UPDATE: Campaigners To Encircle County Hall With 'Climate Crime Scene' Tape

Climate campaigners from across East Sussex are planning to peacefully encircle East Sussex County Council (ESCC)’s meeting today (Dec 7) with 400m of climate crime scene tape.

Councillors from Hastings Borough Council, Lewes District Council and Brighton & Hove City Council are expected to join the protest, happening at the County Hall in Lewes at 9.30am, declaring County Hall a ‘climate crime scene’.

Participants – some of whom will be wearing police helmets - are being encouraged to ‘bring a bell, whistle, drum or something similar to help make a noise that [the Council] won’t be able to ignore.’



Campaigners note that, two years after declaring a ‘climate emergency’, ESCC is still refusing to divest the East Sussex Pension Fund (which covers Brighton and Hove, as well as East Sussex) from fossil fuels; has rejected calls to endorse the Climate & Ecological Emergency Bill (which would ensure that the UK plays its fair and proper role in limiting global warming to 1.5°C); and appears to have done very little to make its ‘target’ of reducing the County’s carbon emissions by 13% a year a reality.



The East Sussex Pension Fund currently has tens of millions of pounds of local people’s pensions invested in the giant oil and gas companies like Shell and BP. Hastings Borough Council, Lewes Town Council, Lewes District Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, Bexhill Town Council, Peacehaven Town Council, UNISON, Maria Caulfield MP (Con, Lewes) and Caroline Lucas MP (Green, Brighton Pavilion) have all called on ESCC to stop investing in fossil fuels.

In October over 150 campaigners delivered a giant ‘Climate Fudge Cake’ to County Hall in protest over its failure to act. 

The protest has been organised by Divest East Sussex and XR Lewes and is being supported by Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth, Frack Free Sussex, Lewes Green Party, Lewes Labour Party, Transition Town Hastings, XR Eastbourne and XR Hastings & St Leonards.



A spokesperson for Divest East Sussex said:

"By clinging on to its investments in fossil fuel companies like Shell and BP, East Sussex County Council is effectively providing a fig-leaf for these companies’ ongoing attempts to block effective climate action.

"With the window of opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5ºC rapidly closing, this refusal to stop investing in fossil fuel companies is nothing less than criminal.

"It's time for the County Council to finally get serious about the climate crisis and commit to fully divesting local people's pensions from fossil fuels."

A spokesperson for XR Lewes said:

"In October we visited the offices of the Council with our climate fudge cake, to plead with them to take swift, meaningful action to fulfil their own promises. Inside the chamber, Councillors were busy torpedoing a proposal to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill, a groundbreaking piece of environmental legislation.

"We need strong, imaginative leadership to tackle the greatest crisis humanity has ever faced. Instead, we get political skullduggery. This is not acceptable. Now we say to the ESCC Councillors: we will see you again on 7 December.

"We'll be back in the New Year. And we'll continue to come back until you show you can be the leaders we need you to be."
 

In response to Divest East Sussex, ESCC said:

“The council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and approved a Climate Emergency Action Plan the following year. 

“Since 2008 the authority has cut carbon emissions by more than 60 per cent, switched to a 100 per cent renewable electricity tariff for streetlights and council buildings, and has run an energy efficiency fund that has paid for nearly 300 projects worth £3.8m, and which have generated annual savings of over £850,000.

“Last year the county council’s corporate emissions fell by 1,672 tonnes, or 13 per cent, compared with 2019/20, in line with its target and science-based carbon budget.  

“The council takes its role in addressing the global crisis extremely seriously and last month the council’s Cabinet approved investment of £3.05million to support the authority’s ongoing efforts to become carbon neutral as soon as possible and in any event by 2050.” 

A spokesperson for the East Sussex Pension Fund said:

“The East Sussex Pension Fund (the Fund) manages the pensions of over 78,000 members and on behalf of 130 employers, with the primary legal objective to pay pensions in full when they are due. Over the last 5 years, the Fund’s investments have consistently exceeded its performance targets. 

“The Fund has a policy of engagement first and engages with underlying investee companies through its investment managers and the membership of collaborative engagement groups. The Fund has been shortlisted twice for awards associated with its approach to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) issues.

“As the Fund is only a unit holder in pooled investments, and not a direct investor in companies, it does not select the underlying companies itself. The approach of engagement, rather than excluding sectors, is recommended by various government departments, the Fund’s advisers and a wide number of climate investment specialist organisations. 

“The Fund believes that climate change presents challenges to all Pension Funds which extend well beyond the fossil fuel sector. Its strategy combines investment in climate and sustainability solutions, coupled with engagement to promote decarbonisation in polluting companies and sectors, and as a means of nudging the private oil and gas majors to increasingly divert their cashflows towards renewable energy technologies and solutions.  

“The Fund has moved 10 per cent of its assets into investments looking specifically at making a positive impact on climate solutions and sustainability challenges, with a further 20 per cent invested in funds aligned to the Paris Agreement or resource efficient focused funds. A large portion of the remaining investments are in real assets so have no exposure to the fossil fuel industry.

“The Fund’s exposure to the fossil fuel sector has reduced from four per cent of assets in June 2020 to under two per cent in September 2021. Once approved changes in investments have been fully implemented this exposure will fall even further.”