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Divest Shepparton from Fossil FuelsClimate change is not simply an environmental problem, but an issue of social justice, intergenerational equity, and the viability for future human endeavors. It is now widely understood that we cannot safely burn even one-third of global fossil fuel reserves without dangerously warming the planet for several thousand years. We are already witnessing the increasing impacts of a warming planet more and more consistently; in the last year alone our country experienced record-breaking heat, droughts, and extreme rainfall. These events had a grave impact on hundreds of thousands of people and cost our country billions of dollars. Experts agree that global warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels will continue to accelerate and intensify these tragic climate disasters. Through its current investment portfolio, City of Greater Shepparton is facilitating and profiting from the continued and expanding extraction and burning of fossil fuels, despite the harm that these practices are known to be causing to many millions of people worldwide. It is unethical and immoral for our council to be investing in, and profiting from companies that will condemn the planet to climate disaster. Therefore, we are calling on City of Greater Shepparton to divest from the fossil fuel industry. We believe divestment not only makes sense morally, but increasingly also financially, given the decrease in oil prices and associated investments and likelihood of a ‘carbon bubble’ bursting. Continued investment in companies that extract fossil fuels represents a significant risk to City of Greater Shepparton as these companies will face large devaluations when the world moves to lower emission energy sources. Let's strengthen City of Greater Shepparton’s commitment to sustainability and social justice by going fossil free.20 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Josie Lester
Hobart City Council Divestment. The petition is closed. 1500 signatures total on paper, plus online!As rate paying residents of Hobart we are extremely concerned about the effects of catastrophic climate change on our planet in general and Tasmania specifically. We are calling upon Hobart City Council to live up to its promise to lead the community in responding to the threat of climate change and join the growing number of cities and municipalities worldwide in divesting from the fossil fuel industry. Hobart City Council currently has $26 million, over 70% of its total investment portfolio, with the big banks which finance the fossil fuel industry. There is a global concensus that the rise in temperatureS must be limited to 2°C to avoid catastrophic climate change, which would have severe effects both globally and locally, with Tasmania predicted to experience loss of economically important ecosystems and species due to warming oceans, loss of coastal areas to rising sea levels and increase in the frequency and severity of catastrophic bushfires. To ensure warming does not exceed this 2°C limit, it has been estimated that 80% of remaining fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground. Since national governments are not acting fast enough to ensure this, a growing number of local governments are ruling out using the money entrusted to them by their residents to advance the destruction of our planet. Cities that have divested so far have included Melbourne, Newcastle, Byron Shire Council, Freemantle, ACT, San Francisco, Seattle, Oslo and many others.45 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Hobart 350
North East DIVEST - Leave it in the GroundBecause Climate Change brings all manner of changes to our living experiences at this present time. This is not only for us in the UK, but for many other of the human race around the world. Fossil fuel reserves are more than three times higher than we can afford to burn in order to stay below the generally agreed threshold for dangerous climate change. Our children should not have to face the difficulties we are setting up for them by continuing to rely on fossil fuels. The effects on the Southern Pacific Islands and other Small Island States illustrate to us that the only moral choice for institutions that care about the planet and it's residents, is divestment.45 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Carol Musgrove
DIVEST Lincolnshire County Council Pension Fund from Fossil FuelsLincolnshire - on the front line of global warming. Climate Change has caused, and is predicted to cause, a much greater risk of flooding and extreme weather but Lincolnshire is uniquely vulnerable to rising sea level. The Council recognises the potential impacts of global warming yet its pension fund invests over £100,000,000 in the very fossil fuel companies that are causing climate change. About 7% of the County’s pension fund, is invested in causing the problem. Most of the world’s coal, oil and gas reserves must remain in the ground, unburnt if we are to avoid catastrophic global warming. As governments begin to regulate more closely, policy changes and oversupply of fossil fuels globally will see the value of carbon plummet, reserves will become stranded assets; their share prices will collapse. This makes investing in fossil fuels increasingly risky for all stakeholders. Financial experts, including the Bank of England, Goldman Sachs, Standard and Poor's and AXA, have warned of the economic risk that climate change policies pose to fossil fuel companies. Lincolnshire County Council needs to be ahead of the curve by divesting quickly to safeguard the future pensions of all its shareholders. Lincolnshire County Council recognises that it must do whatever it can to tackle climate change and it has a responsibility to divest from an industry that jeopardises the future of our planet. Yet the short term financial gain that the Pension Fund Committee hopes to achieve comes at the risk of financial loss as well as a cost to people and planet. We hope Lincolnshire County Council pension trustees are aware of September’s UNEP Finance Initiative Report, Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century – which concludes that: "Failing to consider long-term investment value drivers, which include environmental, social and governance issues, in investment practice is a failure of fiduciary duty.” Instead of fossil fuel investment, the Pension Fund Committee should invest in solutions to climate change, investments that protect pensions and planet, joining The British Medical Association, Bristol City Council and Oxford City Council who have all recently agreed to make the commitment to no direct investment in the fossil fuel industry. Globally Lincolnshire County Council would join over 400 institutions and 2000 individuals with an asset base of $2.6 trillion who are already divesting across the world. --ENDS-- Please sign the petition and encourage others to do so. For data on Local Authority pension fund investment in fossil fuels see http://gofossilfree.org/uk/pensions/ and http://math.350.org/ Petition from Biff Vernon for Transition Town Louth61 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Biff Vernon
Divest Beverly from Fossil Fuels!Beverly, like every city, town, state, and country, is at a pivotal moment in history. Man-made climate change is causing environmental devastation and human suffering here in Beverly and around the world. We still have the power to avert irreversible changes, but the window of opportunity is closing. Divesting from the fossil fuels that are causing climate change is a crucial step toward ensuring a sustainable future for Beverly and the rest of the world. Our local government has a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s destroying our future, and reinvest in solutions to climate change. We can not count on the federal government, even as extreme weather events like the record-breaking winter storms of 2014-2015 overwhelm local budgets. 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 governments that care about their citizens. Solving the climate crisis is the only practical choice for governments that care about their solvency. It's time to divest from fossil fuels now!7 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Anthony Harris
Suffolk County Council: Divest from fossil fuelSuffolk 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-30709211589 of 600 SignaturesCreated by Anna Gretton
Warwickshire County Council: Divest From Fossil FuelsBy continuing to grant social legitimacy to the burning of fossil fuels, our council is complicit in driving unprecedented climate change. The warming of our planet is harming people by the millions through the more frequent extreme weather events hitting communities across the world. We must do all we can to keep fossil fuels in the ground to avert runaway climate change and stop our climate warming above the 2 degrees C. We are already seeing the disastrous effects of climate change across the globe. Allowing companies to explore and drill for more fossil fuels like Fracking or drilling in the Arctic, can only lead to more damage to our climate and fragile eco-systems. Scientists have recently estimated that fossil fuel reserves still in the ground are approximately three times the size of that which can be burnt to have a 50:50 chance of staying below the agreed target of 2 degrees C of global average warming. Therefore, actions to avert catastrophic climate change will soon deem investments in fossil fuel reserves ‘stranded assets’. This represents substantial risk for investors and pensioners. It is for these reasons that the fossil fuel divestment movement is the fastest growing divestment movement the world has ever seen. Currently Warwickshire County Council has £88,368,000 invested in Fossil Fuel investments: £33,107,000 in direct investments including: 1 BP PLC ORD USD0.25 £9,815,000 2 BG GROUP PLC ORD GBP0.10 £7,322,000 3 RIO TINTO PLC £6,998,000 4 ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC B SHS £5,742,000 5 TULLOW OIL PLC ORD GBP0.10 £2,012,000 With a further £55,261,000.00 projected in indirect investments. Institutions across the world are already committing to divestment including: Oxford City Council, the British Medical Association, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Warwick University. PLEASE SIGN if you believe Warwickshire County Council should Divest from Fossil Fuels.387 of 400 SignaturesCreated by Will Roberts
Help Portsmouth, NH pave the way for Fossil Fuel DIVESTMENT!Our local government has a responsibility to divest from an industry that’s destroying our future, and reinvest in solutions to climate change. We can't count on the federal government, even as extreme weather events overwhelm local budgets. 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 governments that care about their citizens. Solving the climate crisis is the only practical choice for governments that care about their solvency. It's time to divest from fossil fuels now!42 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Cody Hussey
Fossil Free NHMUOver 54,000 people have signed on the national campaign asking 5 museums, of which the Utah Natural History Museum (UNMH) is one, to divest from fossil fuels. http://gofossilfree.org/museums/ This moment calls for leaders that are ready to do more than observe and curate history — it calls for leaders who are ready to help make it. We believe museums can be those leaders. The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, The Field Museum in Chicago, The Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburg, The London Museum of Science, and The Australian Academy of Sciences have already taking this important step of divestment. In addition to fossil fuel divestment growing internationally, www.BreakFree2016.org is a global project that is coordinating a global wave of escalated direct actions to stop some of the largest fossil fuel projects in the world. 2016 could be a turning point in the climate justice movement. Faculty and students at the University of Utah are ready for this moment and have been campaigning since 2012 to have the University of Utah to divest from fossil fuels: https://campaigns.gofossilfree.org/petitions/Fossil_Free_UUtah. In May 2015 the Academic Senate made the recommendation to create a policy that would support fossil fuel divestment and in March 2016 this recommendation was further supported with a timeline for September 2016: http://www.boarddocs.com/ut/uutah/asop/Board.nsf/files/A8JUX87A9B14/$file/Ad%20Hoc%20Re-Investment%20Dialogue%20Committee%20Report%20-%20March%202016.pdf This timeline will coincide with activists from around the world escalating pressure on global leaders to maintain a 2 degree limit in warming, keep 80% of the Fossil Fuels in the ground and create a just transition to renewables by 2050. We are prepared to celebrate divestment at the U of U or escalate our tactics along with www.breakfree2016.org. If you haven't read this Open Letter to Museums yet, please take a look and consider how urgent it is to create economic decisions that reflect our public sustainability missions: http://thenaturalhistorymuseum.org/open-letter-to-museums-from-scientists/483 of 500 SignaturesCreated by Ryan Pleune
Stop der öffentlichen Investitionen in fossile Brennstoffe in Aachen:Divest Aachen 24.6.2015, Aachen Sehr geehrter Herr Marcel Phillip, sehr geehrte Ratsmitglieder, die Stadt Aachen hat schon in der Vergangenheit besonderes Engagement im Klimaschutz gezeigt. Dazu gehören die Verflichtung zum Klima-Bündnis, die Unterstützung zur Elektromobilität, die Kostendeckende Vergütung für Solarstrom und das zu gründende Pilotprojekt der Energieeffizienzgenossenschaft (REEG). Nun hat die Stadt wieder die Möglichkeit eine Vorreiterrolle im Klimaschutz einzunehmen und Prestige weiterhin zu gewinnen, wie bei der European Energy Award. Zum Hintergrund: Der kürzlich veröffentlichte neuste Bericht des Weltklimarats spricht eine deutliche Sprache. Wenn wir den Klimawandel wie auf der Klimakonferenz in Kopenhagen beschlossen 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. Beispielhaft in NRW ist hier die Stadt Münster zu nennen. 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 mehr als 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. Aachen 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. Mir persönlich ist dieses Anliegen wichtig, weil eine Vorreiterrolle gehört zu einem wichtigen Technologie-Zentrum und zu einer zukunftsorientierten Stadt wie Aachen. Ich hoffe, dass Sie Schritte einleiten, um: 1. Keine neuen Investitionen in fossile Brennstoffe mehr zu tätigen 2. 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 Gary Evans B.Sc Ansprechpartner Divest Aachen http://gofossilfree.org/de/ Tel: 024151857670 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/pubhtml205 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Gary Evans