The pensions campaign group co-founded by Love, Actually director Richard Curtis has launched a new satirical film highlighting the role pension play in funding deforestation.
Make My Money Matter is a campaign group which aims to move billions invested in pension funds away from harmful industries and into more sustainable investments. The campaign’s latest petition calls for pension scheme to sign up to net zero emission and deforestation free targets across their portfolios.
The new short film stars Jason Isaacs as the fictional head of the ‘Forestry Felling Syndicate’ who thanks UK pensions holders for their contributions to the syndicate’s record-breaking year.
MMMM points out that 30 football fields of forest are currently being destroyed every minute, meaning an area the size of London lost each week. It says that deforestation is one of the biggest threats to our planet and the UK’s financial sector plays a critical role in financing commodity companies which are at the forefront of this deforestation.
MMMM co-founder Richard Curtis sys: “Most of us would be horrified to learn that our pensions are funding companies that destroy rainforests and damage our planet.
“Yet we know from our own research that the majority (72 per cent) of people do not know whether their pension is invested in line with their values, and that deforestation and environmental degradation continues across the globe.
“This film is a bit of Christmas fun – but also highlights the serious threats we face if we don’t make our money matter. It calls on all UK pension funds to commit to net zero targets and deforestation free portfolios. We believe now is the moment for all UK savers to have pensions they can be proud of”.
Isaacs said he was happy to support this campaign. He adds: ”UK pensions have £3 trillion invested to supposedly take care of pension holders’ futures. But are they? How much of it is funding businesses that are destroying the planet? It should be easy to find out and make money work just as well to build a better, more sustainable world. “
