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  • Duke University: 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 Duke University 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 Duke University 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.
    320 of 400 Signatures
    Created by TJ Lowdermilk
  • UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI: GO FOSSIL FREE!
    Miksi tämä on tärkeää? Yliopistoilla on moraalinen vastuu yhteiskunnan korkeimman tiedon lähteinä hyödyntää omassa toiminnassaan parasta olemassa olevaa tietoa. Tiedeyhteisön yhteisymmärrys on kiistaton. Emme voi polttaa edes puolta maailmanlaajuisista fossiilisten polttoaineiden tunnetuista varannoista aiheuttamatta tuhoisaa ilmaston lämpenemistä. [3][4][5][6][7] Ilmastotieteilijät ovat yhtä mieltä siitä, että fossiilisten polttoaineiden käyttö on suurin yksittäinen syy antropogeeniseen eli ihmisen toiminnan aiheuttamaan ilmastonmuutokseen, joka aiheuttaa äärimmäisen vakavia ekologisia ja sosiaalisia katastrofeja [3][4]. Helsingin yliopiston tulisi johtaa omalla esimerkillään ilmastonmuutoksen hillitsemistä harjoittamalla entistä kestävämpää sijoitustoimintaa niin ympäristön kuin taloudenkin kannalta. Hiilikuplalla tarkoitetaan fossiilisia polttoaineita tuottaviin yhtiöihin liittyvää taloudellista riskiä, joka johtuu alihintaisten kasvihuonekaasupäästöjen aiheuttamasta markkinahäiriöstä. Hiilikupla on saanut useita sijoittajia vetämään sijoituksensa pois näistä yhtiöistä. [8][9][10] Yliopiston sitoutuminen fossiilisten polttoaineiden tuottajista vapaaseen sijoitusstrategiaan olisi vahva signaali yliopiston henkilökunnalle ja opiskelijoille siitä, että yliopiston johto tunnustaa tieteellisen tutkimustyön tulokset ja pyrkii periaatteidensa mukaisesti kehittämään yliopiston toimintaa entistä kestävämmäksi. [11] Helsingin yliopisto pyrkii saamaan sijoitussalkkunsa hiilineutraaleiksi “huomattavasti ennen vuotta 2045” [12]. Fossiiliteollisuuteen tehdyistä sijoituksista luopuminen on yksi askel yliopiston matkalla kohti tuota tavoitetta. Yliopiston pyrkimyksenä onkin rajata fossiilisia polttoaineita tuottavien yhtiöiden osuus sijoitussalkuistaan korkeintaan 1 %:iin, ja käytännössä vähentää niiden osuutta senkin jälkeen [11]. Ilmastotoimien kiireellisyydestä huolimatta sijoituksista luopumiselle ei kuitenkaan ole asetettu selkeää aikarajaa. Yliopisto ei myöskään ole sitoutunut olemaan sijoittamatta fossiilisia polttoaineita tuottaviin yrityksiin tulevaisuudessa. Yhteiskunta tarvitsee edelläkävijöitä, jotka luovat uuden normaalin ja motivoivat muita osallistumaan uusien parhaiden käytäntöjen omaksumiseen. ------------------------------------------------------ Why is this important? Universities have the moral responsibility to act according to the leading sources of scientific research and education in a society. The scientific consensus is clear and overwhelming; we cannot safely burn even half of the world's fossil-fuel reserves without dangerously warming the planet for several thousand years. [3][4][5][6][7] Scientists agree that global warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels will continue to accelerate and intensify tragic climate disasters [3][4]. The University of Helsinki should take the lead in confronting climate change by promoting sustainable and financially sound asset management practices. Carbon bubble is a term used to describe the financial risk related to companies holding fossil fuel reserves as governments move to fix the market failure caused by uncontrolled carbon emissions. [8][9][10] Divestment would send a strong signal to the University's staff as well as current and future students, that the University will take action for a sustainable future, as stated in the principles for responsible investment activities [11]. The University of Helsinki is aiming for a carbon-neutral investment portfolio well before the year 2045 [12]. Divestment from the fossil fuel industry is one of the University’s steps towards this goal. The University is aiming for a portfolio where firms that produce fossil fuels comprise no more than 1% of the investment portfolio, and aims to reduce their weight in the portfolio further after that [11]. However, despite the time-critical nature of the climate crisis, no time limit has been set for divestment. The University has not committed to refrain from future investment into firms that produce fossil fuels. Society as a whole needs leadership from organisations that shape the future and motivate others to join and implement best practices. [1] http://gofossilfree.org/companies/ [2] https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/yliopisto/strategia-ja-johtaminen/strategia-2017-2020 [3] https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/ [4] https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ [5] http://carbontracker.live.kiln.it/index.html?CMP=twt_gu [6] http://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus [7] http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/ [8] https://gofossilfree.org/divestment/commitments/ [9] http://www.carbontracker.org/report/carbon-bubble/ [10] https://www.divestinvest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Carbon-Tracker.-Unburnable-Carbon-Full-rev2-1.pdf [11] Suomeksi: https://www.helsinki.fi/sites/default/files/atoms/files/hy_vastuullisen_sijoitustoiminnan_periaatteet.pdf In English: https://www.helsinki.fi/sites/default/files/atoms/files/hu_principles_for_responsible_investment_activities.pdf [12] Suomeksi: https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/uutiset/kestava-kehitys/helsingin-yliopisto-sijoittaa-entista-vastuullisemmin-tavoitteena-hiilineutraali-salkku?fbclid=IwAR0Uq_fegJ1SO_cdBOCQII0GR4KAHvSvTzDtUk_M9tte-m8ersZ9rKmsfzA In English: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/sustainability-news/increasingly-responsible-investments-by-the-university-of-helsinki-aiming-for-a-carbon-neutral-portfolio [13] https://riihiweb.it.helsinki.fi/document/public/ebac9c93-9179-4f3d-8639-7293baa25864
    948 of 1,000 Signatures
    Created by Lotta Närhi
  • UCT to divest from fossil fuels and invest in sustainable energy
    Almost every government in the world has agreed that any warming above a 2 °C rise would be unsafe, and many[1] believe that target should no more than 1.5 °C degrees. Humanity has raised the global temperature by 0.8 °C, and that has caused far more damage than most scientists expected. More than a third of summer sea ice in the Arctic is gone, the oceans are 30 per cent more acidic, and the climate dice are loaded for both increasing floods and droughts. This damage to a human-friendly climate threatens the most fundamental human right – the right to life – and the environment and economies that support human life. Scientists estimate that humanity can add roughly 565 more gigatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and still have an 80% hope of keeping average global warming below two degrees.[2] Computer models calculate that even if we stopped increasing CO2 and other greenhouse gas levels now, the temperature would still rise another 0.8 °C above the 0.8 °C we have already warmed, which means that we’re already three-quarters of the way to the 2 °C target. The proven coal, oil, and gas reserves of fossil-fuel companies, corporate and state-owned, which they currently plan to extract, equal about 2,795 gigatonnes of CO2, or five times the amount we can release without passing 2 °C of warming. Given this mounting crisis, there have been numerous authoritative calls[3] for a global target of phasing out all use of fossil fuels, or achieving carbon neutrality (net zero emissions), by 2050. Africa is a continent particularly vulnerable to climate change and it would be short-sighted to contribute to our own destruction – ‘extremely dangerous’ climate change[4] – in the name of short-term economic development. The principle of intergenerational equity is written into the South African Constitution, but contributing further to climate change would inevitably compromise the lives and livelihoods of current and future generations. The fossil fuel industry threatens human health (through climate change, air and water pollution), threatens democracy (through funding, disclosed and undisclosed, of political parties and politicians)[5] and threatens science (by funding climate science denial campaigns and using non-disclosure agreements to block research into the health impacts of fossil fuel extraction). Every societal institution that is aware of the climate change threat has a profound responsibility to take every possible action to avert it, especially to those that hold some responsibility for contributing to it through past and present emissions. It makes no sense to preserve the short- and medium-term value of current investments while contributing to long-term economic destruction. Divestment is wise (avoiding risk of stranded assets), ethical, feasible (many other institutions are doing it), effective and urgent.[6] UCT's own chancellor, Graça Machel, told the UN in September 2014, “There is a huge mismatch between the magnitude of the challenge and the response we heard here today. The scale is much more than we have achieved.” UCT has already made strong commitments to sustainability.[7] Honouring them demands consistent, decisive action to stop dangerous climate change. UCT aims to be a centre of excellence in climate change research, and risks undermining its academic integrity if it continues to invest in companies and practices at odds with the conclusions of its researchers. [*] References can be viewed at gofossilfreesouthafrica.wordpress.com/about. NB: Please sign this petition only if you are a member of the UCT community – faculty, staff, students and alumni.
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    Created by David Le Page
  • Fossilfria Pengar vid Mittuniversitetet
    English below Divest MIUN Mittuniversitetet Östersund har flera program och kurser som förbereder den kommande generationen för klimatförändring. En av bygnaderna har ett tak som är fullt med solpaneler och kafeterian servera vegetarisk mat. Forskning kring ämnet finns. Universitetets vision stämmer redan med klimatförändringsfrågan. Östersunds kommun har bestämt att divestera. Men det är fortfarande ett krav att Miun Östersund är en del av att försöka lösa problemet lika mycket som att och sluta vara en del av det. Genom divestering kan vi reducera klimatförändringens oförväntade effekter och utveckla universitets ekonomiska framtid på ett hållbart sätt. Därför kräver vi att universitetet ska minska och över tid avbryta alla fossila investeringar och vara mer transparent i sin ekonomi. Som studenter, personal, alumni, representater och aktieägare av universitetet, tror vi att kostnaden som uppstår är en värdefull investering i vår gemensamma framtid, en förbättring av bilden av Mittuniviversitet och ekonomisk stabilitet. ------ Divest MIUN Mittuniversitet has several programs and courses which prepare the next generation for addressing the issues of climate change. A building's roof is covered in solar panels and the local cafeteria has among other options a daily vegetarian choice. Research is being carried out in the field. The general sentiment is that the university's vision is aligned with the issue of climate change. The municipality of Östersund has already decided to divest. However, it is as necessary that Mittuniversitet Östersund is a part of the solution as it stops being a part of the problem. By taking a proactive approach this institution can reduce the undesirable effects of changing the world's climate and create a more sustainable economic future for itself. Therefore, we demand that the institution wind down all it's investments into fossil fuels and becomes transparent with their economic policy. As students, staff, alumni, representatives, and shareholders of this university, we believe divesting is a worthwhile investment into our common future, the image of the university, and its financial stability.
    42 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Vartan Ahrens
  • Divest West Yorkshire Pension Fund from Fossil Fuel Investments
    Over 5% of WYPF's investments are in fossil fuel companies, including £207 million invested in BP and £171 million invested in Royal Dutch Shell. [1] Climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has encountered. Warming in excess of 2°C will have catastrophic consequences. In order to have a chance of staying below this maximum upper limit of warming 80% of known fossil fuel reserves must not be burnt. Recent research, instigated by the Carbon Tracker foundation, asserts that there are five times more fossil-fuel reserves than can be burnt if internationally agreed carbon emissions targets are to be met. The fossil fuel industry currently holds vast carbon reserves which if burnt would result in emissions 5 times larger than what it is deemed to be safe. All available evidence suggests that fossil fuel companies intend to burn the reserves within their control. In addition, companies such as Shell are actively trying to discover new reserves, often in environmentally sensitive regions. Fossil fuel equities also pose significant financial risks. As governments control carbon emissions to meet these targets a large proportion of fossil fuel reserves which companies expect to extract will become stranded assets: a “carbon bubble”. Funds which are exposed to fossil fuel equities when this bubble bursts can expect to suffer considerable losses. The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney has recently expressed concerns over climate risk, stating that the “vast majority of reserves are unburnable” if global temperature rises are to be limited to below 2C.[2] [1} WYPF Valuation March 2014 [2] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/13/mark-carney-fossil-fuel-reserves-burned-carbon-bubble
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    Created by Chayley Collis
  • Hertfordshire County Council: Divest your funds invested in fossil fuel industries
    More CO2 in the atmosphere means more extreme weather events that could leave millions of people displaced from their homes. Our government committed to a legally binding climate deal to help prevent this. It's time to break free from fossil fuels and invest in clean energy, for everyone's future. 1. Hertfordshire County Council Pension Fund has around £140,000,000 invested in fossil fuel industries, including BG Group PLC, Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Rio Tinto PLC. 2. The pension fund affects over 180 employers in Hertfordshire including Hertfordshire County Council (including schools), North Herts District Council, Dacorum Borough Council, East Hertfordshire District Council, Hertsmere Borough Council. Broxbourne Borough Council, St Albans District Council, Stevenage Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council, Watford Borough Council and a range of community and voluntary groups. See here for list http://divestherts.org/ 3. 97% of climate scientists agree that humans are the primary cause of recent climate change, largely due to the release of greenhouse gases from the combustion of oil, coal and gas for heat and power. Global warming is happening now - it is not a thing of the future; thanks to our appetite for fossil fuels we’ve already experienced a global temperature rise of about 1°C since the Industrial Revolution.[1] The effects of this rise in temperature are already being felt, causing more frequent and intense extreme weather events, including more tropical storms in some areas, but drought in others. Climatic changes and oceans becoming more acidic due to absorbing excess carbon dioxide present a real threat to whole ecosystems. It’s not just bad for the environment, it’s putting people's lives at risk too due to food and water insecurity and is creating climate change refugees.[2] 4. In order to stop the global climate warming by another 2 °C, 80% of all known fossil fuels must stay in the ground.[3] However, despite all the evidence showing that we need to transition to cleaner forms of energy, fossil fuel companies are continuing to extract dirty fossil fuels, and making huge profits in the process.[4] 5. Investments in fossil fuels are also risky. Recent fluctuations in oil prices means that divesting from fossil fuels would minimise the council's exposure to the financial risk of the 'carbon bubble', whereby companies risk being left with stranded assets (worthless fuel stocks that regulation will prevent from being burned). People and institutions that own shares in the companies will see the value of their investments decrease. (5) 6. By removing investments in these companies Hertfordshire County Council will be showing its commitment to creating a healthy, sustainable future for both the people of Hertfordshire and the planet as a whole. 7. Institutions across the world including churches and universities, as well as local authorities in the UK such as Bristol City Council and Oxford City Council have already committed to divest from fossil fuels. [6] Let's see Hertfordshire join them in making this small but impactful commitment. [1] http://350.org/about/science/ [2] http://climatemigration.org.uk/about-us/ [3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30709211 [4] http://priceofoil.org/tag/fossil-fuel-industry-profits/ [5] http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/28f00388-0df3-11e5-9a65-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3mHL64WyD [6]http://gofossilfree.org/commitments/
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    Created by Gwen Buck
  • University of Aberdeen: Divest from Fossil Fuels
    The future of Aberdeen graduates is currently threatened by climate change. Already we are suffering the effects of a 1°C rise in global average temperatures, and world leaders agree that the warming must be contained at a 2°C increase in order to avoid catastrophic global effects. UN climate chief Christina Figueres has called on investors to divest from fossil fuels, saying “The pensions, life insurances and nest eggs of billions of ordinary people depend on the long-term security and stability of institutional investment funds. Climate change increasingly poses one of the biggest long-term threats to those investments and the wealth of the global economy.” In order to avoid global temperatures rising further than a 2°C increase, as much as 80% of currently known fossil fuel reserves will have to be left in the ground - yet the value of fossil fuel assets is based on the extraction of all those reserves. When the world gets serious about climate change, these "carbon bubbles" will burst and the value of fossil fuel shares will plummet. This is why the university not only has a moral, but also a financial duty to withdraw its investments from the fossil fuel industry. We call on the University of Aberdeen to join other universities leading the way on this issue and protect the future of its students by divesting from the fossil fuel industry now.
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    Created by Louise Henrard
  • Trinity University: Divest from Fossil Fuels!
    The climate crisis 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 $50 billion in damages. Experts agree that global heating 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.
    69 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Ethan Crane Picture
  • Wellesley College: 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 Wellesley College to 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 Wellesley College 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.
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    Created by Rosalie Sharp
  • 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’.
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    Created by Charles Button Picture