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22
Dec 2023
Call for North Yorkshire Council to 'step up' fossil fuel divestments
Campaigners have called on North Yorkshire Council to “step up” its divestment from fossil fuel companies.
Fossil Free North Yorkshire, which was set up in 2020, has called on the authority to reinvest its pension fund into sustainable projects.
The fund receives contributions from staff at 160 firms, plus past and present public sector workers.
Campaigners said they had met the council's pension fund committee on a number of occasions and welcomed a reduction in investments to about 1.8% of the total fund, but argued it still represented nearly £76m.
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Dr Margaret Jackson, from Fossil Free North Yorkshire, said the recent COP 28 meeting in Dubai had signalled a transition away from oil, gas and coal.
Local campaigners wrote to all North Yorkshire councillors calling on them to support the case for divestment by the council pension fund committee from fossil fuels and their reinvestment into sustainable projects.
Dr Jackson said:
In response, Gary Fielding, treasurer of the North Yorkshire pension fund, said the fund had already committed investment in renewable projects.
He said:
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