The Stop Climate Chaos coalition meet tomorrow to present and hear suggestions on Climate Change campaigning in 2011.
How are we going to make it zoom, people ?
From some of my project work with faith groups, I had this suggestion to make :-
Alliance with Ethical Investment groups
“Put your money where your mouth is”
Following on from the Church of England selling its shares in Vedanta :-
http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=9871
it was hoped that the Church of England investment portfolio would continue to be “cleaned up”. But there appears to be a long way to travel.
The Anglican Communion worldwide includes environmental protection as its “Fifth Mark of Mission”, and the Church of England is part of the international interfaith “seven year plans” :-
http://www.anglican.ca/search/faq/037.htm
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10009.html
but the Church Commissioners report in the last year has confirmed that the Church of England still holds shares in companies such as BP, responsible for ecological devastation of the Gulf of Mexico :-
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/12234
Groups such as the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility and National Ethical Investment Week are all active in encouraging communities to put their money where their mouth is – and the faith communities have a very large amount to play with :-
http://www.arcworld.org/about_ARC.htm
http://www.eccr.org.uk/AboutUs
http://www.neiw.org/about
With the launch of the Green Investment Bank – even though severely under-capitalised – there is a chance to tie up the questions to the answers.
If every consumer choice were a green choice, there would be no environmental problem. The only way to reach that point is for every contract, every stock and share, every procurement order, every transport vehicle, every energy source and every material resource to be green.
The choices that companies make in the business they conduct is based on the premise that people want what they sell so much they are prepared to invest directly in them as well as buy their products.
There are several levers for change here. Investment, such as pension funds, if moved in bulk, can have a de-securitisation effect on unsustainable business models. Not so much a “boycott” as a “landslide” of change.
The faith communities have already proved that they can change international commerce with the Fair Trade movement. Now it’s time for the Green Investment movement.
