Vermonters are paying for climate change - recovery funds to repair our state from Irene’s destruction, lost revenue when Lake Champlain floods or when the ski season shrinks, impacts to our farmers and our agricultural industry. In Bill McKibben’s words, “Why would we pay tens of millions to try and recover from Irene and at the same time support those corporations making the next Irene inevitable?” Fossil fuel companies are a bad investment both for the planet and for our pocketbooks. 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. Experts agree that global warming will continue to accelerate and intensify these tragic 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. Regarding the pocketbook, market analysts at HSBC have warned oil and gas majors, including BP, Shell and Statoil, that they could face a loss in market value of up to 60% should the international community stick to agreed emissions reduction targets. Their prediction is based on an ‘unburnable carbon’ scenario – a scenario where oil and gas falls to keep atmospheric concentration below 450ppm. The analysts argue that the oil market is still failing to think about a low carbon future – ‘because of its long-term nature, we doubt the market is pricing in the risk of a loss of value from this issue’.

With only 12 years left to drastically reduce CO2 emissions we simple do not have time to continue to fund companies who continue to burn fossil fuels

Over £23 million of the Scottish Borders Council pension fund is currently invested in Fossil Fuels. (Divest and Reinvest Scotland Report) We need our council to take an active role in protecting our environment and the health of our communities, investing in fossil fuels is out dated and contributes to continuing climate change. As well as contributing to the destruction of our planet these funds are now at risk as fossil fuels become a thing of the past - we need our council to secure these funds for their employees by investing in technologies of the future including renewable energy and investing in our communities.

Climate change, caused by emissions of greenhouse gases from burning oil, is one of the biggest threats to global health in the 21st century. It threatens the lives and livelihoods of billions of people around the world. Extreme weather events — the floods, droughts, melting icecaps and wildfires we've seen in recent years — make it clear that climate change is no longer a future threat: it’s a clear and present danger. Those worst affected, and often least responsible for causing climate change, are the poor and vulnerable in both developed and developing countries. Trillions of dollars are globally invested in fossil fuels companies by public, private and charitable organisations. LSTM holds £13.44 milion in investment portfolios, and currently, its only exclusion of investment is the tobacco industry, a necessity for health bodies, so it can be assumed that the school indirectly has stocks in fossil fuel companies. This means that LSTM is actually profiting from fossil fuel companies, which contradicts its core mission of saving lives in resource poor countries. This petition calls on LSTM to carry out the above actions to fall in line with the growing number of universities in the UK and worldwide who have committed to divesting, and fulfil its responsibilities in reducing climate change (as one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals), as it does with other global health problems.

The London Borough of Newham has multiple investments in the fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuels contribute to the rise of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Scientists agree that we must reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in order to halt excessive global warming. Climate change has already resulted in more instances of extreme weather, rising sea levels and melting ice glaciers. The Paris Climate agreement of 2015 committed to keeping the global temperature increase to below 2 degrees celsius (above pre-industrial levels). In order to honour this agreement, we must move the flow of finance away from fossil fuel industries, one of the highest contributors of carbon emissions. Taking money out of these companies will make it much more difficult for them to continue damaging the environment.

The London Borough of Ealing has money invested in the fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuel contributes to carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Scientists say we must reduce this amount of carbon dioxide in order for the planet to be able to continue to support life and civilisation as we know it. The planet is already one degree warmer and glaciers are disappearing, threatening the main source of clean water for millions of people. Sea levels are rising which means some islands are disappearing. Habitats are changing and wildlife and the livelihoods of many communities are at risk. Extreme weather is becoming more common. It's deeply worrying but we can take action. Stopping fossil fuel investment is an important part of tackling global warming and we would like London Borough of Ealing's ties with the fossil fuel industry to be cut.

Welche Gründe sprechen für ein Divestment der Stadt Augsburg? Klimapolitische Gründe für die Stadt Augsburg
: Die Nachhaltigkeitsagenda der Stadt Augsburg gibt im Unterpunkt Ökologie das umweltverträgliche, ressourceneffiziente und ressourcenschonende Wirtschaften an erster Stelle vor. Damit allein verbietet sich jegliche Unterstützung fossiler Energieträger. Der Ausstoß von Kohlendioxid (CO2) muss so schnell wie möglich drastisch gesenkt werden, da das globale Klima und die Ozeane keine weitere Erwärmung vertragen.
 Finanzielle Gründe für die Stadt Augsburg
: Die Finanzen der Stadt Augsburg müssen im Namen der Bürger nachhaltig und sicher investiert werden. Investitionen müssen sollten daher zukunftsweisend sein. Kohle-, Öl- und Gasunternehmen sind wie zuvor beschrieben überbewertet und es droht ein massiver Wertverlust. Stadtpolitische Gründe
: Die Umweltstadt Augsburg kann hier als 4. Stadt in Deutschland (neben Berlin, Münster und Stuttgart) eine klare Position beziehen und ebenfalls deinvestieren. Große Konzerne wie AXA und die Allianz, sowie der Norwegische Pensionsfond mit €800 Milliarden Investitionssumme entschlossen sich bereits zu einem (teilweisen) Divestment. Nur durch eine klare Position zum Klimaschutz kann der Umbau der Energieversorgung beschleunigt werden.

The fossil fuel industry is driving the world towards a climate crisis. The science is clear, if we are to avoid catastrophic changes to our planet’s climate, threatening ecosystems and the lives of billions of people, we must drastically reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and transfer to cleaner energy systems. And we must do it quickly. The fossil fuel industry is actively blocking efforts to achieve this transition. It is wielding its unparalleled political influence to ensure global carbon emissions continue to rise, and reaping exorbitant profits at the cost of all our futures. This cannot be allowed to continue. It is incumbent upon all people of conscience now to take a stand against those individuals and institutions that would enrich themselves at humanity’s expense. The first step in doing that is to declare that you won’t be one of them. The University of Portsmouth should not attempt to profit from this morally bankrupt industry, and should join the growing international movement to withdraw its social license to operate.

Un mouvement mondial pour résoudre la crise climatique est en marche et vous pouvez y contribuer en agissant à un niveau local ! Aujourd’hui, les campagnes de désinvestissement des énergies fossiles se multiplient et nous demandons à l’ULg de se joindre au mouvement sans plus tarder. Pourquoi désinvestir des énergies fossiles ? Lors de la COP21, les États du monde entier se sont mis d’accord sur le fait que l’augmentation de la température terrestre moyenne ne doit pas dépasser 2°C (par rapport à l’ère pré-industrielle). L’accord de Paris mentionne même un objectif de 1,5°C. L’utilisation d’énergies fossiles est l’une des plus importantes causes d’émissions de CO2 dans l’atmosphère. Ce gaz est l’un des principaux responsables de l’augmentation de la température terrestre. Pour atteindre cet objectif de 2°C, 80 % des réserves connues d’énergies fossiles ne doivent pas être utilisées et doivent donc rester dans le sol. Pourquoi cibler l’ULg ? L’ULg dispose de fonds qu’elle place en bourse. Actuellement, l'université n’a pas conditionné ces placements à des critères éthiques. Une partie de cet argent est investi dans plusieurs des 200 entreprises qui disposent des plus grandes réserves d’énergies fossiles au monde et contribue ainsi à financer une industrie qui devrait d’urgence cesser ses activités. Or, l’ULg pourrait privilégier un investissement socialement responsable et investir dans des énergies renouvelables. Pourquoi votre signature est-elle importante ? En avril 2016, le Conseil d’Administration de l’ULg (CA) a été interpellé sur ses investissements et la possibilité que ceux-ci ne soient plus destinés à des entreprises ayant une activité nocive pour notre planète. A ce jour, ces demandes n’ont pas suscité d’intérêt auprès du CA. Pourtant, d'autres institutions et d'autres universités, telles celles d'Oxford, Yale et Stanford ont déjà franchi le pas et retiré leurs investissements de l'industrie extractive. Par cette pétition, nous voulons envoyer un signal fort aux autorités universitaires et leur faire savoir que nous, citoyen·ne·s libre·s et responsable·s - étudiant·e·s, diplômé·e·s, enseignant·e·s, chercheur·euse·s, assistant·e·s, membres du personnel administratif, technique et ouvrier, Liégeois·e·s ou habitant·e·s de cette Terre - n’acceptons pas que l’ULg compromette notre avenir et celui de notre planète en soutenant l’industrie des combustibles fossiles. Nous demandons à l'Université de Liège de faire preuve de responsabilité. En signant cette pétition, je marque mon soutien à la campagne « Fossil Free ULg » et demande à ce que l’ULg : - gèle immédiatement tout nouvel investissement dans les combustibles fossiles ; - établisse un calendrier de retrait de ses investissements dans les énergies fossiles pour arriver dès que possible à un pourcentage nul d’investissement dans les énergies fossiles et ce, dans un délai de 5 ans maximum. Cher·e signataire, le cas échéant, merci de préciser votre relation avec l'ULg dans votre signature (étudiant·e, membre du corps professoral, employé·e, ancien·ne étudiant·e, sous-traitant·e, etc.). Campagne soutenue par : 350.org Belgium, Barricade asbl, La Casa Nicaragua, Le CETRI, Comac ULg, écolo j ULg, ESL, Financité, Greenpeace Liège, GUS, INTAL et Universud et d'autres à venir...

Bexley Council's huge investments in fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are a matter of financial and ethical concern for everyone living in the borough of Bexley. Bexley Pension Fund is responsible for the incomes of Bexley pensioners and invests around £30m in fossil fuel companies including Glencore, Suncor and Tullow Oil. There is strong evidence that these investments in fossil fuel companies are highly risky in the short and long term. And in the event of their investments falling in value, the shortfall has to be paid for by council taxpayers. At the same time these fossil fuel investments are a direct contributor to damaging man-made climate change. This is of particular relevance to Bexley residents as the area will be severely affected by future flooding caused by climate change - a risk acknowledged by Bexley Council itself. This pointless gamble with our future is due to an unwillingness of the council's financial advisers, including UBS, to stray beyond the herdlike 'business as usual' thinking that led to the 2008 financial crash. It therefore makes financial and ethical sense to stop investing in these companies. We are concerned residents calling on Bexley Council to show leadership and commit to divesting from fossil fuels joining public institutions including Haringey Council, British Medical Association, Stanford University, Oxford City Council and Bristol City Council.

It is imperative to divest from fossil fuel investments for both ethical and financial reasons. To avoid catastrophic climate change and keep global temperatures below more than 2ºC above pre-industrial levels, more than 80 per cent of the world’s known coal reserves, 30 per cent of known oil and 50 per cent of gas reserves are unburnable.[1] Oxfam has already confirmed that the poor and struggling people that they work with are reporting ever-changing and unpredictable weather patterns, which contribute to deeper and longer lasting floods in South Asia; irregular rainfall in Mozambique, or hotter temperatures that are melting glaciers in Bolivia and Tajikistan.[2] Climate change may also wipe out $2.5 trillion, or 1.8 percent of the world's financial assets by the end of this century if the planet continues to warm at its current rate, according to a recent study in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change.[3] In a speech at Lloyd’s of London in September 2015, Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England said that by the time ‘climate change becomes a defining issue for financial stability, it may already be too late’. Carney warned investors that policies to address climate change ‘would render the vast majority of reserves ‘stranded’ – oil, gas and coal that will be literary unburnable’. [4] Many have already divested. AXA in 2015 announced that it was selling $500 million of coal stocks.[4] We therefore believe that the Council should help prevent climate change and reduce its exposure to climate and carbon related risks by divesting of these assets. [1] https://www.carbonbrief.org/meeting-two-degree-climate-target-means-80-per-cent-of-worlds-coal-is-unburnable-study-says [2] http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/issues-we-work-on/climate-change#8f355e95-4248-47d2-8973-920be53a9fde [3] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04042016/study-warning-wall-street-financial-risks-stranded-assets-climate-change-trillion-dollars [4] http://www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/CAR3817_Synthesis_Report_24.11.15_WEB2.pdf

Our institution can and must help avert a climate crisis.