Fossil Free UMC is building on momentum achieved at General Conference! Every United Methodist in every Annual Conference has the opportunity, right now, to move forward with our mission to “faithfully address climate change by screening out fossil fuels from our investments at all levels of the church and by investing in goods and services that support a just transition to a clean energy future.”
Already, Wespath has announced more divestment options for clergy and annual conferences, and Faith Foundations are starting to divest.
As we stride into a clean, sustainable, and faithful future, the next step is to grow this movement at local churches, create accountability for our agencies, and ask our annual conferences divest from fossil fuels. Working at every level of the church also builds forward momentum toward the next General Conference!
We can save 9 million lives every year. You can support this effort in your local church or through your green team by submitting a resolution to your Annual Conference this year or, if it’s too late, next year. Here are two model annual conference fossil fuel divestment resolutions and here is the story about UMC Faith Foundation Northwest’s divestment from fossil fuels. Below are five reasons for annual conferences to divest from fossil fuels.
- Our Faith Calls us to Respond to Suffering. The United Methodist Church has always responded in Christ’s love to the hurt, pain, and suffering around the world. Fossil fuels harm God’s good creation and causes untold suffering for millions of God’s people, some who are dying, some who are displaced, many of whom contributed little or nothing to the problem. What is at stake today and future climate projections demand strong climate action to alleviate that suffering and prevent further harm. If we divest from fossil fuels and re-invest that money in sustainable sources of energy, we will provide capital to the sustainable energy industry and hasten the transition away from fossil fuels.
- Divesting from fossil fuels is an act of solidarity. Climate change impacts are disproportionate: nations that contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions are impacted most by climate change. Fossil fuel pollution impacts are disproportionate: in the quest for fossil fuel profits, poorer countries and communities become sacrifice zones. Children are more vulnerable to climate impacts and fossil fuel pollution than adults. The United Methodist Church calls for “the institution of environmentally just principles, policies and practices” (The United Methodist Revised Social Principles, page 11). Fossil fuel divestment is an environmentally just practice that moves the UMC in the direction of climate justice.
- Financially, we do not need to invest in fossil fuels, and it’s wrong to profit from the grave harm they cause. Many fossil-free funds outperform fossil fuel investments, including those that Wespath administers. For a decade, fossil fuel investments have underperformed. Portfolios that avoided investments in fossil fuels had higher returns. Fossil fuel stocks are risky for the climate and for the bottom line. Our pastors, churches, the communities we serve, and God’s beloved creation deserve our financial institutions to practice fiduciary responsibility as well as social and environmental responsibility. Divesting from fossil fuels and investing instead in a just, clean energy future aligns our financial stewardship with our ministries and missions.
- Divestment is an Act of Faith. More than 1,600 institutions have already divested from fossil fuels, with combined assets worth over $40.63 trillion. Faith-based organizations account for 35 percent of these institutions. Those who have divested from fossil fuels include religious orders, Catholic dioceses, and denominations: the United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, Unitarian Universalist Association, Presbyterian Church USA, the United Reformed Church, the Church of England, Quakers in Britain, Baptist Union of Great Britain, and many more. Our sisters and brothers in the British Methodist Church have divested as a witness to their commitment to Christ. It is time for The United Methodist Church to join them. (See Who Has Divested from Fossil Fuels.)
- Stockholder engagement with the fossil fuel industry doesn’t work. The earth is facing the most serious environmental crisis of its history, a crisis caused by the fossil fuel industry even though it knew of the dangers 50 years ago. Instead of beginning a transition to renewable energy, the industry covered up the science and continues to lobby governments to stall climate action. The fossil fuel industry caused the problem as it enjoyed record profits. It is not going to solve it. The United Methodist Church owns more than 1 billion dollars in fossil fuel companies. Instead, we need to stop providing moral cover for corporate bad actors through association and investments.
Be encouraged! We are moving forward with Spirit, heart, and urgency and we hope you will Join Us. Subscribe to our posts at the bottom of our Home Page. Sign on to Our Call for Divestment. Download a printable sign-on sheet, and circulate it in your church.
The Reverend Sharon Delgado is on the Coordinating Committee of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement and is the Convener of Fossil Free UMC. She is author of The Cross in the Midst of Creation, Love in a Time of Climate Change, and Shaking the Gates of Hell.
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