Nearby Petitions

Cities & States

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  Keine öffentlichen Investitionen in fossile Brennstoffe: 38855 Wernigerode - Die bunte Stadt am Harz

  Sehr geehrter Oberbürgermeister Peter Gaffert Sehr geehrte Mitglieder des Gemeinderats, Die Stadt Wernigerode hat schon in der Vergangenheit besonderes Engagement im Klimaschutz gezeigt. Nun hat die Stadt Wernigerode wieder die Möglichkeit eine Vorreiterrolle im Klimaschutz einzunehmen. Zum Hintergrund: Der neuste, bindende Beschluß der Klimakonferenz in Paris und die Berichte des Weltklimarats sprechen eine deutliche Sprache. Wenn wir den Klimawandel auf unter 2º Celsius begrenzen wollen, darf der Großteil der fossilen Energiereserven wie Kohle, Öl und Gas nicht verbrannt werden. Alles andere würde eine Destabilisierung des Klimas mit katastrophalen Folgen für Mensch und Natur nach sich ziehen. Laut Weltklimarat, müssen Investitionen in fossile Energieträger jährlich um $30 Milliarden reduziert werden, während Investitionen in kohlenstoffarme Energiegewinnung um $147 Milliarden steigen müssen. Außerdem ist damit zu rechnen, dass Unternehmen im fossilen Sektor in den kommenden Jahren stark an Wert verlieren werden, weil sie ihre Rohstoffvorkommen nicht mehr fördern und verkaufen können. Die Finanzwelt spricht von einer Kohlenstoffblase, die kurz davor ist zu platzen. Damit stellen Investitionen in fossile Energien ein hohes finanzielles Risiko dar. Die jüngsten Verluste von RWE und Eon verdeutlichen bereits heute, dass das Geschäftsmodell des fossilen Sektors nicht zukunftsfähig ist. Studien der Internationalen Energieagentur, der Universität Oxford sowie verschiedener Großbanken wie HSBC oder Citi warnen vor Investitionen in diesem Sektor. Überall auf der Welt beginnen daher Städte, Gemeinden, Kirchen, Universitäten, Stiftungen und andere Institutionen ihre Investments aus den 200 größten Kohle-, Erdöl- und Erdgasunternehmen abzuziehen. Ein solches Divestment erreicht zweierlei: Einerseits schützt es vor den Gefahren zukünftiger Wertverluste und sichert so nachhaltig die finanzielle Stabilität Ihrer Stadt. Andererseits entzieht es klimaschädlichen Unternehmen die gesellschaftliche Zustimmung und trägt so zu Wandel bei, der aufgrund der Klimakrise notwendig geworden ist. In den Vereinigten Staaten haben bereits 25 Städte verbindlich beschlossen ihre Anteile an Unternehmen des fossilen Sektors zu verkaufen. Darunter sind Großstädte wie San Francisco oder Seattle. Dagegen steht die Bewegung in Europa noch am Anfang. In den Niederlanden hat sich die Stadt Boxtel Ende 2013 als erste europäische Stadt verbindlich Divestment verschrieben. Wernigerode kann nun in Deutschland diese Vorreiterrolle einnehmen und zeigen, dass eine nachhaltige Finanzpolitik mit Rücksicht auf Natur und zukünftige Generationen möglich ist. Die globale Klimakampagne 350.org arbeitet mit Städten, Universitäten, Kirchen und anderen Institutionen in Europa, USA, Australien, Neuseeland, Kanada und Afrika zusammen, um gemeinsam gegen den Klimawandel und für eine lebenswerte Zukunft einzutreten. Ich hoffe, dass Sie Schritte einleiten, um: Keine neuen Investitionen in fossile Brennstoffe mehr zu tätigen Eigene Anteile an direkten und indirekten Investments innerhalb der nächsten 5 Jahre abzustoßen. Dazu gehören Aktien, Mischfonds, Unternehmensanleihen und sonstiges Kapital das Erdöl-, Erdgas- und Kohleunternehmen beinhaltet. Ich freue mich auf die Zusammenarbeit mit Ihnen und stehe Ihnen für Rückfragen zur Verfügung. Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Mathias Hartinger Quellenangaben 1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg3/ 2. Artikel zum Finanzrisiko Kohlenstoffblase in der Zeit: http://www.zeit.de/2014/08/carbon-bubble-rohstoff-blase 3. Internationale Energieagentur. World Energy Outlook 2012: http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/German.pdf 4. Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, Oxford. Stranded Assets Programme http://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/research/stranded-assets/ 5. HSBC, Coal and Carbon - Stranded assets: Assessing the risks https://www.research.hsbc.com/midas/Res/RDV?p=pdf&key=dXwE9bC8qs&n=333473.PDF 6. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/19/carbon-bubble-financial-crash-crisis 7. Liste der Top 200 Kohle-, Erdöl-, Erdgasunternehmen weltweit: https://docs.google.com/a/350.org/spreadsheets/d/1an9qOSE2uG4XuzeA4ltUVadDawheTWdJGKRpU5ayCJk/pubhtml 8. Eine Liste der Städte, Universitäten, Kirchen und anderer Institutionen die sich Divestment verschrieben haben: http://gofossilfree.org/commitments/

  17 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Mathias Hartinger
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  DivestSurrey

  The Surrey Pension Fund has over £130 million invested in fossil fuels. The simple fact is this. You can be in favour of massive continued support of the oil industry or you can be in favour of preventing the systematic destruction of our ecosystems. But you can't do both. The Surrey Pension Fund insists that by engaging with fossil fuel companies encouraging them to reduce their production of carbon based fuels rather than just divesting money away from them, is a more effective way of transitioning to cleaner energy sources. A number our supporters have recently received reports from the SPF of progress made with some of the largest of these companies. This was the feedback on "progress" with BP... "For BP, the company has moved from having one, ‘business as usual’ scenario, to gearing up internal discussion, and public disclosure, moving to a ‘faster transition’ scenario then to an ‘even faster transition’ scenario that equates to the IAE ‘two degree’ scenario" Unfortunately we at DivestSurrey know this is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. BP’s 2017 annual report shows that their total sales were $265billion. Alternative energy sales were $240million which represents a meagre 0.1% (1/1000th of their total sales). This figure has actually gone down since 2015, whereas oil & gas sales have gone up and reserves of oil & gas have also increased. Trying to persuade the public that these figures are a reflection of, “a faster transition moving to an even faster transition” is absolute fantasy and a complete and utter misrepresentation of the truth. Engagement with fossil fuel companies in the last 20 years has produced little or no progress. DivestSurrey wants to work with the SPF, ultimately to persuade them to remove all fossil fuel investments. We don't have much time. As David Attenborough said, "What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet”

  368 of 400 Signatures

  Created by Steve McDonald
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  Divest Vallejo from Fossil Fuels

  We hold the future of our children and grandchildren in our hands. In the words of Seattle's Mayor McGinn, "We’re the first generation to see the effects of climate change, and the last generation who can do anything about it. To refuse to use every tool at our disposal in this fight – to embrace inaction – is to endorse a trajectory that will lead to suffering, privation, and calamity" The world leaders agreed in the Copenhagen Climate Summit that raising the global temperature more than 2 degrees Celsius would be devastating for civilization. If we continue to burn fossil fuels at current rates we will surpass this target within 12 to 15 years. Today we are already witnessing the effects of accelerated climate change: increased global temperatures have caused more extreme weather, food and water shortages, resource conflicts, climate refugees, and negative health impacts which have been felt disproportionately by coastal and impoverished communities. This is not a partisan issue, it is an ethical issue. Ethical financing is a statement that we will not support the profits of fossil fuel companies while millions of poor people around the globe bear the brunt of climate change as they experience famine, mass emigration and civil unrest as a result. The burning of fossil fuels is the major contributor to the greenhouse gas build-up which causes global climate change. To prevent climate chaos, the fossil fuel industries have to keep 80% of their reserves underground. They will not do this willingly. However, as a community, we have the power to convince them by divesting from fossil fuels. Divestment from fossil fuel companies can: a) drive public awareness of the incalculable damage being done by the fossil fuel industry as it generates huge immediate profits in exchange for an uninhabitable future;  b) build public recognition of the urgent need to drastically and rapidly reduce humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels;  c) call widespread attention to the consequences of continuing a “business as usual” approach to extracting, marketing and burning fossil fuel;  d) lead to inspiring and urgent, accelerated and popular commitment to leave untapped 80% of the known carbon reserves,while developing renewable energy resources capable of meeting humanity’s needs – thus making it possible that life as we have known it might continue on earth. You can read the Carbon Tracker list at http://www.carbontracker.org/ You can review fossil fuel and fossil free investments at https://fossilfreefunds.org/ Please also support the petition to divest the city from Wells Fargo, who is funding the DAPL: https://www.change.org/p/bob-sampayan-cityofvallejo-net-divest-the-city-of-vallejo-from-wells-fargo?recruiter=602312054&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuCGVwJIRd0

  91 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Richard Fisher
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  Divest Lothian

  We all deserve a future worth retiring for, but fossil fuels threaten that future, both here in the Lothians and around the world. It's time for the Lothian Pension Fund to make a strong commitment to sustainability. Scientists are clear that the burning of fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas - is the main driver of warming around the world, the effects of which can already be seen in hurricanes in the Caribbean, wildfires in the US and Europe and catastrophic flooding in Asia. More warming will cause increasing devastation. The Lothian Pensions Fund invests £153 million in fossil fuel companies like BP and Shell, whose business plans, and the valuations of their shares, are based on a world which continues to warm. Efforts to tackle climate change, such as banning fracking and phasing out fossil fuel-powered cars, make the future for fossil fuel companies more risky. The Governor of the Bank of England has warned that the "vast majority of [fossil fuel] reserves are unburnable" if climate change is to be limited to safe levels as pledged by the world's governments. By investing in the companies most responsible for climate change funds risk significant losses, fail to protect members' best interests, and miss an opportunity to take leadership on sustainability. By committing to divest, the Lothian Pension fund would join responsible investors including the Cities of New York and Paris. Over twenty Scottish MPs, including Ian Blackford, Christine Jardine and Ian Murray, have also supported disinvestment of their own pension fund.

  16 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Susan Hamilton
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  Divest Camden

  We believe divestment from fossil fuels to be not only ethically and environmentally correct, but also financially prudent. We are very aware of the importance of and legal obligation to secure the highest possible returns, and believe divestment to provide this in the post Paris Climate Agreement world. The committment to maintaining global temperature rise well below 2 degrees, in line with the agreement, would see much of the current assetts of fossil fuel companies becoming stranded. This has been supported by various financial institutions, including the Bank of England. Camden Council has a proud history of divesting from the apartheid regime in South Africa, and considering the significant size of its fossil fuel investments (£50 million), could honour this heritage through securing a divestment committment that would resonate on a national scale.

  316 of 400 Signatures

  Created by Susan Poupard
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  Divest Kassel - Kein Geld für Waffen, Kohle, Öl und Gas!

  Als Divest Kassel setzen wir auf die politische und moralische Wirkung eines öffentlichen Divestments. Sich zum Divestment zu bekennen, stellt eine klare Positionierung für den Klimaschutz und für ein friedliches Miteinander dar. Auf diese Weise Stellung zu beziehen, zielt auf den Ruf der Konzerne und soll ihren Lobbyeinfluss begrenzen. Die Stadt Kassel nimmt ihre Verantwortung für den Klimaschutz bisher nur lückenhaft wahr. Die Verantwortung hört zum Beispiel nicht bei Finanzfragen auf, sondern muss diese mit einschließen! Für einen konsequenten Klimaschutz, der der Verantwortung für die Allgemeinheit und für zukünftige Generationen gerecht wird, sollte daher auch das Anlagevermögen nach Kriterien des Klimaschutzes umgestaltet werden. Es reicht nicht, Urban Gardening und Fahrradverkehr mit kleinen Finanzspritzen zu fördern und gleichzeitig die Möglichkeit offen zu lassen, dass die Pensionsrücklagen mit den Profiten der fossilen Energiebranche oder der Rüstungsindustrie anwachsen. Nachhaltigkeit und Klimaschutz müssen ganzheitlich über alle Sektoren gedacht werden, wobei die Finanzen einen wichtigen Hebel darstellen. "Genug Klimaschutz" gibt es angesichts der dramatischen Konsequenzen des Business-As-Usual im Rahmen des Klimawandels nicht! Im Pariser Klimavertrag hat sich auch die Bundesregierung dazu bekannt, das 2°-Limit deutlich zu unterschreiten und Anstrengungen zu unternehmen, den Temperaturanstieg auf 1,5° Celsius zu begrenzen. Das heißt im Klartext: keinerlei neuen Investitionen in jegliche Kohle-, Öl- oder Gasinfrastruktur und frühzeitiges Ende der bestehenden Förderungen. Denn allein die Ausbeutung der heute bereits produzierenden Lagerstätten werden uns schon über diese Limits katapultieren. Von dieser absehbaren Mensch-Umwelt-Katastrophe dürfen wir nicht profitieren, sondern müssen jede Anstrengung unternehmen, sie zu verhindern. Als Divest Kassel sehen wir es darüber hinaus angesichts der örtlichen Rüstungsindustrie und deren aktuellen skandalösen Verstrickungen in Konflikte wie im Norden Syriens oder Saudi-Arabien / Jemen als dringend notwendig an, die Deinvestition aus dieser Branche zu fordern, um so ein Statement für Abrüstung und mehr Frieden in der Welt zu setzen. Denn wenn der Klimawandel und Kriege zu verurteilen sind, dann ist es auch falsch, davon zu profitieren! Weitere Informationen und Hintergründe zum Nachlesen im Argumentationspapier von Divest Kassel: http://divestkassel.blogsport.eu/files/2018/03/argumentationspapier_divest-kassel_2018-02-26.pdf

  6 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Kerstin Lopau
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  Hertfordshire County Council: Divest from fossil fuels

  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/

  362 of 400 Signatures

  Created by Gwen Buck
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  Divest Strathclyde Pension Fund from fossil fuel investments

  Fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas - are the main drivers of climate change. In order to keep climate change at bay, we need to halt our extractions of fossil fuels, and must break our public institutions' financials ties with the fossil fuel industry. During the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), in Paris in December, 2015, 196 Nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2°C and attempt to “limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees”. This is a turning point for the energy industry since fossil fuels will need to be phased out, and there needs to be a shift towards clean energy in order to achieve the target of zero net emissions by 2050. The outcome of the Paris agreement has thus drawn a critical line for the fossil fuel industry: to prevent a temperature rise over 2°C, 80 % of existing fossil fuel reserves MUST stay underground. Currently, Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF) holds almost £20 billion in total investments, of which over £802 million are currently invested into the fossil fuel industry. [1] It delivers to over 222,0000 members and more than 180 organisations from 12 local authorities that are included in the former Strathclyde Area. The SPF has stated that their ‘"traditional approach to responsible investment has been, by and large, top-down - ensuring that environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) concerns in our portfolios are recognised and addressed". Yet, the fund is still deeply invested in the main drivers for climate change and social injustice. We call on SPF's immediate freeze of new investments into fossil fuel industries as well as divestment of all current holdings in it. By doing so, SPF would show their ethical and financial responsibility to their members and join 852 public institutions and councils across the world, including Derby, South Yorkshire and Oxford City Councils, Monmouthshire County Council, the City of New York, the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, UWS and Glasgow Caledonian, The British Medical Association and the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund. [2] As the environmentalist, Bill McGibbon, says: "If it’s wrong to wreck the planet, then it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage." Thank you for your support, and please share this petition to allow for more people to sign. [1] https://foe.scot/resource/councils-fuelling-fire/ [2] https://gofossilfree.org/divestment/commitments/ [3] https://gofossilfree.org/do-the-math-fossil-fuel-investments-add-up-to-climate-chaos/

  232 of 300 Signatures

  Created by Fossil Free Glasgow
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  Divest Brent Council from Fossil Fuels

  We believe divestment from fossil fuels to be not only ethically and environmentally correct, but also financially prudent. Climate change is the greatest challenge humanity has encountered. The 20 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1981 and 2016 was the hottest ever [1]. Higher average temperatures are directly linked to extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, floods and storms. Scientists have unanimously concluded that these changes are a consequence of human activity, arising from the burning of fossil fuels [2]. Moreover, this activity has resulted in unprecedented levels of air pollution, now regarded as a major world killer [3]. In a speech at Lloyd’s of London in September 2015, Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England said that by the time ‘climate change becomes a defining issue for financial stability, it may already be too late’. Carney warned investors that policies to address climate change ‘would render the vast majority of reserves ‘stranded’ – oil, gas and coal that will be literally unburnable’ [4]. In order to continue developing fossil fuel reserves – particularly in the difficult areas where the remaining reserves are located (including the Arctic, the mouth of the Amazon and tar sands in sensitive areas) the developing companies need investment – divestment is a way of cutting off the funds needed to carry out these damaging activities. It also sends a powerful signal to the companies and others that it is time to move away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy. References: [0] http://tinyurl.com/lmskfgk [1] http://tinyurl.com/y9tkm4sn [2] http://tinyurl.com/3e3zv [3] http://tinyurl.com/pqgdd5q [4] http://tinyurl.com/ycspl5sg

  181 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Simon Erskine
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  Divest Norfolk Pension Fund from Fossil Fuels

  There is strong evidence (1) that the impact on climate change of burning even the known reserves of fossil fuels will create an unsustainable environment for the generations to come, and untold suffering to countless living beings. This fact will impact negatively on the value of investments in the industries concerned with fossil fuel extraction. Using just the fossil fuel reserves listed on the world’s stock markets would be enough to take us beyond 2°C of global warming (2). This means that more than 80 per cent of the world's known coal reserves, 30 per cent of known oil and 50 per cent of gas reserves need to stay in the ground and drilling in the Arctic is out of the question if we're to stay below two degrees. Recent drops in the oil price add to the uncertainty surrounding fossil fuels and the financial viability of some extractions presenting opportunities to lessen our dependency on fossil fuels (3). In defiance of mainstream research evidence and international policy (4), fossil fuel companies continue to extract and burn as much carbon as possible to maximise their profits. Despite the very high probability of planetary disaster they show no intention of switching away from their core business model. Our local council has a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s destroying the very future for ourselves and for our children that personal investment in a pension seeks to enhance. Instead it should reinvest in solutions to climate change. We won’t see any political progress on climate change until we can weaken the power of the fossil fuel industry. Divestment for fossil fuel investments would also minimise the council's exposure to the financial risk of the 'carbon bubble', whereby shareholders risk being left with stranded assets (worthless fuel stocks that regulation will prevent from being burned). It is a paradox that pension funds providing income for the future should at the same time be investing in the fossil fuel industry which if left to its own devices will exploit more of the fossil fuel reserves than we can safely use! Institutions around the world including local government, universities and churches are pulling out of fossil fuel investments and moving towards a clean energy future (5) It's time to divest from fossil fuels and reinvest in clean energy now for inescapable moral and economic reasons. Shareholders (including pension funds) have started to challenge Exxon, Shell and BP to show how their business model is compatible with a 2 degree temperature rise (6). Some argue that engaging with fossil fuel companies is a more effective tactic than divestment. But Jonathon Porritt, one of the UK’s most esteemed environmentalists who spent years working on sustainability projects with BP and Shell, earlier this year said engagement was now futile because “hydrocarbon supremacists” at the companies had successfully ousted reformers wanting to diversify into green energy. Divestment, therefore, seems to be an unavoidable step to halting the damage and suffering which will ensue unless timely action is taken. 1 http://350.org/about/science/ 2 http://math.350.org/ 3 http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530043.100-over-a-barrel-falling-oil-prices-and-the-environment.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22029415.700-an-oil-crash-is-on-its-way-and-we-should-be-ready.html#.VNI0c9kgGc0 4 http://www.ipcc.ch/ 5 http://zerocarbonbritain.org/index.php/zcb-latest-report 6 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/21/bp-challenged-confront-climate-change-risk-by-shareholders Thanks to Holly from the campaign to divest Avon pension fund for letting us use their text.

  338 of 400 Signatures

  Created by Matthew White
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