Entire Unitarian Church Votes to Divest from Fossil Fuels

[Judi Lynn]

Published on Sunday, June 29, 2014 by Common Dreams

Entire Unitarian Church Votes to Divest from Fossil Fuels

Church plans to maintain a few shares to engage in shareholder activism for climate movement

- Lauren McCauley, staff writer

Marking a major victory for the climate movement, the assembly of the Unitarian Universalists, representing over 1,000 congregations, voted on Saturday to divest their $175 million endowment from fossil fuel companies.

According to a church spokesperson, the 2,000 delegates in attendance at the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) meeting in Providence, RI, voted "overwhelmingly" to support a Fossil Fuel Divestment Business Resolution.

“We, private citizens and the private and nonprofit sectors, need to take matters into our own hands, and use every strategy we can to convince the government and public at large of our planetary emergency, and that we must act now," said Terry Wiggins, who helped lead the divestment effort.

“This is one tactic in an overall strategy in working against overdependence on fossil fuels,” Ed Horch, who took part in the vote, told the Providence Journal. “It’s not going to cause ExxonMobil to go broke, but that’s not what it’s intended to do.”

More:
https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/06/29-1

[grasswire]

1. uh....

....this vote took place at the General Assembly in Providence. The 2,000 delegates flew to Providence by airplane.

Last week I had a conversation with a family member who was a delegate, and asked about the wisdom/lack of wisdom of holding annual assemblies where thousands must fly to get there. I was told that younger members push for regional meetings, but the elders hold out for the single meeting where everyone must fly there.

[FBaggins]

2. It probably was more PR than substance... yes.

And it isn't as though the $175 million portfolio was likely to have much in oil stocks in the first place.