Divest Camden: Anti-fossil fuel campaigners project message on to Camden Town Hall

A giant projection lit up Camden Town Hall on Wednesday December 5 as green campaigners demanded that the council divest from fossil fuels.

Campaigner Finnian Murtagh’s group Divest Camden has been lobbying the council for almost two years to remove fossil fuel companies from its pension fund.

Finnian said: “We’ve given constructive dialogue a try. There’s been no movement at all.”

“The industry can’t continue to exist if we’re going to prevent climate chaos,” he added.

Islington council committed to divest in September, and Mr Murtagh pointed out that Camden was the first council to divest from South African investments during apartheid.

Councillor Rishi Madlani, who chairs the town hall’s pensions committee, said the committee takes climate change “very seriously” but believes in “robust engagement” with fossil fuel companies.

He said in 2017 the committee made climate change a “standalone risk” on its risk register and added: “To meet 1.5C targets we need all our investments to be focussed on how they will support the transition to a new lower carbon world.”