Fossil Free Parliament’s first long-term action is to call on all MPs and Peers to sign a No Fossil Funding pledge – to reject any and all benefits from the fossil fuel industry and its affiliates.
It is very clear that if we are to have a chance of keeping global heating to the 1.5 degree limit set by the Paris Agreement, the vast majority of fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground. This has been argued by experts all over the globe, including the International Energy Agency, who advised in their 2021 report on achieving net zero emissions, that there can be “no investment in new fossil fuel supply projects”. Despite this (and their own green claims) the vast majority of fossil fuel companies are committed to pursuing further fossil fuel extraction, prioritising their profits over taking responsibility for their leading part in jeopardising the liveability of our planet.
One of the ways that the fossil fuel industry garners political support for its destructive business model is through the offer of benefits – like gifts and donations – to decision-makers. When decision-makers accept such benefits, they implicitly condone the industry’s dangerous disregard for its role in accelerating the climate crisis, and open themselves up to potential further influence in favour of the industry’s interests.
By signing the No Fossil Funding pledge, MPs and Peers can send a clear statement to the fossil fuel industry and to the public that their favour cannot be bought.
Do you have five minutes to write to your MP to ask them to sign the pledge?
If you are an MP or a Peer (or an MP or Peer’s staffer) you can read and sign the pledge here
Which MPs and Peers have already signed the pledge?
(In alphabetical order, by party and surname)
Kenny MacAskill – Alba Party MP for East Lothian
Natalie Bennett – Green Party Peer
Caroline Lucas – Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion
Claudia Webbe – Independent MP for Leicester East
Claire Hanna – Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party MP for Belfast South
Olivia Blake – Labour Party MP for Sheffield Hallam
Richard Burgon – Labour Party MP for Leeds East
Rachael Maskell – Labour Party MP for York Central
Zarah Sultana – Labour Party MP for Coventry South
Nadia Whittome – Labour Party MP for Nottingham East
Wera Hobhouse – Liberal Democrat Party MP for Bath
Lord Robin Teverson – Liberal Democrat Party Peer
Ben Lake – Plaid Cymru Party MP for Ceredigion
Liz Saville Roberts – Plaid Cymru Party MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Ronnie Cowan – Scottish National Party MP for Inverclyde
Martyn Day – Scottish National Party MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk
Patricia Gibson – Scottish National Party MP North Ayrshire and Arran
Drew Hendry – Scottish National Party MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Kirsten Oswald – Scottish National Party MP for East Renfrewshire
Tommy Sheppard – Scottish National Party MP for Edinburgh East
Órfhlaith Begley – Sinn Féin MP for West Tyrone