County Council to debate whether it should stop funding climate change

Press Release
Divest East Sussex [1]
14 October 2019
More info: 07596 483 272

COUNTY COUNCIL TO DEBATE WHETHER IT SHOULD STOP FUNDING CLIMATE CHANGE
Debate to take place tomorrow (15 Oct), alongside anticipated declaration of a ‘climate emergency’

Tuesday 15 October, County Hall, Lewes: As climate change campaigners continue to occupy parts of central London, East Sussex County Council is set to debate a petition tomorrow (15 October) calling on the Council to stop funding climate change through its ongoing investments in fossil fuel (oil, coal & gas) companies [2]. The Council is anticipated to declare a ‘climate emergency’ motion at the same meeting [3].

Advertisements

Contact your Councillor about the 15 Oct divestment debate today!

On the 15th October East Sussex County Council (ESCC) will debate whether or not the East Sussex Pension Fund should continue to invest in fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) – the result of over four years of activism by campaigners across Brighton, Hove and East Sussex. At the same meeting, the Council is also expected to vote to declare a ‘climate emergency’. Clearly, it would be sheer hypocrisy for the County Council to declare a ‘climate emergency’ but to continue funding climate change through the Pension Fund.

Please contact your Councillor today, and urge them to read the latest Divest East Sussex briefing (‘Why East Sussex County Council should divest from fossil fuels’, available online here) and support divestment of the Fund in the debate on 15 October. You can do this using our online webtool here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/east-sussex-county-council-stop-funding-climate-change (a template text is provided, though please check through the text before you send it!). Alternatively you can find out the name and contact details of your Councillor here: https://democracy.eastsussex.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx. A template text to send them is provided at the bottom of this post.

Sign the pledge to help stop East Sussex County Council funding climate change!

On Tuesday 15 October East Sussex County Council (ESCC) will debate* a petition calling on the Council to stop funding climate change.* Ironically the Council is also anticipated to pass a motion declaring a ‘climate emergency’ at the same meeting.

If, as anticipated, ESCC insists on continuing to fund climate change after 15 October, a nonviolent direct action campaign will be launched to build further pressure on the Council.

Please let us know now whether or not you can join us at County Hall in Lewes on the 15th October and / or would be willing to take part in nonviolent direct action to stop ESCC funding climate change if the Council refuses to divest on 15 October: https://tinyurl.com/desactionpledge

County Council to debate fossil fuel divestment (and vote on declaring a ‘climate emergency’) on 15 October

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is currently helping to fund climate change by investing £145 million of the East Sussex Pension Fund in the giant oil and gas companies that are driving our current climate crisis – companies like Exxon and BP.

On Tuesday 15 October, as the result of over 4 years of campaigning by people across East Sussex, ESCC will debate whether or not to continue this funding. Ironically the Council is also anticipated to pass a motion declaring a ‘climate emergency’ at the same meeting.

Join us on the 15th October so that the Councillors feel under maximum pressure to do the right thing and stop using local people’s pensions to fund climate change.

Local pension fund members call on County Council to stop funding climate change

Press Release
Divest East Sussex [1]
23 September 2019

LOCAL PENSION FUND MEMBERS CALL ON COUNTY COUNCIL TO STOP FUNDING CLIMATE CHANGE
Over 200 pension fund members sign statement in advance of County Hall debate on 15 October

Monday 23 September: As the UN begins its Climate Action Summit in New York [2], 240 members of the East Sussex Pension Fund have signed a statement calling on East Sussex County Council to stop using their pensions to fund climate change. The issue is due to be debated at the next Full Council meeting at County Hall on Tuesday 15 October – the same meeting at which the County Council looks set to agree a ‘climate emergency’ motion [3].

Petition hand-in should trigger debate on County Council’s role in funding climate change

Press Release
Divest East Sussex [1]
17 September 2019

PETITION HAND-IN SHOULD TRIGGER DEBATE ON COUNTY COUNCIL’S ROLE IN FUNDING CLIMATE CHANGE
Debate should take place on 15 October alongside ‘climate emergency’ vote

Monday 16 September, County Hall, Lewes: A petition calling on the County Council to stop funding climate change was handed-in at County Hall yesterday [1]. The 5,300 signatures on the ‘Divest East Sussex’ petition should be enough to trigger a debate on the issue at the next Full Council meeting on 15 October – the same meeting at which the County Council is anticipated to vote on a ‘climate emergency’ motion [2].

Help needed in Bexhill this Sunday (18 August)!

Join us in Bexhill this Sunday (18 August) to help deliver leaflets to the 5,500 households in East Sussex County Councillor Simon Elford’s division (Bexhill South), calling on him to become a climate champion and agree to stop using local people’s money to fund climate change.

St Leonards church to join Easter Declaration for Fossil Free Churches

Press release
Divest East Sussex [1]
16 April 2019

LOCAL CHURCH JOINS EASTER DECLARATION FOR FOSSIL FREE CHURCHES
St Leonards church backs end to investments in oil, coal and gas, recognising ‘the urgency of the need to shift from fossil fuels to clean alternatives’

23 April 2019, St Leonards: A church in St Leonards (St John the Evangelist, Pevensey Road [2]) is joining churches around the UK next week in an Easter declaration in support of the ditching of investments in fossil fuel companies (so-called ‘divestment’) [2]. Burning fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) is the main driver of global warming [3], with the UN warning last year that rapid and drastic cuts in fossil use are necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change [4].

Revealed: East Sussex schools funding climate change through local pension scheme

Press release
Divest East Sussex [1]
12 March 2019

REVEALED: EAST SUSSEX SCHOOLS FUNDING CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH LOCAL PENSION SCHEME
As pupils ready for climate strike, call for schools to back divestment from fossil fuels

12 March 2019, East Sussex: As thousands of school students from across the UK prepare to take to the streets this Friday (15 March) to demand urgent action on climate change [2], a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed that over forty schools and and sixth-form colleges in East Sussex are inadvertently funding global warming through their contributions to the Local Government Pension Scheme, the East Sussex Pension Fund (ESPF).

East Sussex residents deliver UN climate report to County Council

Press release
Divest East Sussex [1]
17 October 2018

EAST SUSSEX RESIDENTS DELIVER UN CLIMATE REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL
Document should be a wake-up call for East Sussex Pension Fund, say campaigners

16 October, County Hall, Lewes: Members of local campaign group Divest East Sussex delivered the latest UN report on climate change to a meeting of East Sussex County Council yesterday, saying that it should be a wake-up call for the East Sussex Pension Fund to ditch its investments in the fossil fuel (oil, coal & gas) industries.

Published last week, ‘Global Warming of 1.5 °C’ concluded that “limiting global warming to 1.5C, compared with 2 °C, could reduce the number of people both exposed to climate-related risks and susceptible to poverty by up to several hundred million by 2050” [2], but the window for doing this and thereby avoiding the worst impacts of climate change is rapidly closing.