Nearby Petitions

Cities & States

• Worcestershire County Council Divest from Fossil Fuels

  It has been reported (http://gofossilfree.org/uk/pensions/) that the Worcestershire County Council Pension Fund has £197,423,000 (10.74% of its total pension fund) invested in fossil fuels. If fossil fuel companies extract and burn just 20% of the reserves they hold, this will cause catastrophic climate change (extreme weather, food shortages and conflict). The urgency of stopping climate change requires that we progressively stop burning fossil fuels now. It is irresponsible and immoral for public bodies and pension funds to invest in fossil fuel extraction companies and instead they should, where possible, direct investment into 'green energy' infrastructure. Fossil fuel companies are highly overvalued due to the assumption that all of their reserves will be burnt. But as policy catches up to climate realities, this overvaluation means there’s a multi-trillion dollar “carbon bubble” that’s poised to burst. This will greatly effect the value of our Pensions if they are still invested in Fossil Fuels.

  115 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Matthew Jenkins
• 

  Go Green

  We have no planet B to live in. It's time to divest fossil fuels and move to renewable energy.

  10 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Asmaa Hanafi
• 

  Divest Montgomery County from Fossil Fuels!

  The nations of the world (including ours) have pledged to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) - because any warming beyond 2 degrees will recklessly endanger human civilization. Regrettably, they are struggling to develop a meaningful plan by which to make good on this pledge. Meanwhile, the world's fossil fuel companies already have assets in hand (i.e., coal, oil and gas currently in the ground, awaiting extraction) that -- if extracted and burned -- will make it impossible to limit the warming to 2 degrees. In fact, their assets in hand are 5 TIMES MORE than can be safely used if we are to limit the warming to 2 degrees. The Board of Investment Trustees for the Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plans recently stated that, as of December 31, 2014, over $65 million in the pension funds it oversees are invested in 65 of the top 200 fossil fuel companies. The current fossil fuel portfolio of the MCERS includes over $10 million invested in such oil and gas companies as BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, and millions more in companies engaged in mountain-top mining of coal such as ArcellorMittal and Arch Coal. Montgomery County can do better. Studies show that divestment will not adversely affect the pension fund yields. Moreover, because people are likely to wake up at some point and put the brakes on fossil fuel use, most of today's vast known fossil fuel reserves will remain in the ground, causing a significant drop in company valuation. Thus, divestment not only makes moral sense, but financial sense as well. Our aim is to have Montgomery County sell off its multi-million dollar fossil fuel investments. Why? Because divestment works. For example, in the 1980s divestment was a major factor forcing South Africa to abandon apartheid, a previously immovable object. Similarly, the fossil fuel industry has overwhelming influence in Congress, preventing our representatives from passing crucial laws to limit climate change. The industry wears the guise of respectability, despite the fact that their business plan seeks profit from the destruction of our environment. Through our divestment campaign, we are announcing to the world that we do not wish to be associated with the fossil fuel industry. We can strip it of that illusion of respectability. Our goal is to make that industry a pariah. Our Members of Congress will become sensitized and will find it more embarrassing to be associated with fossil fuel companies. With that, the influence of these companies will decline, and our chances for essential legislation will strengthen. At the same time, fossil fuel companies may finally decide to develop renewable energy sources. Even as extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy, floods, droughts and fires threaten to overwhelm local budgets, federal action to solve this crisis is all but stalled. 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 institutions that care about the planet and its residents. Solving the climate crisis is the only practical choice for governments that care about their solvency. Let's do this in Montgomery County! Please: (1) sign the petition; (2) encourage other adults in your household to sign; (3) broadly share the petition with other MC residents via Facebook, list serves, etc.; and, most importantly, (4) target at least five of your like-minded friends via a personal contact to sign the petition and ask them to do the same with their friends.

  2,162 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Geoffrey Kidd
• 

  DivestSurrey

  The Surrey Pension Fund now has £145 million invested directly in climate wrecking fossil fuels. The United Nations has recently warned us that we have just 12 years to urgently cut our CO2 emissions or face an eco system melt down. In short we face the most awful consequences if we continue to financially support this industry. Please help us persuade the Surrey pension Fund to remove these investments by signing up to our campaign.

  546 of 600 Signatures

  Created by Steve McDonald
• 

  Saarbrücker Geld sozial-ökologisch, zukunftsfähig anlegen!

  Begründung Die Umsetzung der Fossil Free Resolutionen ist eine Investition in die Zukunft - für die Stabilität unserer Ökosysteme, für den Zusammenhalt in unserer Gesellschaft, für den Ausbau von guten Arbeitsplätzen in nachhaltigen und gemeinwohlfördernden Sektoren, für die Gesundheit, Freiheit und das Glück dieser und der nächsten Generationen - egal welcher sozialen oder geografischen Herkunft. Die Wissenschaft ist klar: Die globale Gemeinschaft - jedoch insbesondere die industrialisierten Länder - muss den Temperaturanstieg auf 1,5° C begrenzen. Nur so kann der Zusammenbruch der Ökosysteme aufgehalten werden. Ein höherer Temperaturanstieg riskiert das Überleben von Gemeinschaften im Globalen Süden schon heute und letztlich der gesamten menschlichen Zivilisation in naher Zukunft. Gleichzeitig gehören die immer weiter klaffende Schere zwischen Arm und Reich und die Vertreibung einer wachsenden Zahl von Menschen aus ihren Heimatländern durch die Klimakrise und die Destabilisierung von Staaten und Regionen zu den drängendsten Herausforderungen unserer Zeit. Die Fossil Free Resolution fordert Städte, Kreise und Kommunen auf, den wirtschaftlichen und ökologischen Wandel voranzutreiben, um den Kollaps unserer Gesellschaften und Ökosysteme zu verhindern. Die Last dieses Übergangs darf dabei nicht auf den Schultern ökonomisch oder strukturell benachteiligter Bevölkerungsschichten, alter und junger Menschen, Schwarzer Menschen und Menschen of Color, Menschen mit Fluchterfahrung, Queerer Menschen, Menschen mit Behinderungen, Menschen die an fossilen Abbaugebieten leben, Menschen, die im fossilen Sektor oder im direkten Kontakt mit der Natur arbeiten oder den Menschen im Globalen Süden liegen. Tiefgreifender Wandel ist nur möglich, wenn eine beispiellose Zusammenarbeit auf allen Ebenen stattfindet. Der gerechte Übergang wird nicht von oben nach unten erfolgen. Er wird vor allen Dingen von betroffenen Menschen, engagierten Bürger*innen und Gemeinden vorangetrieben. Dies bietet die große Chance, unsere Gesellschaft zu mehr Gemeinwohl zu führen, von Wachstumslogik und Konkurrenz Abstand zu nehmen und ein solidarisches Miteinander zu fördern. Das kann gelingen, wenn Erfolg künftig an steigendem globalen, gesellschaftlichen Wohlbefinden und ökologischer Nachhaltigkeit und nicht an Wachstum von Unternehmensprofiten und Bruttoinlandsprodukt gemessen wird.

  4 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Jonas Heintz
• 

  Divest CCC from Fossil Fuels!

  Federal inaction to solve this crisis is all but stalled. Cities have enormous untapped assets and political strength that can be organized for a better future investment. Local Actions Move the World • Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.4°F in the past 100 years The decade from 2000 to 2010 was the warmest on record Recent estimates say global sea level could rise more than 3 meters . • Higher heat means impacts and health risks to our vulnerable communities • Bigger storms means more stress on already aging infrastructure • Local Government leaders serve to oversee and manage the public good. Cities have a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s having a negative impact on our future, and reinvest in solutions. • Extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy threaten to overwhelm local budgets • Heat Related deaths impact our local emergency services. • Rising tides and flooding impact and already failing local government infrastructure. • The cost of local government Insurance premiums continue to rise pending the impacts cities are feeling from a changing climate As of May 2013, more than 100 U.S. cities have signed a resolution to divest Will your City join the team?I visit gofossilfree.org to get started

  167 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Contra Costa County Climate Leaders
• 

  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/

  1,066 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Gwen Buck
• 

  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’.

  247 of 300 Signatures

  Created by Charles Button
• Que la ville de Cenon agisse pour le desinvestissement de l'argent public dans l'energie fossile

  Le changement climatique est un enjeu tant au niveau global que local et les réponses doivent venir de toutes les échelles. Les conséquences d’un tel réchauffement seraient, vous le savez, désastreuses ; et toucheraient tous les pays et tous les territoires, dont le nôtre. Il est aujourd’hui du rôle des pouvoirs publics de saisir l’importance de l’enjeu climatique et de prendre les mesures radicales nécessaires pour faire face à cet enjeu, tout particulièrement alors que les coûts de l’adaptation nous échoient, en tant que contribuables et collectivités.

  2 of 100 Signatures

  Created by RDT Cenon Rive Droite en Transition
• 

  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.

  28 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Susan Hamilton