Ask your Medical Defence Organisation to stop investing in climate-wrecking fossil fuels
The Medical Defence Union (MDU) and the Medical Protection Society (MPS) are fuelling the climate crisis by investing significant amounts of money in fossil fuel companies.
These investments pose a serious ethical dilemma for MDU/MPS members as they conflict with the duty to “do no harm”.
If you are a member of either the MDU or MPS, please consider signing the letter below which will be sent to your relevant medical defence union once a threshold number of signatures is reached.
By signing this letter you consent for your name to be published on the final copy of the letter, however your contact details will not be made public.
To: the Chief Executive of the Medical Defence Union/Medical Protection Society,
We are writing to you as MDS/MDU members who are deeply concerned about the health impacts of climate change. We wish to ask the MDU/MPS to end its investment in all fossil fuel companies.
Climate change is already killing people across the world, as is air pollution created by burning fossil fuels. Just 100 fossil fuel companies have been responsible for more than 70% of the world’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions since 1988.[1] Today the fossil fuel industry continues to put our climate in jeopardy. Fossil fuel companies have over five times more fossil fuels in their proven reserves than can be burned if we are to prevent catastrophic climate change; despite this they continue to explore for even more reserves.[2] Continuing to hold investments in fossil fuel companies knowing this is in direct conflict with the values of health professionals who believe in the principle of ‘first do no harm’.
Divestment from fossil fuels has already been supported by organisations holding investments worth almost £9 trillion,[3] including health organisations such as the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the Faculty of Public Health, and the American and Canadian Medical Associations As members of the MDU/MPS we call on you to commit to divesting from fossil fuels as fast as possible and within two years at the latest.
This is a very important issue for us and will influence our choice of medical defence organisation in the future.
Yours sincerely,
The undersigned MDU/MPS members
[1] CDP Carbon Majors Report 2017 https://www.cdp.net/en/articles/media/new-report-shows-just-100-companies-are-source-of-over-70-of-emissions
[2] Unburnable Carbon Report. Carbon Tracker. 2011 https://www.carbontracker.org/reports/carbon-bubble/
[3] Go Fossil Free. ‘1000+ Divestment Commitments’. Accessed 25th September 2019 https://gofossilfree.org/divestment/commitments/
