Climate and Our Money

Divest Invest

DIVEST–INVEST
2023 Forum: How to Stop Funding Fossil Fuels 

Now Available:  the Recording, the PowerPoint and a Resource Guide to Fossil Fuel Divestment and Reinvestment

Forty people joined a local forum about how individuals and faith communities can help push back against climate change through our financial decisions.  It was presented by Durham Friends Meeting’s Earth Care Witness Committee (Quaker) and cosponsored by ICCT on November 2, 2023.  The speakers and their topics were:

Jennie Ratcliffe, the author of Nothing Lowly in the Universe: An Integral Approach to the Ecological Crisis spoke to:

    • the spiritual ground of our concern about the climate crisis,
    • current and planned fossil fuel investments around the world, and
    • why individually divesting from fossil fuels, supporting divestment campaigns, and reinvesting in environmentally responsible funds, are among the most effective environmental actions we can take.

Dale Evarts, climate activist and formerly with EPA’s climate and international group, covered:

    • examples from financial institutions to corporations that fund and support the fossil fuel industry,
    • practical tips on how individuals and congregations can divest our financial assets (credit cards, bank accounts, investments) from the financial institutions that fund fossil fuels, and
    • ways to sign up with national movements aiming to enlist hundreds of thousands of people in this effort.

The forum began with Jennie Ratcliffe’s PowerPoint presentation. It continued with Dale Evarts’ presentation using the Guide to Fossil Fuel Divestment and Reinvestment.  You can find these resources here.

  • Jennie Ratcliffe’s slide presentation. 
  • Recording of the forum. 
  • Chapter links are included in the video for quick access to Jennie’s and Dale’s portion of the  presentation.
  • Dale uses the Guide to Fossil Fuel Divestment and Reinvestment, a brief collection of resources that direct you to all the tools and information you need to get involved! This guide was prepared by Jennie Ratcliffe and members of the Earth Care Witness Committee, Durham Friends Meeting and updated in September, 2023.