At Saturday's meeting of the Diocesan Synod, the Diocese of Hereford made a firm commitment to disinvest in fossil fuel funds. Sam Pratley, Diocesan Secretary, said: "We wanted to make it clear that this is an ethical commitment rather than a primarily financial decision, and part of the Diocesan journey towards our stated goal of achieving carbon net-zero by 2030."
The Synod approved the motion: "The Diocesan Board of Finance Trustees (Bishop’s Council) that the Board of Finance should withdraw permanently from all investment in fossil fuels by the end of December 2023."
The Rt Revd Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford, spoke in support of the motion, "As the bishop of one of the Church of England's most rural dioceses, I fully support the divestment of our diocesan funds from fossil fuels. We join a growing number of dioceses and other religious organisations that are taking a stand. We are facing a climate emergency, and it's up to all of us, as churches and as individuals, to do what we can to protect this planet for future generations, and our responsibility extends to where we invest our money."