The current relentless use of fossil fuel reserves is too high to ensure that the average global temperature does not reach a 2 ̊C rise. Climate change and fossil fuel markets are interconnected. The use of fossil fuels contributes to the majority of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Efforts to abate GHG emissions to mitigate climate change will likely affect global fossil fuel markets. This means anyone who has investments in fossil fuel companies will suffer huge devaluation. By actively investing money in fossil fuels we are not acting responsibly. We believe divestment from fossil fuels will ensure the welfare of future generations of graduates, staff and the wider DCU community and also for the institution’s financial portfolio. We need to stick to our Strategic Plan and develop and implement a comprehensive Environmental Sustainability Strategy and divest from fossil fuels.

Gonzaga University occupies a special place in the academic landscape. As a humanistic Jesuit institution, it strives to prepare its students to be actively engaged with the world in which they live; advocate for social justice; serve the common good; be innovative, critical thinkers; and live ethically. One of the greatest challenges facing the world today is climate change and its effects – effects that greatly impact the most vulnerable and powerless in society. Millions are threatened by rising sea levels, intensification of extreme weather events, flooding, droughts, food insecurity, and the resulting social and political instabilities. The scientific consensus is overwhelming: the current rise in global temperature and disruption of climate patterns has anthropogenic origins – specifically, the deforestation of large tracts of land and the extraction and use of fossil fuels. If left unchecked, these actions will bring the average global temperature to a level which threatens to destroy countless ecosystems. This is already beginning to happen. We are requesting the Board of Trustees to seize the opportunity to be at the forefront of a divestment movement that demonstrates the responsible stewardship of Gonzaga’s financial resources in accordance with the principles of the mission statement and ultimately seeks to care for our common home. We feel it would show the world just how special Gonzaga truly is.

Climate change is accelerating. We are witnessing the increasing impacts of a warming planet more and more consistently; in this last year alone our country experienced record-breaking heat, droughts, and hurricanes, which impacted hundreds of thousands of people and cost our country hundreds of billions of dollars. Hurricane Sandy alone caused $50 billion in damages. Experts agree that global warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels will continue to accelerate and intensify these tragic climate disasters. The scientific consensus is clear and overwhelming; we cannot safely burn even half of global fossil-fuel reserves without dangerously warming the planet for several thousand years.

As a Jesuit University, the University of Scranton knows the importance of taking care of the Earth. The University teaches about taking care of God's planet and this offers them an opportunity to live by example. Until the University divests from fossil fuels and invests in "greener" options, it is not putting actions behind its values and teaching. Climate change is accelerating. We are witnessing the increasing impacts of a warming planet more and more consistently; in this last year alone our country experienced record-breaking heat, droughts, and hurricanes, which impacted hundreds of thousands of people and cost our country hundreds of billions of dollars. Hurricane Sandy alone caused $50 billion in damages. Experts agree that global warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels will continue to accelerate and intensify these tragic climate disasters. The scientific consensus is clear and overwhelming; we cannot safely burn even half of global fossil-fuel reserves without dangerously warming the planet for several thousand years.

Fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas - are the main drivers of climate change. In order to keep climate change at bay, we need to halt our extractions of fossil fuels, and must break our public institutions' financials ties with the fossil fuel industry. During the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), in Paris in December, 2015, 196 Nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2°C and attempt to “limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees”. This is a turning point for the energy industry since fossil fuels will need to be phased out, and there needs to be a shift towards clean energy in order to achieve the target of zero net emissions by 2050. The outcome of the Paris agreement has thus drawn a critical line for the fossil fuel industry: to prevent a temperature rise over 2°C, 80 % of existing fossil fuel reserves MUST stay underground. Currently, Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF) holds almost £20 billion in total investments, of which over £802 million are currently invested into the fossil fuel industry. [1] It delivers to over 222,0000 members and more than 180 organisations from 12 local authorities that are included in the former Strathclyde Area. The SPF has stated that their ‘"traditional approach to responsible investment has been, by and large, top-down - ensuring that environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) concerns in our portfolios are recognised and addressed". Yet, the fund is still deeply invested in the main drivers for climate change and social injustice. We call on SPF's immediate freeze of new investments into fossil fuel industries as well as divestment of all current holdings in it. By doing so, SPF would show their ethical and financial responsibility to their members and join 852 public institutions and councils across the world, including Derby, South Yorkshire and Oxford City Councils, Monmouthshire County Council, the City of New York, the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, UWS and Glasgow Caledonian, The British Medical Association and the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund. [2] As the environmentalist, Bill McGibbon, says: "If it’s wrong to wreck the planet, then it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage." Thank you for your support, and please share this petition to allow for more people to sign. [1] https://foe.scot/resource/councils-fuelling-fire/ [2] https://gofossilfree.org/divestment/commitments/ [3] https://gofossilfree.org/do-the-math-fossil-fuel-investments-add-up-to-climate-chaos/

Climate change is happening and it is harmful; very few people deny this nowadays. So why is it okay for QMUL and other universities and organisations, which are supposed to be setting an example to the younger generation, to profit from this damage? Too many UK universities support the fossil fuel industry directly through their research, their endowments and investments and their partnerships with some of the biggest fossil fuel companies in the world like BP and Shell. For this reason, UK students have decided to take on the fossil fuel industry by getting our universities to go Fossil Free. People & Planet is joining forces with the 350.org campaign that has been sweeping across North American campuses. By divesting, QMUL will join many universities, religious institutions and local governments across the world that have already committed. Only with a combined effort can we make a substantial dent in the financial support that fossil fuel companies require to survive. The response of QMUL to a Freedom of Information Act request last year proved that the university does have investments in fossil fuels. However, the university refused to specify how much money and in which companies. However, the response did inform us that a meeting took place last June to discuss the possibilities of divesting from fossil fuels. The decision was made to maintain current investments but now we known they have been considering it and they can't go back. Now we need to turn up the pressure and show them we mean business! Human health at risk As seen in the QMUL Ethical Investment Policy, Queen Mary is already committed to avoiding direct investment in any company whose business activity is tobacco products, reasoning that the College seeks to promote good health through its School of Medicine and Dentistry. [1] This reasoning can also be applied to fossil fuel divestment because, as the 2015 Lancet Commission reads, climate change is “the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century”. [2] According to the World Health Organisation, from the years 2030 to 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year by affecting determinants of health such as clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter. [3] It is entirely conflicting to simultaneously promote good health through the medical school and invest in companies that damage the health of the world. The British Medical Journal has appealed to health institutions to divest and early victories from the British Medical Association, the University of Glasgow and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine show that what we ask is easily achievable and health institutions should stick together and set an example to the world. The guiding principle of ‘do no harm’ should be applied to the full range of activities that Barts and the London and QMUL are involved in. Finances at risk The ethical investment policy also states that “taking ethical and environmental considerations into account in an investment decision will enhance the returns available in the long term”. [1] it is now apparent that investments in fossil fuel companies are not sustainable. The share prices of coal, gas and oil companies depend on the value of known carbon reserves. Considering that countries have agreed to limit global warming to 2°C, 80% of known carbon reserves will have to remain in the ground; [4] “the majority of the world’s reserves are unburnable” says Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England. Fossil fuel assets pose a serious vulnerability to the stability of the financial system in the carbon-constrained world of the future. QMUL is therefore exposing itself to major financial risk by continuing to invest the school’s endowments in fossil fuels. The Environmental Policy of QMUL says “the College is committed to the principles and practices of environmental protection and environmental sustainability across all areas of activity, with College-wide involvement and responsibility”. [5] It is apparent that many official policies of QMUL would converge on a commitment to divest from fossil fuels yet so far no such action has been taken. From Canada’s dirty tar sands to Arctic drilling and hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) for shale gas - the fossil fuel industry is scraping the bottom of the barrel and causing huge environmental and human devastation in the process. Withdrawing our institutions’ financial and moral backing for this climate-wrecking industry is crucial to tackling climate change. References: [1] http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/docs/policyzone/118943.pdf [2] http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60854-6/abstract [3] http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs266/en/ [4] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v517/n7533/abs/517150a.html [5] http://www.qmul.ac.uk/about/sustainability/Documents/80817.pdf

Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Salomon, Sehr geehrter Herr Neideck, Sehr geehrte Mitglieder des Gemeinderats, Die Stadt Freiburg hat schon in der Vergangenheit besonderes Engagement im Klimaschutz gezeigt. Dazu gehören zum Beispiel der Stadtteil Vauban. Nun hat die Stadt Freiburg wieder die Möglichkeit eine Vorreiterrolle im Klimaschutz einzunehmen. Zum Hintergrund: Der kürzlich veröffentlichte neuste Bericht des Weltklimarats spricht eine deutliche Sprache. Wenn wir den Klimawandel auf unter 2º Celsius begrenzen wollen, darf der Großteil der fossilen Energiereserven wie Kohle, Öl und Gas nicht verbrannt werden. Alles andere würde eine Destabilisierung des Klimas mit katastrophalen Folgen für Mensch und Natur nach sich ziehen. Laut Weltklimarat, müssen Investitionen in fossile Energieträger jährlich um $30 Milliarden reduziert werden, während Investitionen in kohlenstoffarme Energiegewinnung um $147 Milliarden steigen müssen. Außerdem ist damit zu rechnen, dass Unternehmen im fossilen Sektor in den kommenden Jahren stark an Wert verlieren werden, weil sie ihre Rohstoffvorkommen nicht mehr fördern und verkaufen können. Die Finanzwelt spricht von einer Kohlenstoffblase, die kurz davor ist zu platzen. Damit stellen Investitionen in fossile Energien ein hohes finanzielles Risiko dar. Die jüngsten Verluste von RWE und Eon verdeutlichen bereits heute, dass das Geschäftsmodell des fossilen Sektors nicht zukunftsfähig ist. Studien der Internationalen Energieagentur, der Universität Oxford sowie verschiedener Großbanken wie HSBC oder Citi warnen vor Investitionen in diesem Sektor. Überall auf der Welt beginnen daher Städte, Gemeinden, Kirchen, Universitäten, Stiftungen und andere Institutionen ihre Investments aus den 200 größten Kohle-, Erdöl- und Erdgasunternehmen abzuziehen. Ein solches Divestment erreicht zweierlei: Einerseits schützt es vor den Gefahren zukünftiger Wertverluste und sichert so nachhaltig die finanzielle Stabilität Ihrer Stadt. Andererseits entzieht es klimaschädlichen Unternehmen die gesellschaftliche Zustimmung und trägt so zu Wandel bei, der aufgrund der Klimakrise notwendig geworden ist. In den Vereinigten Staaten haben bereits 25 Städte verbindlich beschlossen ihre Anteile an Unternehmen des fossilen Sektors zu verkaufen. Darunter sind Großstädte wie San Francisco oder Seattle. Dagegen steht die Bewegung in Europa noch am Anfang. In den Niederlanden hat sich die Stadt Boxtel Ende 2013 als erste europäische Stadt verbindlich Divestment verschrieben. Freiburg kann nun in Deutschland diese Vorreiterrolle einnehmen und zeigen, dass eine nachhaltige Finanzpolitik mit Rücksicht auf Natur und zukünftige Generationen möglich ist. Die globale Klimakampagne 350.org arbeitet mit Städten, Universitäten, Kirchen und anderen Institutionen in Europa, USA, Australien, Neuseeland, Kanada und Afrika zusammen, um gemeinsam gegen den Klimawandel und für eine lebenswerte Zukunft einzutreten. Mir persönlich ist dieses Anliegen wichtig, weil ich Kinder habe und alles dafür tun will, um Ihnen und allen anderen Kindern auf dieser Welt unsere wunderschöne Erde als weiterhin uneingeschränkt bewohnbaren Planeten zu hinterlassen. Ich hoffe, dass Sie Schritte einleiten, um: Keine neuen Investitionen in fossile Brennstoffe mehr zu tätigen Eigene Anteile an direkten und indirekten Investments innerhalb der nächsten 5 Jahre abzustoßen. Dazu gehören Aktien, Mischfonds, Unternehmensanleihen und sonstiges Kapital das Erdöl-, Erdgas- und Kohleunternehmen beinhaltet. Ich freue mich auf die Zusammenarbeit mit Ihnen und stehe Ihnen für Rückfragen zur Verfügung. Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Hans Hagen Quellenangaben 1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg3/ 2. Artikel zum Finanzrisiko Kohlenstoffblase in der Zeit: http://www.zeit.de/2014/08/carbon-bubble-rohstoff-blase 3. Internationale Energieagentur. World Energy Outlook 2012: http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/German.pdf 4. Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, Oxford. Stranded Assets Programme http://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/research/stranded-assets/ 5. HSBC, Coal and Carbon - Stranded assets: Assessing the risks https://www.research.hsbc.com/midas/Res/RDV?p=pdf&key=dXwE9bC8qs&n=333473.PDF 6. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/19/carbon-bubble-financial-crash-crisis 7. Liste der Top 200 Kohle-, Erdöl-, Erdgasunternehmen weltweit: https://docs.google.com/a/350.org/spreadsheets/d/1an9qOSE2uG4XuzeA4ltUVadDawheTWdJGKRpU5ayCJk/pubhtml 8. Eine Liste der Städte, Universitäten, Kirchen und anderer Institutionen die sich Divestment verschrieben haben: http://gofossilfree.org/commitments/

Verden har gått sammen om at den globale oppvarmingen bør holdes godt under 2 grader og helst begrenses til 1,5 grader. For å klare det må vi styre energibruken vår i en retning som tar innover seg klimaendringer. Vi trenger en bred overgang mot et bærekraftig og fornybart energisystem. Første skritt på denne veien er å ikke lete etter mer fossilt brensel, kutte ned bruken og finne alternative løsninger. For at det skal være mulig kan ikke enorme kull-, olje-, og gasselskaper få lov til å fortsette sine utforskninger og utbygginger. For at disse selskapene skal innse dette kan vi ikke legge våre penger igjen hos dem. UiO har som Norges største universitet et ansvar om å vise vei for en samfunnsutvikling som er i tråd med forskningen. Deinvester nå! * * * The world has now united over the 2°C-target. To reach this goal, we need a society-wide overhaul to a sustainable and renewable energy system. The first steps are to stop fossil fuel exploration, reduce consumption and find alternative solutions. To do this, the fossil fuel industry must not be allowed to continue its exploration and expansion, but this will never happen as long as we continue to invest our savings in them. As Norway's largest university, UiO has a responsibility to lead the way to sustainable development in line with what research has shown us. Divest now!

Der kürzlich veröffentlichte neuste Bericht des Weltklimarats spricht eine deutliche Sprache. Wenn wir den Anstieg des globalen Klimas auf unter 2°C begrenzen wollen, darf der Großteil der fossilen Energiereserven wie Kohle, Öl und Gas nicht verbrannt werden.

We believe St Hilda’s should do this for three main reasons: 1. To demonstrate support for its own scholars; 2. To remain financially responsible in a world turning its support away from the fossil fuel industry; 3. To show leadership within and as part of the university. By divesting from fossil fuels, St Hilda’s college can support its scholars, show leadership within the university and as part of a university with such an important reputation, and adopt the best investment practice from both an ethical and financial perspective. As St Hilda’s College academics, staff and alumnae, we therefore urge the college to take action on climate change and divest from fossil fuels.

Climate change caused by greenhouse gases is one of the most serious threats to the future of the planet and we are already beginning to see its effects both globally and locally, with extreme weather events such as storms, droughts and flooding becoming more common. If we continue to burn fossil fuels at the current rate it will have devastating effects on our planet and communities. By divesting our university's money from fossil fuel companies we will be helping in the fight against climate change. Not only are fossil fuel companies harmful to the planet, they are also an unsound investment, with the value of many companies falling drastically. It would be better to remove our money sooner rather than later. UCLan has a reputation as a very green university, clearly its investments should reflect this. Several UK universities have already divested from fossil fuels, surely it's time to join them.

The reasons we make these demands are twofold; preventing mitigating the impacts of catastrophic climate change and renewing the University's commitment to sustainability. The scientific community has long held the consensus that two degrees Celsius of warming will cause rising sea levels, droughts, biodiversity loss and more extreme weather fronts amongst other phenomena. Global oil, gas and coal reserves held by extraction companies contain five times more carbon than the planet's atmosphere can handle safely. Burning just 20% of this would be enough to incur runaway climate change. Divestment is thus a powerful moral and cultural tool to avert this. The University of St Andrews has a proud history of ethical investment. Indeed it is one of only three universities in the UK with an explicit sustainable investment policy. St Andrews has embraced sustainable development in its research and operations; it was the first in the UK to introduce a teaching programme in Sustainable Development in 2004 and boasts a host of environmental and research institutes such as as the St Andrews Sustainability Institute (SASI). Most of our fund has been divested from fossil fuels, we should thus go one extra step and rid fossil fuels from our investment portfolio altogether. As a member of the University this is not only your opportunity to ensure a better world, but your responsibility to both future generations and in supporting the University's desire to become carbon neutral for energy. Please sign this petition to ensure that future.