Thirty six faith institutions from eleven countries (Brazil, Argentina, India, the Philippines, Uganda, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, UK and USA) have announced their divestment from fossil fuels.
This highlights the urgent need to divest from fossil fuels and invest in clean alternatives in response to the growing climate crisis.
Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist institutions are among those divesting. The group includes the Church in Wales, with more than £700 million of assets under management, which voted to divest from fossil fuels at its Governing Body meeting in April 2021. It also includes the first Church of England dioceses to announce their divestment from fossil fuels – the Diocese of Bristol and the Diocese of Oxford.
The announcement takes place during Laudato Si’ Week, a celebration of the progress the Catholic Church has made on its journey to ecological conversion following Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change and ecology. The Diocese of Hallam becomes the fourth Catholic diocese in England and Wales to divest, as well as six Catholic dioceses in Ireland.
‘When faith communities divest from fossil fuels, it is a powerful reminder of both the practical and the moral depth of the climate crisis. There is no way to stand up for the most vulnerable people on earth, and to safeguard the rest of Creation, unless you’re willing to take on the fossil fuel industry’, said Bill McKibben, author, environmentalist and co-founder of 350.org.
For full details, please see the Bright Now website.
Climate Sunday
Local churches across Great Britain and Ireland are also being encouraged to hold a climate-focused service on any Sunday before COP26 (November 2021).
So far over 1,000 churches have joined in. Could your church add its voice this year?
The collective action and commitments from local churches across Great Britain and Ireland will be presented to UK Government at a Nations Climate Sunday Service in Glasgow on Sunday 5 September 2021.
For more details, see the Climate Sunday website.
