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  • Members of East Sussex Pension Fund Call for Divestment!
    Burning fossil fuels (oil, coal & gas) is the main driver of climate change. Massive reductions in carbon emissions will be necessary before 2030 if the world’s governments are to follow through on their stated commitment (‘the Paris agreement’) to hold global warming to ‘well below’ 2ºC. Failure to do so would be truly disastrous. In particular, the vast majority of proven reserves of fossil fuels will have to remain in the ground unburnt. Yet despite this, in 2019 the oil and gas industries were forecast to spend $4.9 trillion over the next decade on new oil and gas fields - none of which is compatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C. As of 31 December 2020, the East Sussex Pension Fund – the local government pension scheme for East Sussex, Brighton and Hove - had £76.4 million of local people's pensions invested in fossil fuels. These investments not only threaten the climate, but also pose a significant financial danger to the Fund. In 2015 the then-Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, warned that investors in these fossil fuels faced ‘potentially huge’ losses from climate change action that could make vast reserves of oil, coal and gas ‘literally unburnable’. After coal demand peaked in 2014, UK public pension funds lost nearly a billion dollars as the value of their coal investments plummeted. Oil and gas are next. And the Council’s policy of ‘engaging’ with fossil fuel companies simply isn’t working. Indeed, despite many years of such ‘engagement’ not a single major oil company has yet re-aligned its business model with a 2ºC world, let alone a 1.5ºC one. And there are no precedents for a company changing its core business model following pressure from shareholders. By getting institutions like the East Sussex Pension Fund to publicly commit to divesting from fossil fuels, we can help to undermine the political power of the fossil fuel companies that continue to block effective action on climate change by the world’s governments. It’s time to divest from fossil fuels. Who supports divesting the East Sussex Pension Fund? - Maria Caulfield, Conservative MP for Lewes - Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion - Hastings Borough Council - Brighton & Hove City Council - Lewes District Council - Lewes Town Council - UNISON (the public service union) What else can I do? (a) The Council has claimed that 'There’s no evidence that most [East Sussex Pension Fund] members or other stakeholders consider divestment from fossil fuel companies a pressing issue ...' Help prove them wrong by sending a short message to the Chair of the East Sussex Pension Committee, the decision-making body for the Fund. You can do this using our template text (which you can adapt as you see fit) here: https://act.350.org/letter/eastsussex (b) Tell your friends, family and workmates about the campaign (c) If you use social media then follow us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/divesteastsussex] and / or Twitter [https://twitter.com/DivestEast] and share our posts. (c) If you live of work in Brighton or Hove then please also sign this petition to East Sussex County Council demanding that Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) be granted adequate representation on the Pension Committee that controls the Fund (it currently has no representation at all): https://tinyurl.com/bhccrepresentation
    1 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Rob Noyes
  • Go Fossil Free! NKU
    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 $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.
    40 of 100 Signatures
    Created by James Renton
  • Suffolk County Council: Divest from fossil fuel
    Suffolk County Council says it wants to be the “Greenest county” yet its latest pension fund figures (September 2015) showed it had £11 million worth of Shell shares – 5% of its total holding in UK shares. Campaign groups estimate that in 2014 it held in total £117 million worth of fossil fuel assets. [1] All local authorities in Suffolk contribute to this pension fund, including Ipswich Borough Council, Waveney District Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council, St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, Forest Heath District Council and Babergh District Council Investing in fossil fuel creates a risk both to members of the pension fund and to the planet. Respected financial analysts warn that fossil fuel companies are likely to be over-valued due to their reliance on reserves in the ground which will become worthless if carbon legislation comes into effect. [2] Only a fraction of fossil fuel companies' reserves may be extracted and burned whilst keeping within the 2°C climatic warming target agreed by the world's Governments at international climate negotiations. [3] Suffolk should sell its fossil fuel investments and follow the example of several other local authorities who have invested cash in local sustainable projects such renewable energy, energy efficiency or building much needed energy efficient social homes. This blog by Friends of the Earth Scotland gives some examples. http://www.blog.foe-scotland.org.uk/index.php/2015/06/6-local-governments/ This would provide local jobs, a stronger local economy and reliable long term, low risk returns for the pension fund. [1] http://gofossilfree.org/uk/pensions/ [2] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/19/carbon-bubble-financial-crash-crisis [3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30709211
    632 of 800 Signatures
    Created by Anna Gretton
  • 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.
    50 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Vartan Ahrens
  • Stop investing Brighton and Hove's Pension Fund in fossil fuels
    Burning fossil fuels (oil, coal & gas) is the main driver of climate change. Massive reductions in carbon emissions will be necessary before 2030 if the world’s governments are to follow through on their stated commitment (‘the Paris agreement’) to hold global warming to ‘well below’ 2ºC. Failure to do so would be truly disastrous. In particular, the vast majority of proven reserves of fossil fuels will have to remain in the ground unburnt. Yet despite this, in 2019 the oil and gas industries were forecast to spend $4.9 trillion over the next decade on new oil and gas fields - none of which is compatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C. As of 31 December 2020, the East Sussex Pension Fund – the local government pension scheme for East Sussex, Brighton and Hove - had £76.4 million of local people's pensions invested in fossil fuels. These investments not only threaten the climate, but also pose a significant financial danger to the Fund. In 2015 the then-Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, warned that investors in these fossil fuels faced ‘potentially huge’ losses from climate change action that could make vast reserves of oil, coal and gas ‘literally unburnable’. After coal demand peaked in 2014, UK public pension funds lost nearly a billion dollars as the value of their coal investments plummeted. Oil and gas are next. And the Council’s policy of ‘engaging’ with fossil fuel companies simply isn’t working. Indeed, despite many years of such ‘engagement’ not a single major oil company has yet re-aligned its business model with a 2ºC world, let alone a 1.5ºC one. And there are no precedents for a company changing its core business model following pressure from shareholders. By getting institutions like the East Sussex Pension Fund to publicly commit to divesting from fossil fuels, we can help to undermine the political power of the fossil fuel companies that continue to block effective action on climate change by the world’s governments. It’s time to divest from fossil fuels. Who supports divesting the East Sussex Pension Fund? - Maria Caulfield, Conservative MP for Lewes - Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion - Hastings Borough Council - Brighton & Hove City Council - Lewes District Council - Lewes Town Council - UNISON (the public service union) What else can I do? (a) Tell your friends, family and workmates about the campaign and ask them to sign the petition; (b) If you use social media then follow the campaign on Facebook [LINK: https://www.facebook.com/divesteastsussex] and / or Twitter [LINK: https://twitter.com/DivestEast] and share our posts; (c) If you're a member of the Pension Fund then please sign this petition to ESCC, calling on it to divest the Pension Fund from fossil fuels: INSERT LINK HERE. The Council has claimed that 'There’s no evidence that most [East Sussex Pension Fund] members or other stakeholders consider divestment from fossil fuel companies a pressing issue ...' Help prove them wrong! You can also send a short message to the Chair of the East Sussex Pension Committee, the decision-making body for the Fund, using this adaptable template: https://act.350.org/letter/eastsussex
    1 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Rob Noyes
  • Petition to Divest Case Western Reserve University From Fossil Fuels
    Humanity is at a precipice. In October 2018, the United Nations International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) stipulated that humanity would have to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. The science is clear that institutions must play a role in the mass effort to avoid climate catastrophe. The 2017 Carbon Majors Report found that just 100 fossil fuel companies have been responsible for 71% of global emissions since 1988. If we are to avoid the least catastrophic side effects of increased global temperature, which include droughts, floods, and famines increasing in both frequency and severity the longer we fail to act, “the world would have to leave two-thirds of its fossil fuel reserves unexploited” As a result, it is downright abhorrent to continue harboring any connection to an industry that bears significant responsibility for the crisis that disproportionately harms low-income, and minority communities, in addition to threatening the future of each and every human being. Specifically in regards to the Cleveland community, our region has been detrimentally impacted by heightened droughts and floods—the results of which reverberate through agriculture and infrastructure development, contributing to widespread, systemic, environmental racism. CWRU’s $1.87 billion endowment currently has an undisclosed exposure to fossil fuels, an industry that has led an attack on science and climate crimes against humanity. The destruction perpetuated by the fossil fuel industry is not accidental. The Climate Deception Dossiers, published by the Union of Concerned Scientists, contains over 300 pages worth of documents and internal memos from fossil fuel companies that display a deep understanding of potential implications as far back as the 1980s. Even more unforgivable is the evidence of “forged letters to Congress, secret funding of a supposedly independent scientist, the creation of fake grassroots organizations, multiple efforts to deliberately manufacture uncertainty about climate science and more.” CWRU cannot credibly claim to be an institution that promotes scientific inquiry and academic integrity, nor can it continue to assert that the university holds self-stated core values such as “academic freedom and responsibility,” “ethical behavior” and an “emphasis on sustainability” while continuing to invest in publicly traded fossil fuel companies. There is undeniable evidence that fossil fuels have been and will continue to be an increasingly imprudent investment. As shown in the report written by American University’s Student Government Financial Research Office, which led to the university’s subsequent divestment several months ago, “indices without fossil fuel investments perform better than those with such investments...fossil free investments have practically identical, often lesser, volatility as compared to their traditional counterparts, speaking to their sustainability.” The report continues with the evidence that divestment does not impair an investment portfolio, stating that “portfolios that divest from fossil fuels and utilities and invest in clean energy perform better than those with fossil fuels and utilities.” Finally, the report explains how investing in fossil fuels is, contrary to popular belief, an extraordinarily high-risk endeavor. These risks arise from a number of sources: global policy changes aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; evolving technology which has the potential to undermine the success of fossil fuels, exemplified by the prediction that “LED lighting will reduce electricity consumption for lighting by 40 percent between 2013 and 2030”; and the potential for fossil fuels to become “stranded assets” through various pressures which will render them liabilities. All these factors contribute to the estimate that average annual returns may fall up to 74% and 63% in the coal and oil subsectors, respectively. Fossil fuel divestment is not only a decision which is morally right, but one which is also realistic and financially sound. On April 22, American University announced that although they had “had no direct investments in fossil fuel funds for several years,” they [had] divested all of its public fossil fuel investments from its endowment. In AU’s case, much of the fossil fuel exposure was “concentrated entirely in commingled funds.” However, in what CWRU might call “Thinking Beyond the Possible™ ,” over just several months, AU’s Board of Trustees eliminated the remaining $12.9 million of fossil fuel exposure within the public endowment portfolio by selling “$350 million in commingled and index funds, with the proceeds reinvested in investments that do not include any fossil fuel holdings.” Institutions such as American University, in addition to the University of Hawaii and Pratt Institute, have set the gold standard for complete divestment by showing not only, that it is realistic with both financially and socially responsible leadership, but also that joining these few universities gives CWRU the opportunity to establish itself as a leader in combating the climate crisis. Continuing to ignore calls for divestment will undeniably stake the university, members of the board of trustees, and administrators sides in history as complicit in the continuing irreversible harm to the Cleveland community, and humanity as a whole.
    404 of 500 Signatures
    Created by Jack Turner
  • Divest New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS) from Fossil Fuels
    Currently, climate change is threatening the very foundations of sustainable human life around the planet. As teachers and residents of New York State, it is our responsibility to live and work in a sustainable fashion. The ability of our children and grandchildren to thrive and prosper now and in the future, here in New York and beyond, is the primary goal of each and every teacher. Please help us do the right thing for their sake.
    25 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Joseph Montuori
  • DivestSurrey
    Right now the Surrey Pension Fund has around £90 million invested directly in climate wrecking fossil fuels despite the efforts of our DivestSurrey campaign and many similar campaign groups across Surrey to persuade them to divest. Thousands of people across the country are asking why local authority pension funds such as ours in Surrey deem it acceptable to fund companies like BP who have a committed £41 billion looking for new fossil fuel reserves over the next decade. It is absolutely senseless! Help us persuade the Surrey Pension Fund to remove these investments by signing up to our campaign. But please , please also tick the yes button below your details on the right hand side, so we can keep you involved via email. Being able to contact you is so important to the success of the campaign Many thanks Steve McDonald
    746 of 800 Signatures
    Created by Steve McDonald
  • University of Birmingham Fossil Free
    "If it is wrong to wreck the climate, then it is wrong to profit from that wreckage." Too many UK universities, including the University of Birmingham, support the fossil fuel industry directly through their research, their endowments and investments and their partnerships with some of the biggest fossil fuel companies in the world, like BP, Shell and ExxonMobil. The fossil fuel industry has a concerning amount of influence over our education, with numerous members of the university’s advisory board working for fossil fuels companies. These include Tony Hayward, former chief executive of BP and current Glencore chairman, and Lord Browne former chief executive of BP and Cuadrilla company director. Additionally, companies affect educational programmes by funding research and professorships, such as the ExxonMobil Teaching Fellowship, formerly held by Chemical Engineering lecturers. We believe that our educational institutions should serve the public good and live up to their promises to tackle climate change. No UK university in their right mind would accept funding from, or invest their funds into tobacco companies these days- it’s inconsistent with their research on cancer. The same holds true for fossil fuel companies causing climate change, and yet the University of Birmingham still does not recognise this. That’s about to change. UK students have decided to take on the fossil fuel industry by getting our universities to go Fossil Free. People & Planet is joining forces with the 350.org campaign that has been sweeping across North American campuses. 200 publicly-traded companies hold the vast majority of the world’s proven coal, oil and gas reserves. Those are the companies we’ll be asking the University of Birmingham to break their links with. Together they hold five times more carbon in their fossil fuel reserves than we can safely afford to burn to stop runaway climate change. From Canada’s dirty tar sands to Arctic drilling and hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) for shale gas - the fossil fuel industry is scraping the bottom of the barrel and causing huge environmental and human devastation in the process. Withdrawing our institutions’ financial and moral backing for this climate-wrecking industry is crucial to tackling climate change. WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF FUNDING AND INVESTMENT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM? Renewables: most of the technology needed to make the transition from fossil fuels to renewable has already been developed and is completely viable. It is simply the cultural and social custom adopted by the energy industries that needs to change. A global power shift. http://globalpowershift.org/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/ see: • International Energy Agency (World Energy Outlook Special Report 2013: Redrawing The Energy Climate Map) • Centre for Alternative Technology (Zero Carbon Britain: Rethinking the Future) • David Mackay FRS (Sustainable Energy – without the hot air) WHAT IS 'THE CARBON BUBBLE'? Investing in fossil fuels is fast becoming a risky investment: London School of Economics has reported the market will collapse in the coming years. See http://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/publications/Policy/docs/PB-unburnable-carbon-2013-wasted-capital-stranded-assets.pdf
    519 of 600 Signatures
    Created by Rachel Kenyon
  • #ExitSpiritEnergy: Stadtwerke München raus aus der Förderung fossiler Brennstoffe!
    Um ihren beschlossenen klimapolitischen Zielen „Klimaneutralität 2035“ gerecht zu werden und den Klimanotstand ernst zu nehmen, muss die Stadt München endlich konsequent handeln und mit gutem Beispiel vorangehen. Der Großteil der fossilen Reserven von Öl und Gas muss aber weltweit ungenutzt im Boden bleiben, um das +1,5 Grad Celsius Ziel aus dem Pariser Abkommen gerade noch zu erreichen. Somit laufen die SWM zudem ernste Gefahr, dass ihre Investitionen in Spirit Energy massive Wertverluste erleiden und als stranded assets, „gescheiterte Investitionen“, abgeschrieben werden müssen. Das wären verlorene Millionen-Beträge der SWM zulasten der Stadt München, ihrer Bürger*innen und Steuerzahler*innen. Die bayerische Gemeindeordnung erlaubt der Stadt München und ihrer Tochter Stadtwerke nur die für die kommunale Daseinsvorsorge Münchens elementaren Aufgaben und Tätigkeiten wahrzunehmen z.B. im Energie- und Wärmesektor, nicht aber die Spekulation am Weltmarkt, um dort Gewinne zu erzielen. Angesichts der weltweiten Fördermengen und der sinkenden Preise ist die Erdöl- und Erdgasförderung der SWM in der Nordsee für den europäischen und globalen Markt in keiner Weise mit der Brennstoffversorgung für München zu begründen. Langfristig und nachhaltig kann die Versorgungssicherheit für München nur durch erneuerbare Energien sichergestellt werden. Deshalb: verbindlicher Ausstieg aus fossilen Brennstoffen! Diese Petition wurde gestartet von folgenden Organisationen: Fossil Free München,Fridays For Future München, Students For Future München, Green City e.V., Netzwerk Klimaherbst e.V., Extinction Rebellion Munich, AG ÖkoSozial, Parents For Future München, Protect the Planet, Bündnis Raus aus der Steinkohle, WissenLeben e.V., rehab republic e.V., NordSüd Forum München e.V., Landesbund für Vogelschutz (LBV) Kreisgruppe München, Oekom e.V., Münchner Initiative Nachhaltigkeit (MIN)
    1,353 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Marita Matschke