UK Councils:

Fuelling the Fire

New data has revealed that councils across the UK are investing more than £16 billion in the fossil fuel industry – the companies responsible for the climate crisis.

It’s time for our local councils to stop #fuellingthefire and divest.

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Take Action

With Fuelling the Fire, we’re raising the heat on councils who are still propping up the industry responsible for climate change. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to keep up the pressure to divest locally, and to build support for the campaign.

Want to get involved? Here are four ways you can take action:
1. Email your councillors

Use our quick and easy email tool to write to your councillors asking them to support divestment.

Depending on where you’re based, click the link below to use the tool:

You can also find out which councillors sit on the pension committee via the council website – targeting them is a powerful way to reach the decision-makers directly. If you need help getting in touch with the right people, email ellen@350.org and we’ll help you out.

If you’re part of a divestment campaign, you could work to get more local people writing to decision-makers – you could share the email tool on social media, or go out on the streets and collect written submissions to show the breadth of support and build your campaign’s profile.

2. If you’re not already part of a local campaign, get stuck in!

There’s a network of 30+ campaigning groups working on local government divestment across the country. Find your local campaign here, or by emailing ellen@350.org.

If there isn’t a campaign near you and you’d like to get one going – let us know! We can support you with training and resources, and link you up with other campaigns. You could start by launching a petition on the Fossil Free petitions site.

3. Organise a photo action

If you really want to grab the attention of councillors, the press and the local community, why not plan a creative and visual action outside your council offices, town hall or a local landmark?

  • You could find a way to visually represent the amount your council invests in the fossil fuel industry – spell it out with a beautiful banner, people, umbrellas, or something else entirely!
  • You could also use a visual action to strengthen understanding of the links between our councils, their investments in fossil fuels, and the impacts of the climate crisis. This could be anything from a fake oil spill, to erecting a fracking rig in your town square, to a vigil or solidarity photo for impacted communities. Check out these climate impacts action ideas for some more inspiration.

Whatever you do, make sure to get a great photo and let us know what you did! You can use our Action Development Checklist or this organising guide from the Global Divestment Mobilisation to help plan an amazing action.

4. Campaign in your union for divestment

This year, unanimous motions supporting fossil fuel divestment passed at Unison’s national conference and the Trades Union Congress, all due to the tireless campaigning of grassroots union members. Now we need to turn these policy wins into action.

Are you a member in a trade union? If so, fill out this form to get involved with divestment campaigning,

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Councils: Fuelling the Fire

A global climate crisis is underway, with extreme weather and rising sea levels threatening the lives of millions of people.

On November 9th – during the COP23 international climate talks – we will reveal how much the UK’s local councils are investing in the oil, coal and gas companies responsible for climate change.

We must stop investing in the climate crisis. It’s time for our local councils to stop #fuellingthefire and divest.

We’ll be releasing data about every council pension fund in the UK, showing how much they invest in the fossil fuel industry, and in exactly which companies.

We will also be producing an action guide and media pack to help you use the data to build support for divestment.

If you’re interested in taking action, campaigning, or getting #fuellingthefire in your local press - sign up and we’ll send you updates and resources.

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