Divest UNBC From Fossil Fuels

Dear President, Board of Governors and the Chairperson:

The below students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members have signed this petition to urge you to take a bold stand and divest the University of Northern British Columbia’s (UNBC) Endowment Fund from fossil fuel investments.  

We as a university must withdraw our support from an industry that is crippling the planet and instead support the rising renewable energy sector.

We are pleased that UNBC has committed to strong sustainability goals. Divesting from fossil fuels would complement these goals and further ensure that education is not at the expense of the planet and future generations of students. The upcoming investment policy, written by the Investment Sub-committee, is a great opportunity to instigate change in investments and thereby support a safe and sustainable future.

We believe that UNBC can and should be a leader of divestment in Western Canada, as “Canada’s Green University.” There is mounting evidence that investment portfolios focusing on renewable energy and socially responsible investments are competitive, if not superior in today’s market (1, 2).

We call on you to: 1) complete an inventory of the endowment fund, and 2) remove all investments from fossil fuel companies as defined by the Fossil Free Index list of the Top 200 coal and oil & gas companies (3) by 2025.

References
1. https://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/trending-divestment-movement-could-mean-big-opportunity-for-canadas-father-of-fossil-free-investing
2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/10/fossil-fuel-divestment-funds-rise-to-6tn
3. https://gofossilfree.org/top-200/

The petition was edited and used to be addressed to President Weeks, Chairperson Wolsey and the respective Board of Governors. Currently, including Dr. Geoff Payne, Dr. Joseph Gosnell, Sr. , Mr. Aaron Ekman, Mr. Andrew Robinson, Ms. Allison Beswick, Mr. Joel McKay, Mr. Michael Reed, Mr. Gregory Stewart, Ms. Barbara Ward-Burkitt, Ms. Catherine Wishart, Dr. Darwyn Coxson, Dr. Paul Sanborn, Mr. Garfield Staats, Ms. Furqana Khan and Ms. Joyce Henley.
Last edited on Oct 24, 2020.