The Quakers in Britain have become a signatory to a new global initiative, the Green Investment Declaration, to fund a greener future.
Supported by UK charities Operation Noah and JustMoney Movement, the Declaration celebrates progress made within Christian organisations that are moving their money into climate solutions as part of the fight against climate change.
The Quakers have been awarded Oak level of the initiative, in recognition of their commitment to help fund a green, clean transition and in particular their commitment to investing more than 5% of their financial assets in climate solutions1.
Paul Parker, Recording Clerk of Quakers in Britain said, “For us the Green Investment Declaration was important to join because if you are taking action for the environment and for the climate we should both do that and speak about it … Being part of this movement with the Green Investment Declaration is about being part of a community of organisations who see investment as one of the tools we have to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth”
Clare Fussell, Campaign Director for Operation Noah said, “We are delighted that the Quakers in Britain have signed the Green Investment Declaration. We need to urgently shift to a low carbon economy if we are to reach net zero by 2050 and avert catastrophic warming of the planet. By signing this Declaration, the Quakers are once again showing important leadership to the wider investment world. We call on other organisations to do likewise.”
Finance is critical to enabling the world to transition to net zero; however, we are well short of the investment needed and time is running out. We need a huge and immediate injection of private finance, as well as public funds, to transition towards a greener and safer future.
Internationally, Churches manage billions of pounds of investments, with a UN Environment Programme official calling global faith groups the third largest economic power on earth. Church Investors Group’s 67 members (largely from Britain and Ireland) have combined investment assets of over £26bn.
As faith groups, investing in climate solutions is more crucial than ever as global emissions must be nearly halved by 2030 in order to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. It is one way faith organisations can put their money where their faith is and help create a liveable future with cleaner alternatives for transport, energy generation and industry.
1Currently 12.2 per cent of their portfolio is invested in ‘sustainable impact investments’, and 8 per cent directly into renewable energy projects.
