The Big Shift: Campaigning together
Christian Aid campaigner Luke Harman highlights how the Big Shift campaign is growing and why campaigning alongside others is in Christian Aid’s DNA.
I’ve worked at Christian Aid for more than five years. Through that time, I’ve worked with a team that has changed, people have come and gone and we’ve had great successes in campaigning for tax and climate justice.
But one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to working for a world in which no one should have to live in poverty. It’s an honour to work with people like you who share our belief in life before death, through your support for Christian Aid and in all the ways you give, act and pray:
to expose the scandal of poverty
to help in practical ways to root it out from the world
to challenge and change structures and systems that favour the rich and powerful over the poor and marginalised.
Our faith calls us to stand with the poor and marginalised like Jesus did. This can be challenging at times. That’s why, throughout our history, we’ve worked with others to challenge those systems and structures. We work through local partners in 39 countries around the world. We build international networks to work together on huge global issues like climate change and tax dodging. We form coalition campaigns like the hugely successful Jubilee Debt Campaign.
Working and campaigning together to bring about change is at the heart of what we do.
Climate change is now one of the greatest challenges we collectively face, disrupting the balance of God’s beautiful creation and causing harm to our sisters and brothers. The need to come together has never been greater. By building on long-fought-for momentum, we’re doing just that.
The Big Shift
In the summer of 2015, we launched the Big Shift campaign with the aim of moving money out of the extraction of fossil fuels, a huge driver of the climate change which is affecting some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. We need that money to be invested in the renewable energy needed to restore balance to the world and ensure that all God’s people can thrive, not just survive.
Alongside others, we helped persuade the UK government to phase out our use of coal (the dirtiest fossil fuel) and sent investors a clear signal about the kind of energy investment this country wants and needs. We’ve also spent this year encouraging and supporting hundreds of UK churches to switch their own electricity to clean energy providers. But the UK is only part of the story.
The Big Shift has gone global
From the World Bank to the UK’s high street banks, campaigners across the world are united in calling for the Big Shift away from fossil fuels.
This autumn, we attended meetings of the World Bank with Reverend Suzanne Matale from the Council of Churches in Zambia, and launched our ‘Financing our future’ report.
This new research shows that the World Bank has been contributing to further financing of coal power stations. Together with our partners and supporters like you, we need to challenge this continued funding of the fossil fuels that are causing damaging climate change.
In the UK, thousands of campaigners are now calling on the biggest banks to come up with plans for making the Big Shift to investing in renewable energy.
Just last week at the twenty-second UN climate talks in Marrakesh our partners made the case for getting finance out of fossil fuels through stunts that got the attention of delegates and people across the world.
So, what next?
As part of a powerful international alliance with CAN-International, CAFOD, Oil Change International, BIC and Vasudha foundation, we’re continuing to pressure and influence the World Bank. Meanwhile, friends and partners in six countries across three continents are developing regional plans to get money out of fossil fuels.
And in the UK, churches and campaigners are making plans to increase the pressure on UK banks in 2017.
The Big Shift away from fossil fuels has already begun, it’s happening everywhere and the momentum is growing. How will you join in?
Why not start by taking our online action challenging the biggest banks in the UK to shift their investments from fossil fuels to clean energy?
