Hundreds of faith organizations from across the world will divest their funds from fossil fuels, as they seek for climate recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Father Endra Wijayanta, from Indonesia’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Semarang, said:
In this COVID-19 pandemic, it is the exact time not only to reflect but to act. We have to stop our ecological spiral of death. We have to revive our ecological hope, in massive repentance of humankind, by taking the pathway to more sustainable living.
Catholic Churches, Anglican, Methodist, United Reformed, Baptist, Quaker and Buddhist institutions, will join 43 faith-based institutions in the largest-ever joint divestment by religious groups. Some institutions involved include those in the US, Brazil, the UK, Argentina, Ecuador, Italy, Spain, Australia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Ireland, Kenya, and Colombia. The religious institutions together have over £1.1 billion in funds under management.
This comes after the news that half of the UK’s universities will divest from the fossil fuel industry.
James Buchanan, from Operation Noah, stressed:
The decisions we make now will affect the future of humanity for thousands of years. These faith institutions are showing strong leadership in response to the climate crisis, and we urge governments around the world to follow their lead in ending support for fossil fuels and investing in the clean technologies of the future.
Among the religious organizations who will divest funds include:
- Diocese of Arundel & Brighton (Catholic Church)
- Sisters of St Josephs of Peace (UK) (Catholic Church)
- Jesuits in Britain (Catholic Church)
- Mersey Synod (United Reformed Church)
- West Midlands Synod (United Reformed Church)
- Trinity United Church, Ringwood (United Reformed Church)
- Northern Synod (United Reformed Church)
- Westminster College, Cambridge (United Reformed Church)
- Stroud Methodist Church (Methodist)
- Banner Cross Methodist Church, Sheffield (Methodist)
- Lancaster Methodist Church (Methodist)
- Wellspring Church, Wirksworth (Baptist/Methodist)
- Dronfield Baptist Church (Baptist)
- Dunscore Parish Church (Church of Scotland)
- St Peter and St Pauls, Chaldon (Church of England)
- Oasis Churches and Global Charity (Non-denominational network of churches and charity)
- York Quaker Area Meeting (Quakers in Britain)
- Sussex East Quaker Area Meeting (Quakers in Britain)
- Hereford Quaker Local Meeting (Quakers in Britain)
- North East Thames Quaker Trust (Quakers in Britain)
- Triratna Buddhist Community Highlands (Buddhist)
- Franciscan Action Network (Catholic)
The Ex-Archbishop of Canterbury, Rt Revd Dr. Rowan Williams, explained:
The current health crisis has highlighted as never before the need for coherent international action in the face of global threat. Can we learn the lesson and apply it to the global threat of climate change? To do so means taking practical and effective steps to reduce our lethal dependence on fossil fuels.
If you want to see the full list of the 43 institutions divesting from fossil fuels and statements from leaders, click here.
