Church Commissioners review coalfield bid
THE Church Commissioners are reviewing a £2.7-billion bid for a huge coalfield in Australia by the mining giant Glencore, who agreed new climate-change disclosure rules after pressure from the Commissioners last year (News, 3 June 2016). Other mining firms are moving away from coal, considered to be the “dirtiest” fossil fuel. In a statement, the Commissioners’ spokesman said that, while fossil fuels would be part of the energy mix for years, they must be a “declining component”. If Glencore did not engage with the Commissioners to manage the transition away from fossil fuels, the Commissioners might end up disinvesting entirely, the spokesman said.
Anglican pacifists seek nominees for award
THE Anglican Pacifist Fellowship is seeking nominees for this year’s Wilson/Hinkes Peace Award, which is made in October during the Week of Prayer for World Peace. The Fellowship, which is sponsoring this year’s award, wants to highlight grass-roots initiatives that further peace, justice, and reconciliation, to “inspire others to work for peace”. Nominations can be sent to the Fellowship at Peace House, 19 Paradise Street, Oxford OX1 1LD. anglicanpeacemaker.org.uk
Investors’ climate concern wins recognition
AIMING For A, an investors’ initiative that seeks to put shareholder pressure on companies to do more about climate change, has won the first ever Responsible Investor Award for Innovation and Leadership in the collaborations category. Aiming For A includes the Church of England’s national investing bodies as well as the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church. It is about to be merged into a new and significantly larger group of 137 institutional investors concerned about climate change, who manage assets worth £14 trillion.
Correction. Last week’s news item about John Smyth failed to make clear that the beatings of which he is accused took place in his garden shed in Winchester. There is no suggestion that they occurred at any of the Iwerne camps. We apologise for this error.