Press release: Climate campaigners to hold 60-hour fast in run-up to Council vote

URGENT UPDATE (17 JULY): Because of the Met Office’s Extreme Heat alert, we have had to change our plans for the vigil outside County Hall. Specifically: (a) on the Monday we now anticipate having a small presence outside the Hall, but only between 8 – 10 am; and (b) we’ve cancelled the vigil on the Tuesday (19 July). The vigil will still take place as originally planned on the Wednesday (20 July) – see below for details. According to this report ‘Network Rail is advising passengers to use services only if “absolutely necessary”’, so we strongly suggest that you only join the vigil on the Monday if you live in Lewes.

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Press Release
Divest East Sussex [1]
17 July 2022
More info: 07596 483 272

PHOTO: https://tinyurl.com/bangthedrumphoto [CAPTION: Climate campaigners with a message for East Sussex County Concil, outside County Hall, Lewes on 12 July 2022. Photo: Steve Lewis.]

CLIMATE CAMPAIGNERS TO HOLD ‘FAST & VIGIL FOR FOSSIL FUEL DIVESTMENT’ IN RUN-UP TO COUNCIL VOTE
Campaigners demand County Council stop investing in the giant oil and gas companies driving the climate crisis

18 – 20 July 2022, County Hall, Lewes: Climate campaigners from East Sussex and Brighton & Hove will be staging a sixty-hour ‘fast for fossil divestment’ next week, in the run-up to a vote on the issue at County Hall on 20 July. Campaigners will also be vigiling outside County Hall between 8am – 9.45am on Wednesday 20 July.  (Please note: earlier plans to vigil outside County Hall on the Monday and Tuesday have been changed due to the Met Office’s Extreme Heat alert – see here for details.)

The East Sussex Pension Fund, which is administered by ESCC, currently has tens of millions of pounds of local people’s pension monies invested in the giant oil and gas companies, like Shell and BP, that are driving the climate crisis [3]. The Fund covers Brighton & Hove as well as East Sussex. A vote on whether or not the Fund should divest from fossil fuels is expected to take place at the 20 July meeting of the East Sussex Pension Committee.

The Fund has been the focus of an 8½-year-long campaign by climate activists. In the past year alone, campaigners have staged an Attenborough-in (with 14-foot puppet of David Attenborough), a mock wedding (between ESCC and fossil fuels), a tricorn hat demo (‘No pensions without representation!’) and a ‘big noise’ protest (with a 20-foot boat, ‘Lightship Greta’), all outside County Hall, as well as encircling the building with ‘climate crime scene’ tape [4]. Hundreds of residents in Bexhill and Robertsbridge have recently signed petitions and held demonstrations calling on their respective Councillors to vote in favour of fossil fuel divestment on 20 July [5].

Bexhill Town Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, Hastings Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Lewes Town Council, Peacehaven Town Council, UNISON, Maria Caulfield MP (Cons, Lewes) and Caroline Lucas MP (Green, Brighton Pavilion) have all called on the Fund to divest from fossil fuels [6] – something that it has repeatedly refused to do.

According to the International Energy Agency, avoiding catastrophic climate change requires an immediate stop to all investments in new oil & gas projects [7]. Yet the world’s 20 largest fossil fuel companies alone are planning to spend over $930 billion on such projects between now and 2030 [8].

Kristin Sjovorr, a former local government officer who will be fasting for fossil fuel divestment said: ‘I am willing to go without food for sixty hours and to forego the bounties of the current fuel price bonanza being experienced by oil and gas investors in order to protect the environment in my retirement and so that today’s youth can plan for their retirement. I feel we have no right to bequeath this climate emergency to future generations and, as public servants, have a moral obligation to act now and stop investing in fossil fuels.’

St Leonards resident Gabriel Carlyle, who will also be fasting, said: ‘Heatwaves such as the one that we’re experiencing right now are happening more often and becoming hotter, due to human-induced climate change [9]. Without rapid and drastic cuts in emissions from fossil fuels these and other impacts will get much worse, with potentially calamitous effects on food security and billions exposed to major heatwaves each year by 2040 [10]. Yet, despite declaring a ‘climate emergency’ over 2½ years ago, East Sussex County Council is still investing local people’s pensions in the giant oil companies – like Shell and BP – that are driving this crisis. Not only is this hypocrisy on a grand scale, but by clinging on to these investments the County Council is also providing a fig-leaf for these companies’ ongoing attempts to block effective climate action [11]. It’s time for ESCC to stop making excuses and make a commitment to fully divest from fossil fuels.’

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