A Scottish author led a walkout of her own event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in protest against the sponsor’s links to fossil fuels
While the festival defended its sponsor as only having a small percentage invested in fossil fuels, the authors pointed out that this still equated to £5 billion worth of investment.
The event, titled Changing the Climate Narrative, was billed as an inspiring discussion about how it’s not too late to enact change amid the climate crisis. “While Baillie Gifford has major investments in fossil fuel companies, they should not be sponsoring, or being able to be greenwashed by a cultural festival which is about ideas and imagination,” she said.“Companies like Baillie Gifford want a ‘social licence’ - a pass we give companies or institutions to allow them to continue to exist.
“Baillie Gifford’s whopping £5 billion in investments in corporations making money from the fossil fuel industry is unjustifiable in a climate crisis caused and exacerbated by these same companies who have invested more into climate denial and delay than they have into green energy,” Loach said after the stunt.
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