Press release: Climate campaigners condemn Tory Councillors’ vote on fossil fuels

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

PHOTO: https://tinyurl.com/divestmentfast [CAPTION: Brighton-based Pension Fund member Kristin Sjovorr (centre) fasting for fossil fuel divestment outside County Hall in Lewes on Monday (18 July)]

CLIMATE CAMPAIGNERS CONDEMN TORY COUNCILLORS’ VOTE ON FOSSIL FUELS 
By rejecting divestment yet again ESCC has failed us all, say campaigners 

20 July 2022, County Hall, Lewes: Climate campaigners have condemned a decision by East Sussex County Council (ESCC), to continue investing local people’s pensions in the giant fossil fuel companies that are driving the climate crisis. Conservative Councilllors Gerard Fox (Hailsham New Town), Ian Hollidge (Bexhill South) and Paul Redstone (Northern Rother) all voted against a proposal to end such investments, which was raised at today’s East Sussex Pension Committee meeting. The remaining two councillors on the Committee – Georgia Taylor (Forest Row & Groombridge) and David Tutt (Eastbourne – St Anthony’s) – voted in favour of the proposal, which was therefore defeated 3 – 2. 

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.  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 today [5], and campaigners have been holding a 60-hour ‘fast for fossil fuel divestment’ this week in the run-up to the vote [6].

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 [7] – something that it has repeatedly refused to do [8].

According to the International Energy Agency, avoiding catastrophic climate change requires an immediate stop to all investments in new oil & gas projects [9]. Yet the world’s 20 largest fossil fuel companies alone are planning to spend over $930 billion on such projects between now and 2030 [10].

A spokesperson for Divest East Sussex said: ‘Heatwaves such as the one that we’ve experienced this week are now happening more often and becoming hotter, due to human-induced climate change [11]. 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 [12]. 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 [13]. By rejecting divestment yet again ESCC has failed us all.’

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