We're all part of institutions that ought to be looking out for the public good, from city and state governments to religious institutions to other kinds of charities and non-profits. Most of these institutions invest money in stocks and bonds, and have a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s destroying our future, and reinvest in solutions to climate change. Even as extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy, floods, droughts and fires threaten to overwhelm local budgets, federal inaction to solve this crisis is all but stalled. 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.

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 public pressure to confront climate change builds, we call on the City of Austin to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil-fuel companies, and to divest within five years from direct ownership and from any commingled funds that include fossil-fuel public equities and corporate bonds. We believe such action on behalf of the City of Austin will not only be a sound decision for the city’s financial portfolio, but also for the well being of its current and future employees and residents, who deserve the opportunity to live in a city not defined by climate chaos.

This is a national campaign to address global climate change to divest funds from the companies who are contributing to greater climate problems and we need to start with our town.

I grew up in Scarsdale, and now my children are growing up in Scarsdale. It's always been a place known for its excellent schools and beautiful community. Now, Scarsdale has an opportunity to protect its citizens and its future -- and to set a positive example for other towns -- by divesting from the destructive and dangerous fossil fuel industry and reinvesting in solutions to climate change. During Hurricane Sandy, my family was lucky. We experienced a week-long power outage but were happy to be safe. Still, this sort of extreme weather event is becoming "the new normal," and though these events threaten to overwhelm local budgets even in affluent communities like Scarsdale, our federal government shows no signs of acting to solve this crisis. We won’t see any real progress until we can weaken the power of the fossil fuel industry. To that end, I am writing on behalf of my family, neighbors, and village to say that divestment is Scarsdale's ethical and practical responsibility if we want to preserve our community.

As we respond to Climate Change, some companies will adapt and prosper. Other companies, whose business model is at odds with stabilizing and reducing carbon emissions represent latent weakness in their business model. These businesses will no longer be wise investments, and a fiduciary duty to City investment funds will increasingly require less investment in these companies, rather than more. Companies heavily invested in fossil fuels will have a structural problem adapting to a Carbon Constrained World. Why? Because they count as part of their company wealth the underground oil, gas and coal deposits which, if released into the atmosphere, will cause greater and greater climate change. The sooner the City divests from these companies, the better.

Montana state government should be looking into what is best for the public good. What is best for public good is halting climate change. They have a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s destroying our future, and reinvest in solutions to climate change. Even as extreme weather events like continual drought and wildfires that just keep getting worse threatening to overwhelm local budgets, federal inaction to solve this crisis is all but stalled. 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.

Supporting fossil fuel extraction, processing and use through investments has far reaching negative implications socially, politically, environmentally, and economically.

We have a responsibility as stewards of our natural resources to protect them and preserve them for our future generations. Up until this generation we weren't aware of the harm we were visiting on the ecological environs. Now that we know, it's time to correct our adverse impact and pursue with fervor alternative energy sources that work with nature, not against nature and mankind.

For the last century we've been burning fossil fuels at a much faster rate than the planet produced them. Now that the easy half is gone, the remaining sources will be more difficult to extract and much messier. In the name of quick profits, big petroleum corporations have driven us into a serious pollution problem. Maybe we should remember how to live more like humans have historically lived and leave whatever fossil fuels remain for our great-grandchildren. The corporations won't back off until we insist.

We're all part of institutions that ought to be looking out for the public good, from city and state governments to religious institutions to other kinds of charities and non-profits. Most of these institutions invest money in stocks and bonds, and have a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s destroying our future, and reinvest in solutions to climate change. Even as extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy, floods, droughts and fires threaten to overwhelm local budgets, federal inaction to solve this crisis is all but stalled. 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 institutions that care about the planet and its residents. Solving the climate crisis is the only practical choice for governments that care about their solvency. We need to convert to green energy to save the islands and the planet now. Let's stop supporting the large oil and utility corporations.

Our Fellowship 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 Hurricane Sandy and the 2012 droughts in the Midwest 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 religious organizations that care about our Earth and the well being of the interconnected web of life of which we are all a part. It's time to divest from fossil fuels now!

Our green/social action committee (CESA) believes even our small church can help save the planet.