The University of the West of Scotland has over £1 million worth of investments. Numerous companies that the University invests in, including Shell have been accused of human rights abuses. For more information about our campaign and to get involved, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/362019827317758/ Further reading: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/08/glasgow-becomes-first-university-in-europe-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels

The Greenwich Pension Fund has around £17 million invested directly in fossil fuel companies and more invested indirectly (i.e. commingled) [1]. Such investments carry a high degree of risk on ethical, financial and scientific grounds and the Pension Fund’s investments therefore expose the people of Greenwich to those risks. Hundreds of institutions around the globe have already committed to divesting more than £31 billion from fossil fuel companies, and the Greenwich Pension Fund can add significantly to this movement [2]. If global warming is to be limited to 2°C, a level already considered dangerous, up to 80% of known carbon reserves must be left in the ground [3]. Available evidence indicates that fossil fuel companies intend to burn enough reserves to push global warming far above 2°C, as they insist even on searching for further reserves, often in the globe’s most ecologically sensitive areas [4]. 2014 was the hottest year ever recorded and the 20 hottest years have all occurred since 1981, bringing increases in extreme weather events, flooding, droughts and other calamities [5, 6]. Fossil fuel companies have also been actively disruptive to political efforts at limiting global warming through intensive political lobbying and the funding of disinformation campaigns [7]. If it is wrong to continue to wreck the Earth’s climate, then it follows that it is wrong to profit from that wreckage. There are also increasing indications that the profitability of the fossil fuel industry will decrease significantly in coming years. If action is taken to limit global warming and a large degree of carbon reserves are left in the ground, shares in fossil fuel companies will drop significantly in value [8]. As such, pension funds currently investing in fossil fuels risk exposure to this 'carbon bubble', while there is already evidence that fossil fuel-free portfolios are capable of out-performing those including fossil fuel investments [9]. For in depth analyses of these and related risks, see: http://gofossilfree.org/frequently-asked-questions/ http://www.carbontracker.org/ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/fossil-fuel-divestment References: [1] http://greenwich.greenparty.org.uk/news/council-fossil-fuel-divestment.html [2] http://gofossilfree.org/commitments/ [3] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v517/n7533/full/nature14016.html [4] http://www.shell.com/global/future-energy/arctic/exploration-production.html [5] http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/summary-info/global/201412 [6] http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/climate-change-impacts/ [7] http://www.fossilfreemit.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/FossilFreeMIT-Lobbying-Disinformation.pdf [8] http://www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Unburnable-Carbon-Full-rev2-1.pdf [9] https://www.msci.com/resources/factsheets/index_fact_sheet/msci-acwi-ex-fossil-fuels-index-gbp-gross.pdf

"It’s simple math: we can emit 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide and stay below 2°C of warming — anything more than that risks catastrophe for life on earth. The only problem? Burning the fossil fuel that corporations now have in their reserves would result in emitting 2,795 gigatons of carbon dioxide – five times the safe amount." – 350.org As a reputable university we have an opportunity to be leaders in a global movement that can actually bring a positive change for society. Young people are going to have to endure the effects of global climate change, and our education institutions should act to become part of the solution. Visit our facebook page to like or discuss: https://www.facebook.com/ucdivests/

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.

Our local government has a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s destroying our future, and reinvest in solutions to climate change. We can not count on the federal government, even as extreme weather events like the record rain fall in the Duluth area last Spring overwhelm local budgets. We have the solutions, but we won’t see any political progress on the issue until we can weaken the power of the fossil fuel industry. The bottom line is this: divestment is the only moral choice for governments that care about their citizens. Solving the climate crisis is the only practical choice for governments that care about their solvency. It's time to divest from fossil fuels now!

UPDATE: In December 2016 Southwark Council made a commitment to divest from fossil fuels. We are now working with them to follow through on this commitment. Climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has encountered. The 20 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1981 and 2014 was the hottest ever [2]. Higher average temperatures are directly linked to extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms. In the UK, January 2014 was the wettest in 250 years [3]. Scientists have unanimously concluded that these changes are a consequence of human activity, arising from the burning of fossil fuels [4]. Moreover, this activity has resulted in unprecedented levels of air pollution, now regarded as a major world killer [5]. In Southwark, over 100 people die prematurely each year owing to poor air quality [6]. If global warming is to have a chance of staying below a 2°C rise upon pre-industrial temperatures (a limit already considered dangerous), up to 80% of known fossil fuel reserves must be kept in the ground [7]. All available evidence suggests that fossil fuel companies intend to burn the reserves within their control, taking us substantially over the 2°C limit [7]. Moreover, companies such as Shell are actively trying to discover new reserves, often in environmentally sensitive regions [8]. In addition, the fossil fuel industry has been a divisive influence in preventing meaningful legislation on climate change through their intensive lobbying of decision makers and funding of disinformation campaigns [9]. If it is wrong to damage the world we live in, then it is wrong to profit from that damage. Responsible investors should no longer be profiting from these destructive activities and legitimising this action through their tacit support of fossil fuel companies. Southwark’s investments in fossil fuel companies The Southwark Pension Fund consists of £1.2 billion worth of assets [10]. Based on publicly available metrics and the 2014/15 annual report for the Pension Fund, we have conservatively determined that at least £60.6 million pounds within this fund is invested in fossil fuel companies, including: Shell, BP, BHP Billiton, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Total [10,11]. A recent authoritative financial analysis has demonstrated that across more than 6,000 pension and hedge funds, investors who divested from fossil fuel companies would have earned a 1.2% greater average return since 2010, when compared to conventional investors [12]. Moreover, in the long term these fossil fuel investments will become increasingly unprofitable as the cost of extraction and international treaties restrict the use of fossil fuels [7]. Not only does it make moral sense not to invest in the destruction of our planet, it is also financially prudent. Aligning Southwark’s investments with its values Southwark Council have been exemplary in supporting environmentally sustainable practices. For example, the borough has the highest percentage of Eco-Schools of any local authority in England [13] and in 2010 was awarded £4.35 million for a cavity wall insulation project in 5,000 council homes to both alleviate fuel poverty and reduce energy consumption [14]. Southwark Council has committed to reducing borough wide CO2 emissions by 22.4% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 and states “that energy should be supplied as much as possible from renewable sources on-site or locally. This is less wasteful and will reduce our reliance on remote sources of energy, including imported oil and gas” [15]. Continuing to invest in the fossil fuel industry contradicts the positive steps taken by Southwark Council to lower its environmental impacts. Southwark residents are at risk of climate change, including an increased risk of flooding and elevated levels of air pollution [16], as well as damage to the London economy [17]. It is illogical to allow pension funds to endanger those whose futures they seek to protect. The London Assembly recently passed a motion in favour of divestment and by divesting from fossil fuels, Southwark will join forward thinking institutions, including The British Medical Association, Glasgow University and City Councils such as Oxford and Bristol, amongst many others, in leading by example to help create a sustainable future for the citizens of Southwark and beyond. References [1] http://tinyurl.com/lmskfgk [2] http://tinyurl.com/n4dbbx8 [3] http://tinyurl.com/pw2c42v [4] http://tinyurl.com/3e3zv [5] http://tinyurl.com/pqgdd5q [6] http://tinyurl.com/m2pxrx2 [7] http://tinyurl.com/na7xywd [8] http://tinyurl.com/k5knzss [9] http://tinyurl.com/lswg6w7 [10] http://tinyurl.com/pezzajy [11] http://gofossilfree.org/uk/pensions/ [12] http://tinyurl.com/ls7vh24 [13] http://tinyurl.com/lzgwro4 [14] http://tinyurl.com/luwj97o [15] http://tinyurl.com/m5rlfwk [16] http://tinyurl.com/kttxfc5 [17] http://tinyurl.com/n467mgw

We are starting this campaign because the disastrous impacts of climate change are immediate, urgent, and will increase in severity if we don’t act now. Not only is there a consensus among scientists about the impacts of climate change, but the observable impacts are innumerable: record temperatures, extreme weather events, desertification, displacement of communities, and countless others. Natural disasters, which are intensified under climate change, already displace three times as many people as war. If the world fails to tackle climate change, more than 100 million people will die and global economic growth will be cut by 3.2% of GDP by 2030. The university's strategic plan "Susquehanna 2020: Thriving at the Intersections of Mission and Market" was endorsed by the Board of Trustees last year. On page three of the plan it says that one of our "guiding principles" is a commitment to environmental sustainability and Initiative 7 of the plan states that our goal is to "pursue sustainability as the heart of learning to live in our diverse, dynamic, and interdependent world" and "to maximize energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy, and waster reduction across University systems." Therefore, we call on Susquehanna University to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil-fuel companies, and to divest within three years from direct ownership and from any commingled funds that include fossil-fuel public equities and corporate bonds within six years. The university has already made towards leadership in sustainability. We feel strongly that as long as we continue to support the fossil fuel industry in such a direct manner these actions lose their weight and the university will lose credibility as a forward-thinking institution that actively demonstrates the ethics and values that it teaches. We believe such action on behalf of Susquehanna University will not only be a sound decision for our institution’s financial portfolio, but also for the well being of its current and future graduating classes, who deserve the opportunity to graduate with a future not defined by the inherent injustices that come with an industry that has been scientifically proven to create issues of health, societal injustice, and loss of biodiversity on a global scale. Join us in asking the Board of Trustees to vote to divest our endowment from fossil fuels.

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.

80% av världens kända fossila bränslereserver måste stanna kvar i marken om klimatförändringarna ska kunna bromsas. Att lyfta ut pengar som är investerade i kol, olja och naturgas (att divestera) är ett viktigt steg i att uppnå detta. Kampanjen Fossil Free Sverige jobbar för denna förändring. Förändringen behövs för att belysa det omoraliska i att investera i en bransch som gör vinster på att förstöra vårt klimat. Kampanjen har nu kommit till Luleå och är en del av en internationell, partipolitiskt obunden rörelse som har fått många stora städer och organisationer att divestera sina tillgångar. Nu är det Luleå tekniska universitets tur att visa sitt engagemang och din röst behövs. Skriv på namninsamlingen och kontakta gärna kampanjgruppen på [email protected] om du vill göra mer.

We are in the midst of a climate crisis and holding investments in fossil fuel companies is immoral. The current investment practices of the University are in direct violation of their investments policy, which clearly states: “The University of Reading believes in socially responsible investment and responsible stewardship. It expects its investment managers to take account of social, environmental and ethical considerations in the selection, retention and realisation of investment.” The University is recognised for producing world-class research on climate change and takes active steps to improve sustainability on its campuses. However, full fossil fuel divestment should be at the forefront of any sustainability strategy, and the University cannot make claims to be sustainable without it. If Vice Chancellor Robert Van de Noort wishes to make the University of Reading the “greenest university”, then full divestment is a necessity.

Climate change is accelerating. We are witnessing the increasing impacts of a warming planet more and more consistently; in recent years our country has experienced record-breaking heat, droughts, and hurricanes, which impacted hundreds of thousands of people and cost our country hundreds of billions of dollars. 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. Stonehill College is "anchored by a belief and the inherent dignity of each person" and "educates the whole person so that each Stonehill graduate thinks, acts, and leads with courage toward the creation of a more just and compassionate world." These statements from the college's mission represent a commitment to social justice. Climate change is impacting the lives of everyone, especially those without means to combat the changing environment around them. By investing in fossil fuels, Stonehill is profiting off of the destruction of Earth and those who live there. By divesting from fossil fuels, Stonehill will be leading towards a more just and compassionate world.

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, and the World Heath Organization estimates that 250,000 people die each year as a result of climate change. 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.