Fossil Free Canada

New Campaign Campaigns

• University of British Columbia: Go Fossil Free!

  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 $50bn 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 University of British Columbia 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 University of British Columbia will not only be a sound decision for our institution's financial portfolio, but also for the wellbeing of its current and future graduating classes, who deserve the opportunity to graduate with a future not defined by climate chaos.

  104 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Gordon Katic
• Kingston: join or support the movement to divest from fossil fuels

  The global scientific community has reached a consensus that humans are in the driver's seat of the climate changes observed in the last century (1), due to carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels. Governments and leaders across the world have agreed that we must limit human-caused global heating to 2 degrees centigrade to avoid creating a cascading heating effect throughout the coming century that most species (including ours) will not be able to adapt to (2). Scientists project that an additional 565 gigatons of carbon emissions will push us past this limit, but fossil fuel companies are sitting on 2795 gigatons of fossil fuel reserves they want to exploit (3). This includes Canadian and foreign companies in the tar sands in Alberta including the pipeline company Enbridge, who want to pump raw tar sands bitumen through their line 9B pipeline, which runs through Ontario north of Kingston. Following the lead of science-based environmental organizations like 350.org (4), we as citizens of Kingston, including all community members such as students, professors, workers of all kinds, call on the City of Kingston, Queen's University, the Royal Military College and other institutions and organizations to pass resolutions and take action to divest from fossil fuel investments in their various investment portfolios and pensions funds. Specifically, we are requesting that no new investments in the world's 200 leading fossil fuel corporations be made (5), and that existing investments in these companies be phased out over the next five years. Because these fossil fuel companies have done everything they can to block and frustrate attempts to confront climate change, the time has come to reveal them as dangerous radicals whose business plan threatens our ecosystems, other species, and our very civilization. The inspiration for this type of action comes from the success of divestment strategies used against companies that invested in apartheid South Africa. The moral urgency in this case is equally pressing, and indeed the climate crisis comprises the greatest moral and political issue of our time. Our current federal government is an active sales team for these fossil fuel companies, and the tar sands in particular. It is up to actors and institutions at the local level to 'tar' these companies' reputations and in so doing be the catalyst for meaningful action to combat climate change. By working toward divesting from the world's leading 200 fossil fuel companies, the City of Kingston and Kingston's universities and other institutions can set an example for other Canadian cities and institutions, in keeping with our goal of being Canada's 'most sustainable city'. Sources: (1) ‘Survey finds 97% of climate science papers agree warming is man-made’ (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2013/may/16/climate-change-scienceofclimatechange (2) UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Copenhagen Accord: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/cop15/eng/l07.pdf (3) http://math.350.org/ (4) http://350.org (supported by retired NASA and Columbia University climatologist James Hansen) (5) ‘Top 200 fossil fuel companies.’ http://gofossilfree.org/companies/

  29 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Adam Davidson-Harden
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  Divest Sheridan College from Fossil Fuels

  It is of paramount importance to address climate change immediately. We are witnessing extreme weather conditions more frequently as a result of an excess of CO2 in the atmosphere. There is an urgent need to move from fossil fuel production to carbon-neutral energy production. Globally the fossil Fuel industry has more than five times the reserves of carbon than can safely be burned and despite this they continue to search for more paying no regard to their emissions. The Carbon bubble suggests that any investment in the fossil fuel industry is not sound because the investments are based on the assumption that these reserves will be burned which is not something we can afford as global leaders have agreed. The bottom line is we all will suffer immensely if we don't stop the degradation of the environment through the continued support of the fossil fuel industry. We are presenting this opportunity to Sheridan to consider the ethical implications of continuing to invest in such a tainted, unsustainable future. Sheridan has just under $20 million dollars invested in this unsustainable industry.

  114 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Jenn Mezei
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  Divest X

  The world is changing. Global climate change is quickly slipping out of our grasp. Our unchecked attack on the natural world has caused incalculable damage to ecological systems, economic prosperity and human life. As we continue to pollute our world, we only sink deeper into a grave of our own making. In the face of accelerating climate change and environmental degradation, a new vision of modern life has emerged. Across the board, new initiatives are being developed to create and sustain a world that is devoid of fossil fuels. The leading edges in technology, architecture, agriculture and human resources coalesce in the determination to create a civilization that is compatible with the Earth’s natural systems. Beneath the exterior of despair lie a quiet optimism and the opportunity to have a hand in the creation of our future. We therefore think that it is not only our university’s responsibility to divest any fossil fuel assets they may own, but it is in their own self interest. As the world adapts to these new ideas, we believe that there is a great opportunity for Saint Francis Xavier University to capitalise financially on these emerging industries while taking the lead among Canadian universities in sustainable development.

  445 of 500 Signatures

  Created by Victoria Foster
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  Divest UofT

  █████████████████████████████ ➽➽➽ Burning fossil fuels causes CLIMATE DESTABILIZATION ➽ Stocks in fossil fuels are OVER-VALUED & UNSUSTAINABLE ➽➽ Divestment makes FINANCIAL + ETHICAL sense for U of T █████████████████████████████ To avoid dangerous climate destabilization the world needs to urgently move from carbon-intensive fossil-fuel production to carbon-neutral energy production. Fossil fuel companies have more than five times the reserves of carbon than can safely be burned, yet they continue to search for more reserves and increase their emissions. The high stock value of fossil fuel companies also rests on the dubious assumption that all of these fuels will be burned. In a world where fossil fuel production and consumption must be curtailed these stocks are significantly over-valued and divestment makes both financial and ethical sense. The University of Toronto is heavily invested in fossil-fuel companies, with a significant portion of its ~$1.5 billion endowment devoted to this unsustainable industry. The danger of climate destabilization obliges us to transition away from fossil fuels in the very near future.

  488 of 500 Signatures

  Created by Stuart Basden
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  Divest Concordia

  Our only hope to stop catastrophic climate change is through a massive grassroots campaign to halt fossil fuel production. Concordia divesting from fossil fuels will send a strong message and will help in building the momentum needed to create the oppositional force that will take on the fossil fuel industry and their lackies in government.

  13 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Anthony Garoufalis-Auger
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  University of Waterloo: Divest from Fossil Fuels

  In order to avoid dangerous climate change, the world needs to redirect investment from fossil fuels to alternative forms of energy that are compatible with climate safety. Governments and organizations around the world have recognized warming of 2˚C as the threshold where climate change will become dangerous. If we want to stay below that limit, we can emit no more than 565 billion tonnes (gigatonnes) of carbon dioxide. Global fossil reserves contain 2,795 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, more than enough to drive humanity off the 2˚C trajectory. Furthermore, these ‘unburnable’ fossil fuel reserves are currently valued as if they will all be burned, at as much as $20 trillion. The value of fossil fuel companies and their business models are based on plans to burn these reserves; maintaining a livable climate requires building a consensus that these reserves will be stranded while accepting their financial valuations is accepting climate catastrophe. We wish to join the foundations and pensions that have pledged to divest funds valued at $2.6 trillion from fossil fuels, and demonstrated divestment is practically feasible. Investment in fossil fuel corporations facilitates the development of fossil fuel reserves, which must remain underground in order to avoid dangerous climate change.

  148 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Fossil Free UW (FFUW)
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  Kwantlen Polytechnic University: Divest From Fossil Fuels!

  Climate change is accelerating. We are witnessing the increasing impacts of a warming planet more and more consistently; 2012 was the hottest year in recorded history. There was record-breaking heat, droughts, floods and hurricanes across the globe which impacted hundreds of thousands of people and cost countries hundreds of billions of dollars. Hurricane Sandy alone caused $50bn in damages. Kwantlen Polytechnic University is contributing to this destruction by investing in the fossil fuel industry. This is immoral and unacceptable-especially for a school that prides itself on having one of the greenest campuses in Canada, and also one of the best Environmental Studies/Science programs. Kwantlen Polytechnic University should show leadership by investing in progressive companies that will lead us to a clean energy future. Scientists 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 need to keep at least 80% of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground if we are to stand any chance of avoiding irreversible, catastrophic climate change. As public pressure to confront climate change builds, we call on Kwantlen Polytechnic University to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil-fuel companies, and to divest from direct ownership and from any commingled funds that include fossil-fuel public equities and corporate bonds within five years. We believe such action on behalf of Kwantlen Polytechnic University will not only be a sound decision for our institution’s financial portfolio and public reputation, 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 climate chaos.

  79 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Kwantlen Pirg
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  Divest the University of Ottawa from Fossil Fuels

  (le français suit) Climate change is no longer a future state. It's here and accelerating. We are witnessing the increasing global impacts of a warming planet more and more consistently. Just in the last few years, extreme weather, record-breaking heat, droughts, hurricanes, and flooding have impacted hundreds of thousands of people with a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars. The vast majority of scientists and climate experts agree that global warming is caused by human activity and that burning fossil fuels will continue to accelerate and intensify these tragic climate disasters. Furthermore, the huge dependence on government subsidies and political rules makes the fossil fuel sector more risky and volatile as a financial investment. There is growing evidence that the sector is greatly over-valued. When a true cost is placed on carbon emissions, these shares will be worth substantially less. Analysis of historical data shows that over the past seven years, eliminating the fossil fuel sector from a global benchmark index would have actually resulted in a slightly higher return. It is unconscionable to pay for our education with monies that will then be invested to support the fossil fuel industry and condemn the planet to climate disaster. We ask you to join a growing movement of diverse groups and organizations around the world that are committed to a clean energy future by moving the University of Ottawa’s endowment away from fossil fuels and into sustainable investments. This petition is sponsored by 350 Ottawa and Fossil Free uOttawa The list of top 200 fossil-fuel companies can be found at the following link: http://bit.ly/VOP9Um ------ Les changements climatiques ne font plus partie d'un future potentiel, mais relève bien du présent, et ça va en accélérant. Nous sommes témoins des impacts globaux qui vont en s'aggravant du réchauffement de la planète. Au cours des dernières années des événements climatiques extrêmes, des records de chaleur, des sécheresses, inondations et les ouragans ont un impact direct sur de centaines de milliers de personnes et engendrent des coûts de centaines de milliards de dollars. La majorité des scientifiques et des experts climatiques s'entent pour dire que les changements climatiques sont causés par l'activité humaine et que la combustion de combustibles fossiles va continuer à accélérer et intensifier ces tragiques désastres climatiques. De plus, la grande dépendance aux subventions gouvernementales et l'assouplissement des politiques du gouvernement font de l'industrie des combustibles fossiles un secteur à risque et un investissement financier volatile. De plus en plus d'évidence nous dit que ce secteur d'activité est sur-évalué. Lorsque les coûts réels seront placés sur les émissions de carbone, ces parts vaudront beaucoup moins. L'analyse de données historiques montre qu'au cours des sept dernières années, l'élimination du secteur des combustibles fossiles des standards et index internationaux aurait résulté dans des retours légèrement plus élevés. Il n'est pas moralement justifiable de payer pour notre éducation avec de l'argent qui sera ensuite investis pour soutenir l'industrie des combustibles fossiles et condamner la planète à un désastre climatique. Nous vous demandons de nous joindre à un mouvement en croissance de groupes diversifiés et d'organisations de partout à travers le monde qui se sont engagées envers un avenir d'énergie propre en déplaçant les investissements de l'Université d'Ottawa hors de combustibles fossiles et vers des investissements durables. Cette pétition est coordonnée par 350 Ottawa et uOttawa sans fossiles La liste des top 200 compagnies de combustibles fossiles peut être trouvé au lien suivant. http://bit.ly/VOP9Um

  980 of 1,000 Signatures

  Created by Fossil Free uOttawa
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  Divest the City of Hamilton from Fossil Fuels!

  The City of Hamilton took leadership on climate change and signed the first community Climate Change Charter in Ontario. The City of Hamilton has a responsibility to protect the lives and livelihoods of its inhabitants from the threat of climate change. To do this they must divest from an industry that’s destroying our future, and reinvest in solutions to climate change. We can not count on the federal government. 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!

  53 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Elysia Petrone