Fossil Fuel Divestment: Cities & States

Of all the institutions that ought to be looking out for the public good, surely our local and state governments are foremost among them. 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 Hurricane Sandy 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 governments that care about their citizens. Solving the climate crisis is the only practical choice for governments that care about their solvency.

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Campaigns (14)

  • Minneapolis
    Support Divestment from Fossil Fuels in Minneapolis!
    Our local institutions have 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.
    646 of 800 Signatures
    Created by Jean Ross
  • Divest Connecticut from Fossil Fuels!
    The science is clear that humans are accelerating and intensifying the effects of climate change because of our insatiable comsumption of fossil fuels. We need to act now and act swiftly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so that our children and grandchildren can realize a life on a livable planet. Connecticut taxpayers are paying for climate change - recovery funds to repair our state from Hurricane Sandy's destruction, lost revenue from a Long Island experiencing rising tides and water temperatures, floods on our rivers and streams, impacts to our farmers and our agricultural industry. Why would we pay tens of millions to try and recover from Hurricane Sandy and at the same time support those corporations making the next Hurricane inevitable? Fossil fuel companies are a bad investment for the planet, for the State of Connecticut, and for the pocketbook/wallet of the people who vote you in/out of office. 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 450 ppm. 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’.
    256 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Charles Button
  • Divest the Maine Public Employees Retirement System from Fossil Fuels
    We the people of Maine take our state motto seriously: "Dirigo" ("I Lead"). From our first greenhouse gas emissions inventory in 1995 to the nation’s first statewide climate change law in 2003, Maine has been a leader in addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Despite good initiatives by both public and private sectors in Maine, atmospheric CO2 and climate change are accelerating. Climate scientists say we have years, not decades, to stabilize CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Climate change is already having an impact on the people and natural resources of Maine, and those effects will only get more severe if we do not take further action now. The fossil fuel industry is not looking out for our welfare. They consume millions in federal subsidies, spend millions on candidates, lobbying, and climate denial campaigns to protect their interests, all while planning to dig up and burn enough fossil fuels to devastate the planet. We do not believe the public employees of the state wish to have pension security at the cost of the health and safety of the people of Maine. Fossil fuel investments no longer represent fiduciary responsibility. We believe there are socially responsible investments available to the Public Employees Retirement Fund that will provide more true security to the hard-working public servants of the State of Maine. Let us continue to Lead.
    1,041 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Read Brugger
  • Divest Vermont’s Retirement Funds From Fossil Fuels
    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’.
    2,427 of 3,000 Signatures
    Created by Maeve McBride