Authors call on Edinburgh book festival to cut ties with sponsor

Over 50 authors person called connected the Edinburgh International Book festival to chopped ties with 1 of its sponsors implicit clime concerns.

A associated missive urges organisers to enactment unit connected Baillie Gifford implicit its concern successful fossil fuels.

The festival manager aboriginal called for an "open discussion" astir the contented during the event, which starts connected Saturday.

Baillie Gifford has said it is not a important capitalist successful the sector.

Zadie Smith, Ali Smith and Gary Younge are among those who person signed the unfastened missive up of the literate festival.

It comes aft clime activistic Greta Thunberg past week cancelled an quality astatine the event.

The authors of the missive expressed solidarity with those harmed by the clime crisis, including radical successful the planetary southbound and successful the UK, who person mislaid their homes, livelihoods and been forced to migrate.

They besides highlighted the injustice of firm greed and nett from the fossil substance manufacture astatine a clip erstwhile millions crossed the UK endure from substance poorness and the outgo of surviving crisis.

Edinburgh-based writer Mikaela Loach, who is owed to look astatine the event, said organisers "must basal by their 'climate positive' committedness and driblet Baillie Gifford arsenic a sponsor."

She added: "Edinburgh International Book Festival wouldn't pain books, truthful wherefore are they good with burning the planet?"

Novelist Yara Rodrigues Fowler added caller planetary wildfires, flooding and utmost vigor showed the demolition being caused by the fossil substance industry.

She said the publication festival was giving companies similar Baillie Gifford a "social licence" to proceed backing "the demolition of our lone home".

Festival manager Nick Barley thanked the writers for the missive and described them arsenic "the lifeblood of this festival".

He added: "We afloat admit your concerns astir the devastating interaction of fossil substance exploitation connected the climate: arsenic individuals and arsenic a foundation we firmly agree.

"For these reasons we committedness to deliberation astir your missive carefully. The past happening we privation is to fto anyone springiness the content we are connected other sides."

However Mr Barley warned the arts organisation would not person capable funds to run without backstage sponsorship.

He besides said Baillie Gifford was investing successful companies that were seeking to resoluteness the crisis, specified arsenic Danish windfarm specialist, Ørsted.

Mr Barley urged the writers to sermon their concerns during the festival and vowed helium would "keep a unfastened mind" astir however to proceed.

He added: "Let's speech successful the Authors' Yurt, successful the bookshop, successful the cafe and successful the festival courtyard.

"Let's speech successful our theatres too: I'd similar to find a clip erstwhile we tin invitation representatives from crossed the spectrum of sentiment to travel connected signifier and person a treatment which volition beryllium unfastened to the public.

"We'll find a day erstwhile that's imaginable and you'd beryllium much than invited to articulation us."

Greta Thunberg had been owed to talk astatine an lawsuit called It's Not Too Late To Change The World astatine the Edinburgh Playhouse but pulled retired aft accusing the sponsors of "greenwashing".

Baillie Gifford, which has sponsored the publication festival for 19 years, said 2% of its clients' wealth invested successful companies with immoderate concern related to fossil fuels compared to a marketplace mean of 11%.

The Ferret reported past period that Baillie Gifford had billions invested successful firms that nett from fossil fuels.

A spokesperson for the steadfast antecedently said: "Of those companies, immoderate person already moved astir of their concern distant from fossil fuels, and galore are helping to thrust the modulation to cleanable energy.

"Currently, 5% of our clients' wealth is invested successful companies whose sole intent is to make cleanable vigor solutions."

The Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 12-28 August, alongside the Fringe.

The 2023 lawsuit volition diagnostic implicit 500 events and 550 authors.