Tug of war between fossil fuels and climate action

The past week has been a busy one for the campaign to get East Sussex County Council to stop investing in the giant fossil fuel companies driving the climate crisis, with actions in Lewes and Robertsbridge. HOT’s Gabriel Carlyle reports.

Tuesday (6 December) saw climate campaigners from across Brighton, Hove and East Sussex stage a tug of war between fossil fuels can and climate action outside County Hall in Lewes, demanding that East Sussex County Council (ESCC) take action on fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas).

The date had been chosen to coincide with ESCC’s Full Council meeting.

This year has seen devastating floods displace more than 30 million people in Pakistan, Europe experience what may be its worst drought in 500 years, and China experience the most severe heatwave ever recorded anywhere.

According to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres these events demonstrate ‘the sheer inadequacy of the global response to the climate crisis, and the betrayal and injustice at the heart of it’, with ‘fossil fuel corporations killing the planet to rake in the most.

Yet despite declaring a ‘climate emergency’ over three years ago, East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is still investing local people’s pensions in the giant oil companies – like Shell and BP – that are driving the climate crisis.

And the Council’s leader, Keith Glazier, has repeatedly refused to back calls for a proper permanent loophole-free windfall tax on the vast profits that these companies are making out of the cost-of-living crisis.

Pension Fund member Sarah Hazlehurst told HOT: “It’s time for East Sussex County Council to stop supporting the fossil fuel companies and start supporting real climate action – because you can’t support both.”

Tug of war

As has by now become traditional, those taking part gathered outside Lewes station before processing through the town led by local bagpiper and multi-instrumentalist Dirk Campbell.

On arrival, members of The Crude Oil Mechanicals, a company made up of East Sussex residents, performed their ‘tug of war’ street theatre to workers at the Hall – as well as to the large numbers of security guards that Council Leader Keith Glazier now deems necessary to ‘protect’ all such meetings from the general public.

Characters included Lord Oil, Lady Gas, Council Leader Keith Glazier, East Sussex Pension Committee chair Gerard Fox, the Wind, the Sun, and a nine-foot ‘corporate oil giant’.

Participants then proceeded to the back of the Hall, where they were able to make their presence known to the Councillors through the use of whistles and vuvuzelas, before processing down into Lewes town centre for a repeat performance for the general public.

3,300 signatures and counting

A wide range of local people and organisations are demanding that ESCC make a commitment to fully divest from fossil fuels, oppose the Government’s dash for gas in the North Sea, and support a proper windfall tax on Big Oil’s massive profits.

(The East Sussex Pension Fund, which is administered by East Sussex County Council (ESCC), currently has tens of millions of pounds of local people’s pension monies invested in the giant oil and gas companies, like Shell and BP, that are driving the climate crisis. The Fund covers Brighton & Hove as well as East Sussex.)

A petition with these demands has already been signed by at least 3,300 members of the public (you can add your signature here). According to its own rules, ESCC will have to debate these issues once this petition reaches 5,000 signatures.

Elves and santas

Hastings and St Leonards were well-represented at Tuesday’s demonstration, as at a follow-up divestment carol singing session that took place in Robertsbridge on Saturday (10 December).

Campaigners dressed as elves and santas took to the streets of the Norther Rother-based village with a series of divestment- and climate change-themed carols.

The location was chosen, as the County Councillor for Robertsbridge (Paul Redstone) is on five East Sussex County Councillors with decision-making power for the East Sussex Pension Fund.

In July, Councillr Redstone voted against fossil fuel divestment and then denied having done so. He had earlier objected to such a vote even taking place on the grounds that he was ‘really concerned’ that ‘we would be tarred as a committee with having voted against divestment’.

Divest East Sussex is encouraging concerned members of the public to send seasonal cards to Councillor Redstone, urging him to listen to Bexhill Town Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, Hastings Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Lewes Town Council, Peacehaven Town Council, UNISON, Maria Caulfield MP (Cons, Lewes) and Caroline Lucas MP (Green, Brighton Pavilion) and make a public commitment to stop investing local people’s pensions in the fossil fuel companies that are driving the climate crisis.

Full details, including template messages and where to send your cards can be found here.

* Tuesday’s action at County Hall was organised by Divest East Sussex, Lewes Climate Hub, XR Lewes, XR Hastings & St Leonards and XR Eastbourne, with the support of Rother Green Party and the Seaford Environmental Alliance.

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