The majority (75%) of local councils – including East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council – have declared a ‘climate emergency’. Many have set deadlines to de-carbonise the greenhouse gas emissions produced by their buildings and vehicles.
And yet, as a new report from Friends of the Earth, Friends of the Earth Scotland and Platform London explains: ‘for the majority of councils, their largest carbon emissions will come from their pension fund investments.’
Collectively, UK local pension funds have an estimated £10bn invested in fossil fuel (oil, coal and gas) companies. Yet many Councillors have never received a letter or an email from their constituents about these investments.
The East Sussex Pension Fund – which covers East Sussex, Brighton and Hove – currently has over £70m invested in companies like Shell and BP, and has repeatedly refused to divest, despite a long-running campaign.
If you’re a resident of East Sussex, Brighton or Hove, then please use the templates below to contact your County Councillor (or City Councillor) and urge them to take action to ensure that local workers not only have a pension for their retirement, but also a future worth retiring into.
Continue reading Call on your local councillor to support fossil free pension funds!