Sample email to election candidates

Subject: Will you commit to protecting local pensions and the planet?

Dear [insert name of candidate],

I am writing on behalf of [your divestment/climate group, if you are a member of one]. We are a group of residents of [insert your area] that have been campaigning for [insert name of your council’s pension fund (you can find this here)] to stop investing local pensions in planet-wrecking fossil fuels.

This winter, millions in UK homes were forced to choose between heating and eating as a result of skyrocketing gas prices. At the same time, the climate crisis escalates. 

In the meantime, our local councils have continued to back the culprits responsible by investing workers’ pensions in filthy fossil fuels. New research has revealed that council pensions are investing £16 billion in coal, oil and gas companies.

Fuel poverty, climate breakdown and energy insecurity are all symptoms of an unstable and unjust energy system, founded on fossil fuels.

This crisis will only intensify if we don’t divest from expensive fossil fuels and boost investment in affordable and future-proof renewables.

[Insert name of your council’s pension fund (you can find this here)] continues to gamble millions [OR insert the estimated value of fossil investments for your fund, which you can find here] on the fossil fuel industry, propping up a broken energy system and putting workers’ pension savings in jeopardy. Instead, they could be investing locally in cheap, clean energy and warmer homes; helping accelerate the transition to a liveable and just future, rather than undermining it.

This election is the perfect time for [insert name of council] to take their climate leadership to the next level by committing to stop investing in the world’s biggest polluters and exploring how this money can be invested back into our local economy.

[I am/We are] writing to you to ask that you agree to publicly back the following pledge:

“If elected, I will do all I can to ensure the council pension fund ends investment in fossil fuels within the next five years and invests in a just transition to a zero-carbon economy.”

If you agree, please fill in this short form.

You can also find social media assets and resources at this link to share your pledge with voters and encourage other candidates to do the same.

If you have any questions, UK Divest have prepared this short guide to divestment, which provides some more information on the issue.

[I/We] look forward to the opportunity to work together to advance climate action in [insert name of council], should you be [re-]elected.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name, role, and name of your group]