Bright Now

Today, 47 faith institutions from 21 countries, including nine institutions from the UK, announce their divestment from fossil fuels as a practical response to the climate emergency.

Participating institutions include five Catholic religious orders in the UK, two United Reformed Church Synods, UK-based local Anglican and Methodist churches, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (Catholic) and American Jewish World Service.

The United Reformed Church’s (URC) West Midlands Synod Trust has decided to end investments in fossil fuel companies, becoming the latest URC organisation to divest.

The Synod Trust reported at a meeting in January that it had completed its divestment process. The action is taken as part of the Synod’s commitment to reducing the human impact on the climate.

Operation Noah is delighted to announce that 20 Christian organisations in the UK – including churches, dioceses, Synods and religious orders – have announced their divestment from fossil fuels as part of the Epiphany Declaration for Fossil Free Churches. 

Investment management company CCLA, which manages investments on behalf of many Church of England dioceses and local churches, as well as Churches of other denominations, has announced that its COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund is going fossil free.

The United Reformed Church Synod of Wales has decided to end investments in fossil fuel companies. A Synod meeting on Saturday 19 October passed a resolution on divestment proposed by members of Beulah United Reformed Church in Cardiff, which was the first local church in Wales to divest from fossil fuels.

A diverse coalition of 22 faith institutions from around the world have just announced their decision to divest from fossil fuels.

With these commitments and others, the world has reached a new milestone. Since 2014, the value of institutions divesting from fossil fuels has risen from a starting point of $50 billion to more than $11 trillion of assets today.