On 19 November the Guardian published an article accusing the National Trust [Alliance member] of investing funding in oil, gas and mining firms.
National Trust responded strongly to this critique. The National Trust reiterated its commitment to reduce carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels, and denied its involvement in fossil fuel investments. Director General Hilary McGrady also said “We adopt a policy of not investing directly in companies which derive more than 10% of their turnover from the extraction of thermal coal or oil from oil sands. We also engage with companies to improve their environmental performance and see our role as one of actively influencing behaviour and driving environmental improvements”.
To meet the target of reducing carbon emissions, the National Trust is fostering small scale renewable energy schemes, reducing energy usage by 15%, and investing £35 million to reduce the properties carbon footprint.
Adapting old buildings can be a sustainable solution to protect the historic environment and reduce carbon emissions, as our briefing explored.