When SWAP was founded in July 2020, it agreed 3 key objectives aimed at Brunel and each LGPS:
In February 2023 Brunel published the following statement on their website:
"The key objective of our climate policy is to systematically change the investment industry to ensure that it is fit for purpose for a world where the temperature rise needs to be kept to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels."
This is a step change from their previous position. However it is unclear how a 1.5°C limit can be achieved through continued investment in fossil fuels, as their intentions are to continue expansion of oil & gas extraction, increasing GHG emissions. Scientists, the UN, the IEA, etc are clear that it can’t.
Minutes of the meeting with Brunel Pension Partnership can be viewed and downloaded here.
Further dialogue between SWAP and Brunel will be published on this page as it becomes available.
To achieve objectives #1 and #2 we need a mass movement of people across the Brunel patch (see map above), to persuade their Council Pension Fund to take the last remaining £ millions (that's pension fund member's and council tax payer's money), out of dirty fossil fuels, and into sustainable investments that will create a genuinely safe future for us all.
Click on the map to go to a page for your LGPS area. You will find contacts for the local campaign group, plus the campaign toolkit with lots of useful guidance on the actions you can take. collectively and individually!
You can watch and listen to the recording of our SWAP Campaign Launch Event (May 2022), with talks from Carla Denyer (Green Party Co-Leader and Bristol City Councillor), Roger McKenzie (General Secretary Liberation), Gareth Lowe (Unite SW Regional Lead Environment Officer), Joel Moreland (Professional Climate Investor)
To contact SWAP central group email Caz de-net@hotmail.co.uk and/or Julie-Ann juliebooker@btinternet.com, who are enthusiastic to hear from you!
If you go to dtaction.co.uk/pensions, you will find more background info about SWAP.
Lots of useful information on the UK Divest Resources page
The transition away from a fossil-fuel based economy, will bring changes to the type of work people may do in the near future, and generates positive opportunities. This book by the Campaign Against Climate Change (Trade Union Group) is very informative.
Click on the image to access a PDF version
