committee, the five-person decision-making body for the East Sussex Pension Fund. (The East Sussex Pension Fund is the local government pension scheme covering East Sussex, Brighton and Hove).

In this response:

> ESCC continues to claim that it is powerless to stop investing local people’s pensions in the oil companies that are rapidly tanking the climate (even though other pension funds are in the process of fully divesting);

> ESCC is ‘unable’ to say what its investment managers will do if the oil companies in which they’re investing continue to explore for new oil and continue to approve new oil extraction projects – actions that will rapidly make limiting global warming to 1.5°C impossible. Moreover, Cllr Fox is apparently unable to give a single example of the Fund challenging its investment managers about this crucial topic;

> For some reason, Cllr Fox continues to refuse to acknowledge the simple fact that limiting global warming to 1.5°C will be impossible without the rapid alignment of the big fossil fuel companies with a 1.5°C pathway.



Climate campaigners welcome newly-elected County Councillors with divestment message

Press Release
Divest East Sussex [1]
25 May 2021
More info: 07596 483 272

PHOTOS: https://tinyurl.com/welcomebackescc1, https://tinyurl.com/welcomebackescc2, https://tinyurl.com/welcomebackescc3
 [Divestment campaigners greet the newly-elected Councillors on their way into County Hall in Lewes, 25 May 2021. Photo: Fran Witt]

CLIMATE CAMPAIGNERS TO WELCOME NEWLY-ELECTED COUNTY COUNCILLORS AT COUNTY HALL WITH DIVESTMENT MESSAGE
Energy report supports call for Council to ditch investments in fossil fuel companies say campaigners

Tuesday 25 May 2021, County Hall: Climate campaigners from East Sussex, Brighton and Hove held a socially-distanced demonstration outside County Hall in Lewes this morning to greet newly-elected County Councillors with the message: ‘Welcome back. Now divest!’. East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has long been a focus for campaigners over its continued investment in the giant oil and gas companies like Shell and BP.