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| Do no harm: the Wellcome Trust should not profit from the fossil fuel industry | Do no harm: the Wellcome Trust should not profit from the fossil fuel industry |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Dear members of the Wellcome Trust Executive Board, | Dear members of the Wellcome Trust Executive Board, |
| We write as concerned health professionals and academics in relation to the Guardian’s Keep It In the Ground campaign calling on the Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation to divest from the world’s 200 largest fossil fuel companies over the next five years. | We write as concerned health professionals and academics in relation to the Guardian’s Keep It In the Ground campaign calling on the Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation to divest from the world’s 200 largest fossil fuel companies over the next five years. |
| Related: Leading health experts call on Wellcome to divest from fossil fuels | |
| The Wellcome Trust is an outstanding philanthropic institution whose work has a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of millions worldwide. We congratulate the Trust on its leadership in promoting and funding research into the impacts of climate change, and hope that this work will continue to grow in line with the urgent threat to human health and survival. However, we were disappointed to learn of the Trust’s decision to continue to invest in fossil fuel companies. | The Wellcome Trust is an outstanding philanthropic institution whose work has a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of millions worldwide. We congratulate the Trust on its leadership in promoting and funding research into the impacts of climate change, and hope that this work will continue to grow in line with the urgent threat to human health and survival. However, we were disappointed to learn of the Trust’s decision to continue to invest in fossil fuel companies. |
| It is uncontested that the majority of carbon reserves listed on stock exchanges must remain underground if we are to avoid exceeding a 2C rise in global mean temperature and the catastrophic health impacts this would have. Our current business-as-usual trajectory commits us to over 2C warming – a point scientists have described as the threshold between “dangerous”and “extremely dangerous” – within decades. | It is uncontested that the majority of carbon reserves listed on stock exchanges must remain underground if we are to avoid exceeding a 2C rise in global mean temperature and the catastrophic health impacts this would have. Our current business-as-usual trajectory commits us to over 2C warming – a point scientists have described as the threshold between “dangerous”and “extremely dangerous” – within decades. |
| As the Trust acknowledges, avoiding this scenario demands an urgent transition towards clean energy. Its view, as set forth by Professor Jeremy Farrar, is that engagement with fossil fuel companies’ boards is a more effective way to support such a transition than divestment. However, there is little or no evidence to suggest that this approach holds a realistic prospect of reducing global fossil fuel production sufficiently in the limited time available. | As the Trust acknowledges, avoiding this scenario demands an urgent transition towards clean energy. Its view, as set forth by Professor Jeremy Farrar, is that engagement with fossil fuel companies’ boards is a more effective way to support such a transition than divestment. However, there is little or no evidence to suggest that this approach holds a realistic prospect of reducing global fossil fuel production sufficiently in the limited time available. |
| Related: The argument for divesting from fossil fuels is becoming an overwhelming one | Alan Rusbridger | |
| We believe a complete transformation of the energy sector is needed, driven by strong climate policies, and that divestment has greater potential to bring this about. The ethical and financial case for fossil fuel divestment is well founded and has been supported by the President of the World Bank and the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), both public health physicians. Through the political change it has helped catalyse, the same strategy played a vital role in the movements against apartheid and tobacco. As such, we welcome the statement that the Trust would consider this step if engagement proves ineffective. | We believe a complete transformation of the energy sector is needed, driven by strong climate policies, and that divestment has greater potential to bring this about. The ethical and financial case for fossil fuel divestment is well founded and has been supported by the President of the World Bank and the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), both public health physicians. Through the political change it has helped catalyse, the same strategy played a vital role in the movements against apartheid and tobacco. As such, we welcome the statement that the Trust would consider this step if engagement proves ineffective. |
| Our primary concern is that a decision not to divest will continue to bolster the social licence of an industry that has indicated no intention of taking meaningful action. Indeed, many of these companies continue to use their considerable influence to delay political action, as tobacco companies have done previously. Shell’s lobbying against binding EU renewables targets and its decision to drill for Arctic oil, which cannot safely be burned, give additional cause for alarm. Further, having a financial interest in the extraction of “unburnable” reserves may restrict organisations’ capacity to advocate effectively for the policy framework that is needed. | Our primary concern is that a decision not to divest will continue to bolster the social licence of an industry that has indicated no intention of taking meaningful action. Indeed, many of these companies continue to use their considerable influence to delay political action, as tobacco companies have done previously. Shell’s lobbying against binding EU renewables targets and its decision to drill for Arctic oil, which cannot safely be burned, give additional cause for alarm. Further, having a financial interest in the extraction of “unburnable” reserves may restrict organisations’ capacity to advocate effectively for the policy framework that is needed. |
| Lastly, divestment rests on the premise that it is wrong to profit from an industry whose core business threatens human and planetary health, bringing to mind one of the foundations of medical ethics – first, do no harm. We believe that, in aligning organisations’ investments with their aims and values, it goes beyond a “grand gesture”. The question is not only one of direct, short-term impacts, but of leadership. Health organisations such as the Wellcome Trust have considerable moral and scientific authority, and a decision to divest has the potential to influence policy-makers, other investors and the public, in the UK and internationally. | Lastly, divestment rests on the premise that it is wrong to profit from an industry whose core business threatens human and planetary health, bringing to mind one of the foundations of medical ethics – first, do no harm. We believe that, in aligning organisations’ investments with their aims and values, it goes beyond a “grand gesture”. The question is not only one of direct, short-term impacts, but of leadership. Health organisations such as the Wellcome Trust have considerable moral and scientific authority, and a decision to divest has the potential to influence policy-makers, other investors and the public, in the UK and internationally. |
| Related: Dear Wellcome Trust: the best of your letters on fossil fuel divestment | Related: Dear Wellcome Trust: the best of your letters on fossil fuel divestment |
| We thank the Trust for its openness to dialogue and its commitment to transparency, and request that you make public what, specifically, the Trust aims to achieve through shareholder engagement, and by when. We would particularly like to know at what point Trust will divest should these aims not be met, whether on a company-by-company or sector-wide basis. | We thank the Trust for its openness to dialogue and its commitment to transparency, and request that you make public what, specifically, the Trust aims to achieve through shareholder engagement, and by when. We would particularly like to know at what point Trust will divest should these aims not be met, whether on a company-by-company or sector-wide basis. |
| Yours sincerely, | Yours sincerely, |
| Dr Fiona Godlee Editor in Chief, The British Medical Journal, Dr Richard Horton Editor in Chief, The Lancet, Prof Martin McKee Professor of European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Prof Anthony Costello Director, Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), Prof Hugh Montgomery Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, UCL, Dr Fiona Sim Chair, Royal Society of Public Health, Dr David McCoy Director, Medact, Dr John Middleton Vice President (policy), UK Faculty of Public Health, Prof Janet Richardson Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Plymouth University, Prof Sir Ian Gilmore Board member, Climate and Health Council (CHC), Dr Unni Karunakara Senior Fellow, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs,Yale University, Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran Professor Emeritus, St George’s University of London, Dr Catherine Brogan Chair, Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST), Rachel Stancliffe Director, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare Prof Nick Black Professor of Health Services Research, LSHTM Prof Ian Roberts Prof of Epidemiology & Public Heath, LSHTM Prof Gill Walt Emeritus Professor of International Health Policy, LSHTM Dr Sue Atkinson Co-chair, Climate and Health Council Dr Robin Stott Co-chair, Climate and Health Council Prof Frank Kee Director, UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health Dr Lindsay Forbes Visiting Senior Lecturer, Division of Cancer Studies, King’s College London (KCL) Dr David Lawrence Hon Senior Lecturer, Dept Health Services Research and Policy LSHTM Prof Gene Feder Professor of Primary Health Care, University of Bristol Dr Christopher Millett Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Imperial College London Dr Taavi Tillman public health doctor; Wellcome Trust Fellow Dr Caroline Jessel Lead for Clinical Transformation and Outcomes, NHS England South East Lynette E Phillips Nurse and Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST) member Dr Richard Smith Former Editor, the BMJ Dr David Pencheon Board member, Climate and Health Council Prof John S Yudkin Emeritus Professor of Medicine, UCL Prof Walter Holland Emeritus Professor of Public Health Medicine Dr Guy Johnson GP, Sighthill Health Centre, Edinburgh Dr Christopher A Birt Consultant in Public Health Dr Matthew Lumley Consultant Haematologist Dr Rosemary Croft GP, Milman Road Surgery Dr Charles Martin Consultant Anaesthetist, University Hospital Crosshouse Alice Munro nurse Prof Sheila Adam Director of Public Health (Retired) Dr Mayer Hillman Senior Fellow Emeritus, Policy Studies Institute Dr Eugenia Cronin Consultant in Public Health; Climate and Health Council member Dr Guddi Singh Medical doctor; Medact member Dr Hugh Grant-Peterkin Trainee Psychiatrist; Medact Trustee Robert Grant Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care Statistics, UCL, Sarah Beardon Research Assistant, Patient Experience Research Centre, Imperial College London, Dr Maggie Barker Public Health doctor, Dr Natalia Bakunina Medical doctor, Dr Mark Horowitz Medical doctor, Dr Zoe Steley Medical doctor; Medact member, Dr Julie Hotchkiss Consultant in Public Health, Dr Geoff Royston Former Head of Strategic Analysis and Operational Research, Department of Health, Prof Alan Maryon-Davis Public health doctor and Honorary Professor of Public Health, KCL, Prof Imti Choonara Emeritus Professor in Child Health, Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram Director of the MSc in Global Health & Social Justice, KCL Dr Sajeda Youssouf Clinical Research Fellow, Institute of Population Health, University of Manchester Dr Tony Jewell Retired medical doctor, Dr Jean Gladwin Consultant in Public Health, Dr Jennifer Mindell Reader in Public Health, Health and Social Surveys Research Group, UCL, Dr Joanna Quinn Emergency Medicine Trainee, Homerton University Hospital, Rebecca Gibbs Registered Nurse; Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Benny Goodman Lecturer in Health Studies (Adult), Plymouth University, Dr Sarah Alhulail Medical doctor; Medact member, Dr Fred Martineau Wellcome Trust clinical PhD fellow; Clinical Research Fellow, LSHTM, Dr Thuli Whitehouse GP, Dr Matthew Saunders Medical doctor, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust, UK, Sue Okell Clinical Psychologist, Mark Hughes Nurse lecturer, University of Birmingham, Dr Jonny Currie Medical doctor, Meic Goodyear Public Health Intelligence specialist (retired), Dr Deon Leow Emergency Medicine doctor , Dr Ozren Tosic Public health specialist, Dr Ruth Stern Trustee, Medact, Professor Anna Gilmore Professor of Public Health, University of Bath, Dr Michael Wilks Treasurer, Climate and Health Council | Dr Fiona Godlee Editor in Chief, The British Medical Journal, Dr Richard Horton Editor in Chief, The Lancet, Prof Martin McKee Professor of European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Prof Anthony Costello Director, Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), Prof Hugh Montgomery Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, UCL, Dr Fiona Sim Chair, Royal Society of Public Health, Dr David McCoy Director, Medact, Dr John Middleton Vice President (policy), UK Faculty of Public Health, Prof Janet Richardson Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Plymouth University, Prof Sir Ian Gilmore Board member, Climate and Health Council (CHC), Dr Unni Karunakara Senior Fellow, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs,Yale University, Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran Professor Emeritus, St George’s University of London, Dr Catherine Brogan Chair, Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST), Rachel Stancliffe Director, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare Prof Nick Black Professor of Health Services Research, LSHTM Prof Ian Roberts Prof of Epidemiology & Public Heath, LSHTM Prof Gill Walt Emeritus Professor of International Health Policy, LSHTM Dr Sue Atkinson Co-chair, Climate and Health Council Dr Robin Stott Co-chair, Climate and Health Council Prof Frank Kee Director, UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health Dr Lindsay Forbes Visiting Senior Lecturer, Division of Cancer Studies, King’s College London (KCL) Dr David Lawrence Hon Senior Lecturer, Dept Health Services Research and Policy LSHTM Prof Gene Feder Professor of Primary Health Care, University of Bristol Dr Christopher Millett Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Imperial College London Dr Taavi Tillman public health doctor; Wellcome Trust Fellow Dr Caroline Jessel Lead for Clinical Transformation and Outcomes, NHS England South East Lynette E Phillips Nurse and Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST) member Dr Richard Smith Former Editor, the BMJ Dr David Pencheon Board member, Climate and Health Council Prof John S Yudkin Emeritus Professor of Medicine, UCL Prof Walter Holland Emeritus Professor of Public Health Medicine Dr Guy Johnson GP, Sighthill Health Centre, Edinburgh Dr Christopher A Birt Consultant in Public Health Dr Matthew Lumley Consultant Haematologist Dr Rosemary Croft GP, Milman Road Surgery Dr Charles Martin Consultant Anaesthetist, University Hospital Crosshouse Alice Munro nurse Prof Sheila Adam Director of Public Health (Retired) Dr Mayer Hillman Senior Fellow Emeritus, Policy Studies Institute Dr Eugenia Cronin Consultant in Public Health; Climate and Health Council member Dr Guddi Singh Medical doctor; Medact member Dr Hugh Grant-Peterkin Trainee Psychiatrist; Medact Trustee Robert Grant Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care Statistics, UCL, Sarah Beardon Research Assistant, Patient Experience Research Centre, Imperial College London, Dr Maggie Barker Public Health doctor, Dr Natalia Bakunina Medical doctor, Dr Mark Horowitz Medical doctor, Dr Zoe Steley Medical doctor; Medact member, Dr Julie Hotchkiss Consultant in Public Health, Dr Geoff Royston Former Head of Strategic Analysis and Operational Research, Department of Health, Prof Alan Maryon-Davis Public health doctor and Honorary Professor of Public Health, KCL, Prof Imti Choonara Emeritus Professor in Child Health, Dr Sridhar Venkatapuram Director of the MSc in Global Health & Social Justice, KCL Dr Sajeda Youssouf Clinical Research Fellow, Institute of Population Health, University of Manchester Dr Tony Jewell Retired medical doctor, Dr Jean Gladwin Consultant in Public Health, Dr Jennifer Mindell Reader in Public Health, Health and Social Surveys Research Group, UCL, Dr Joanna Quinn Emergency Medicine Trainee, Homerton University Hospital, Rebecca Gibbs Registered Nurse; Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Benny Goodman Lecturer in Health Studies (Adult), Plymouth University, Dr Sarah Alhulail Medical doctor; Medact member, Dr Fred Martineau Wellcome Trust clinical PhD fellow; Clinical Research Fellow, LSHTM, Dr Thuli Whitehouse GP, Dr Matthew Saunders Medical doctor, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust, UK, Sue Okell Clinical Psychologist, Mark Hughes Nurse lecturer, University of Birmingham, Dr Jonny Currie Medical doctor, Meic Goodyear Public Health Intelligence specialist (retired), Dr Deon Leow Emergency Medicine doctor , Dr Ozren Tosic Public health specialist, Dr Ruth Stern Trustee, Medact, Professor Anna Gilmore Professor of Public Health, University of Bath, Dr Michael Wilks Treasurer, Climate and Health Council |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Are you a health professional? Whether you are a dentist, pharmacist, midwife, community health worker or academic, you can add your name to this letter by filling in the form below or, if you’d prefer, sign the Guardian’s petition calling on the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust to divest from fossil fuels. | Are you a health professional? Whether you are a dentist, pharmacist, midwife, community health worker or academic, you can add your name to this letter by filling in the form below or, if you’d prefer, sign the Guardian’s petition calling on the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust to divest from fossil fuels. |
| Got a question? Email keep.it@theguardian.com, using ‘Health professional letter’ in the subject line | Got a question? Email keep.it@theguardian.com, using ‘Health professional letter’ in the subject line |
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