CHURCH AND CHARITIES IN OIL CALL

The Church of Scotland and other faith charities have sent an open letter to the chairmen of three oil companies, asking them to align their business plans with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Christian Aid Scotland and Eco Congregation Scotland joined the Church in calling on BP, Shell and Total to make the radical changes needed to keep global warming as far below 2C as possible.

The Rev Dr Richard Frazer, Convener of Church and Society Council said: “Oil companies have a critical role in deciding whether or not global warming stays within targets set by the Paris agreement of 2015.

“That agreement was to limit global warming to 1.5°C if possible and at most 2°C. I am now writing to ask them to tell us if they are committed to limit global warming and if so what are they going to do?”

In October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that urgent changes are necessary to achieve climate targets and avoid the dangers of drought, extreme heat, loods and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.

Sally Foster Fulton, Head of Christian Aid Scotland, said: “Right now, climate change is eroding life for the most vulnerable in our world and robbing our children of a future.

Right now is the only time we have and time is running out. Christian Aid Scotland stands together with the Church of Scotland and Eco-congregations Scotland in asking oil and gas companies to be leaders and solution-makers, moving intentionally and quickly to a fossil-free future.”

Burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal causes carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere, one of the principal causes of global warming. The Paris Climate Agreement urges a transition toward low carbon energy sources.

Mary Sweetland, Chair of Eco-Congregation Scotland said: “We need to drastically reduce our use of carbon fuels, as the recent IPCC report shows. Big oil companies promised to clean up their act to meet the Paris commitments; now we need to know how quickly they are changing.”

The Church of Scotland sent the letters to BP, Shell and Total, because it currently invests in those companies.

The 2018 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland voted not to withdraw the Church’s investment in oil companies, but to engage with the industry and urge the companies to align their business plans with the Paris Climate Agreement.

This article appears in the January 2019 Issue of Life and Work

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