Climate campaign groups call for action over West Sussex County Council pension investments

The campaign has since snowballed throughout the county, with more and more environmental groups and concerned pension holders joining. Early in 2020 Adur and Worthing councils wrote to WSCC asking them to divest and it said no.

Since Covid-19, the West Sussex Divestment campaign has continued, whilst following rules, with letter writing, lobbying councillors and an online petition. We are still waiting for action.

The vast majority of scientists agree we have less than 10 years to make the significant changes needed to avoid the Earth heating by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

A recent survey showed global ice loss is now in line with the worst-case scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Sea level rise will have serious impacts on coastal communities this century.

Research released in May 2020 by Imperial College, London and the International Energy Agency found renewables investments in Germany and France yielded returns of 178.2 per cent over a five-year period, compared with -20.7 per cent for fossil fuel investments. In the UK, also over five years, investments in green energy generated returns of 75.4 per cent compared to just 8.8 per cent for fossil fuels.

The broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has stated: “It is crazy that our banks and our pensions are investing in fossil fuels, when these are the very things that are jeopardising the future we are saving for.”

It is important to remember that the duty of pension funds is not solely financial, but that they also have a moral and ethical responsibility to future generations to halt the damage to their world that fossil fuels are causing.

Divestment should be part of all climate plans and would show that WSCC is genuinely committed to action on climate change, especially as the council have committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

On February 12 a divestment motion put forward by councillor Michael Jones of Crawley is scheduled to be debated by WSCC full council meeting. We need our councillors to listen to the science, back divestment and invest in renewable energy instead.

Emma Cameron, Worthing Climate Action Network

Pauline Cory, Transition Town Worthing

Mark Francis, Extinction Rebellion Horsham

Dereck Prentis, Global Justice Worthing

Emma Taylor, Extinction Rebellion Worthing

Sally Barnard, South East Climate Alliance

Cilla de Lande Long, Extinction Rebellion Mid Sussex

Extinction Rebellion Chichester