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This blog post was written for www.brightnow.co.uk Blog 21 MAY 2018 The Church of Ireland votes to divest from fossil fuels The Church of Ireland’s General Synod voted last week in favour of  full divestment from fossil fuels . Campaigner Stephen Trew explains how it happened. At the Church of Ireland General Synod 2018, I proposed a motion to exclude investments in all companies where more than 10% of turnover is from the production of fossil fuels. It was a long shot, for I am just a regular parishioner, not a member of the Standing Committee or the Representative Church Body (RCB). If it was successful, the RCB would have to divest millions of euro from fossil fuel producing companies over the next four years. The motion passed. The successful vote was by an overwhelming majority: about 80% supported it. Synod members were presented with the strong ethical case of withdrawing investments from an industry that causes human suffering and that poses an incre...

This article was published by the Christian Times 14 May 2018 Church of Ireland votes to divest from fossil fuel companies by 2022 Jardine Malado 14 MAY, 2018 (Wikimedia Commons/TripodStories- AB) The Church of Ireland has voted to divest from companies involved in production of fossil fuels such as oil and coal. The Church of Ireland has voted to stop investing in companies involved in fossil fuel production by 2022 as part of its efforts to reduce the impact of climate change. According to  Irish Times , the Church will be divesting from companies with more than 10 percent turnover from fossil fuel production by 2022. "Ethical investors around the world, and now the Church of Ireland, have looked at the ethics and the risks and concluded that divestment from all fossil fuels is the right thing to do," said Synod member Stephen Trew, as reported by  Irish Times . Th...

This article was published by the Climate Action Programme on 14 May 2018 Church of Ireland approves motion to divest from fossil fuels The Anglican Church in Ireland has voted to put an end to its major investments in fossil fuel companies. The decision came at the church’s annual General Synod meeting last week, after a motion was put forward by a private member. The move means the Church of Ireland is now committed to removing investments from all companies which derive more than 10 percent of their income from fossil fuels. The motion has a target date of 2022, slightly amended from 2020 by other members. At the same time, the church intends to continue supporting renewable energy investments and new environmental projects. Its exposure to fossil fuel companies has already declined from 11 percent to 2.5 percent in the past seven years. Stephen Trew, who put forward the proposal, highlighted the moral urgency to address the increasing impacts of climate change in Ire...

This is the article in today's Irish Times Church of Ireland to end investments in fossil fuel companies ‘Divestment from all fossil fuels is the right thing to do’ Patsy McGarry Share to LinkedIn Share to Pinterest Share to Reddit Share to Google+     Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Email App The  Church of Ireland  has made a significant advance to end its investments in all fossil fuels at its General Synod in  Armagh . It voted to exclude fully companies with a turnover of greater than 10 per cent from fossil fuel production, by 2022. As part of its ethical stance in climate change the church has made a major shift in its investments over the past seven years from fossil fuels towards renewable energy and forestry. In 2011, its investment funds exposure to fossil fuels was at 10 per cent and by this year it is down to 2.5 per cent. Church of Ireland’s investments are managed by its Representative C...

The @churchofireland General Synod has voted to divest from ALL fossil fuels. https://t.co/q0chyMMTXH … #divest #fossilfuels #keepitintheground pic.twitter.com/usndD2s1ez — Stephen Trew (@stephentrew) May 11, 2018

 Your Grace, members of Synod. The motion before us today is about the ethics of investments. Investments that provide funds for the work and mission of the church – from pensions to priorities and the episcopate. In the Bible, mission is often described as a journey. And as we move forward in mission, the impact of climate change – its effects on people and our response – will deeply affect our mission. So, let us pause and survey the landscape of the last year. How has the RCB responded to the environmental challenge and what is happening in the world? In the last 12 months the RCB has responded very positively. It has started a number of environmental projects and has managed investments wisely. This is good news and the RCB team need to be applauded for this. But around the world in the last year the impact of climate change on people is very real, I see Maria from Kiribati Island in the Pacific, whose crops are ruined by salt water intrusion from the r...

At General Synod 2018 the Church of Ireland will take an important vote on whether to exclude investments from all fossil fuel companies. It is important for two reasons, one financial and the other ethical. But before I turn to answer those questions I’d like to answer a question some might be asking, Did the Church of Ireland not vote to exclude fossil fuels in 2017? Last year the motion approved by General Synod excluded companies where greater than 10% of turnover comes from the production of coal and tar-sands. The motion did not exclude companies that produce oil and gas. The motion before Synod 2018 seeks to exclude companies where more than 10% of turnover comes from oil and gas. What are the financial reasons to exclude all fossil fuel producing companies? Fossil fuel companies were for many years a safe bet for investments. The Investment managers in the Church of Ireland have told me that the dividend payments are generally good. But in recent years the probl...