作為歷史上首個針對化石燃料撤資的政府投票，愛爾蘭下議院（Dáil）上周決定將提案提交至委員會進行詳細研究。

該由眾議院獨立議員Thomas Pringle提出。提案建議愛爾蘭政府指示國庫管理署（NTMA）從現有對化石燃料的投資中撤出80億歐元愛爾蘭戰略投資基金，并禁止未來對化石燃料行業再進行任何投資。

愛爾蘭政府的這一動作快于挪威和新西蘭。挪威的政府養老基金考慮今年晚些時候從其投資組合中減少對高排放公司的投資。新西蘭超級基金則計劃降低其化石燃料投資風險敞口，積極尋求更加綠色的投資，從而減少碳足跡，并將于2017年6月底確定具體目標。

據國際能源署測算，要實現《巴黎氣候協定》的目標并將全球溫升控制在2°C以內，全球化石燃料總需求須于2020年達到峰值；且到2040年，對化石燃料相關資產的投資金額需要比常規情景（Business-as-usual）少16萬億美元；此外在可再生能源和能源高效利用方面的投資需要增加24萬億美元。投資者們正積極響應，調整投資組合結構——減少化石燃料投資，增加清潔能源投資。截至2016年12月，已有總資產管理規模達5.2萬億美元的投資者承諾從化石燃料領域撤資，以便更好地管理氣候變化給其投資帶來的財務風險，并為快速和安全過渡到《巴黎協定》中的“凈零碳經濟”做出貢獻。

相關方聲音

 “各國政府對實現巴黎承諾發揮根本性作用，他們應確保公共資金用于支持向清潔能源過渡，且不受到必然衰落的化石燃料行業的影響。”

---該提案的發起人Thomas Pringle議員

“誠如英格蘭銀行周一提醒我們注意的：減排和應對氣候變化的行動可能導致全球大比例碳儲量無法得到利用，進而引起一系列金融資產的再估值。如今可再生能源的成本已經低于或持平于新建化石燃料設施的發電成本，電動汽車預計2022年也將實現同樣意義的里程碑。大型石油天然氣公司的價值被大大高估，對投資者構成風險。愛爾蘭議會此舉是從愛爾蘭人民的利益出發，也是對全球控制氣候變化事業的支持。”

---歐洲撤資運動（Europeans for Divest Invest）發言人Sian Ferguson

英文版

IRISH PARLIAMENT MAJORITY SIGNALS FIRST OF ITS KIND FOSSIL FUEL DIVESTMENT LEGISLATION

In the first ever Government vote on fossil fuel divestment, the Irish Parliament (the Dáil) decided today to progress a Private Member’s Bill to the Committee stage for detailed consideration.

The Private Members Bill, introduced by Independent TD Thomas Pringle, proposes that the Irish Government instruct the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) to divest the €8billion Ireland Strategic Investment Fund from all current fossil fuel investments, and prohibits any future investments in the industry.

The move comes ahead of a review of The Government Pension Fund of Norway to consider divesting from high emission companies in their portfolio later this year and plans by the New Zealand Super Fund to have a target in place by the end of June 2017 to reduce its carbon footprint by cutting fossil fuel exposure and seeking greener investments.

According to the International Energy Agency, to meet the Paris Climate Agreement and keep temperature rises well below 2°C, global demand for fossil fuels must peak by 2020, there must be $16 trillion less investment in fossil fuel related assets compared to business as usual by 2040, and there must be $24tn more investment into renewables and efficient energy usage. Investors are responding to this by amending their portfolios decreasing investment in fossil fuels and increasing investment in clean energy. By December 2016, investors with assets under management of $5.2 trillion had committed to fossil fuel divestment in order to manage the financial risks of climate change to their investment portfolios and support a timely and safe transition to a net-zero carbon economy as agreed in the Paris Agreement.

Quotes from stakeholders

Thomas Pringle, the TD who introduced the bill, said “National governments have an essential role to play in backing up their Paris pledges by ensuring public funds are well placed to support the clean energy transition, and protected from the inevitable decline of the fossil fuel industry.”

Sian Ferguson, spokesperson for Europeans for Divest Invest, said “As the Bank of England reminded us on Monday, limiting emissions to prevent climate change might leave a substantial proportion of the world’s carbon reserves unusable which could lead to revaluations across a range of financial assets. With renewable energy now cheaper or the same cost as new fossil fuel generation, and electric vehicles expected to reach the equivalent milestone by 2022, the big oil and gas companies are significantly overpriced, posing risk for investors. The Irish Parliament is acting in the interests of the Irish people, as well as in support of the global effort needed to reign in climate change.