Nearby Petitions

Colleges & Universities

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  KU Leuven Fossil Free

  {ENGLISH BELOW} Onze klimaattoekomst hangt af van een eenvoudige keuze. Ontginnen we alle gekende steenkool-, olie- en gasvoorraden ter wereld, dan blazen we genoeg CO2 de lucht in om onze planeet meerdere keren te laten overkoken. Laten we de meerderheid van die fossiele brandstoffen in de grond, dan maken we een goede kans om een leefbaar klimaat te behouden. Nu nog nieuwe steenkoolmijnen, olie- of gasvelden aansnijden is dus absolute waanzin wetende dat zelfs nu al mensen wereldwijd de gevolgen van klimaatverandering ondervinden. Sterker nog, als we de gevaarlijke grens van 1.5° opwarming niet willen overschrijden, zoals afgesproken in het wereldwijde Klimaatakkoord van Parijs, dan moeten zelfs fossiele mijnen en velden die nu actief zijn, vroegtijdig sluiten. Steeds meer universiteiten, stadsbesturen en pensioenfondsen van over de hele wereld investeren daarom niet langer in fossiele brandstofbedrijven. Daarmee nemen ze zowel een ethisch als economisch standpunt in en tonen ze zich voortrekker in de strijd voor een eerlijkere, gezondere en duurzamere samenleving. Onze KU Leuven kan haar rol als wetenschappelijke en maatschappelijke voortrekker daarbij niet ontkennen. Wij vragen nu dus dat onze universiteit zich ook aansluit bij die internationale Fossil Fuel Divestment beweging en haar bestaande fossiele beleggingen stopt. Fossiele brandstoffen horen in de grond! ENGLISH Our common climate future depends on a simple choice. If we dig up all known global coal, oil and gas reserves, we’ll blow enough CO2 into the atmosphere to boil the planet multiple times. If we choose to keep the majority of fossil fuels in the ground, we have a good shot at preserving a gentle climate. Opening up new coal mines, oil or gas fields at this stage is completely insane, knowing that people all over the world are already suffering from the consequences of climate change. Even more, if we want to keep the limit of a world only 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than in pre-industrial times in sight, as we globally agreed upon in the Paris Agreement, then fossil fuel mines and fields that are actively in use nowadays will have to close down earlier than planned. More and more universities, city councils and pension funds worldwide have stopped investing in fossil fuel companies. They are taking an ethical and economical stance and prove to be leaders in fighting for a more equal, healthy and sustainable society. Our KU Leuven cannot deny its role in this debate as a scientific and civil pioneer. We ask our university to join the international Fossil Fuel Divestment movement and to put an end to its existing fossil investments. Together we keep fossil fuels in the ground!

  2,176 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Gert-Jan Vanaken
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  UCL, DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS

  Climate change has already caused millions to lose their lives and livelihoods after only one degree of global average warming [5]. ‘Business as usual’ scenarios see us facing up to six degrees of warming and hundreds of millions suffering. It’s time to take this problem on at its source: the fossil fuel companies. If it is wrong to wreck the climate, then it is wrong to profit from that wreckage. UCL cannot continue to use its funds from students, alumni, trusts and grant-making bodies to fund fossil fuel companies through its portfolio of investments. UCL's academics show a strong consensus on the effects of climate change, taking it into account in their research and making constructive proposals for how we can respond to and overcome it as a society. UCL is giving money to further this positive research yet chooses to invest in the fossil fuel industry, the root cause of climate change. This shows massive disrespect to their own staff, to the future of their students, and to all those around the world suffering the effects of climate change but also from the human right violations carried out by fossil fuel companies. With 1/4 of UK universities now having divested, 16 of which in the last year, UCL is losing its chance to lead the way towards a more sustainable world, proving that management prioritises profit over the protection of the environment, the future generations and the voice of thousands of students and academic staff who support divestment. In the ultimatum letter we sent to management in November 2016 we received more than 100 signatures from academic staff who support divestment [6]. How long will management keep disregarding the views of its student body and staff? One of the few counter-arguments management has presented is that they are scared divestment would negatively affect UCL's engineering department. However there is no evidence that by divesting UCL will risk its sponsorship from fossil fuel companies and jeopardise the ties the Engineering department have with them. All other universities who have divested still maintain links with the companies with no effect on their students future relations with these companies whatsoever. It is therefore high time we DEMOCRATISED our university and TAKE ACTION to prevent further planetary degradation. We as students, academics and above all citizens, have the power to change the world. References: [1] http://www.ucl.ac.uk/white-paper/mission [2] UCL Investment Portfolio, December 2012. [3] http://www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/08/Unburnable-Carbon-Full1.pdf, p.13-14. [4] UCL Ethical Investment Policy, http://www.ucl.ac.uk/finance/finance_docs/investment_policy.htm [5] DARA, Climate Vulnerability Number 2010 http://daraint.org/climate-vulnerability-monitor/climate-vulnerability-monitor-2010/ [6] Open Letter to UCL Management http://fossilfreeucl.tumblr.com/openletter

  3,424 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Natasha Gorodnitski
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  Southern Illinois University Carbondale: Go Fossil Free!

  As public pressure to confront climate change builds, we call on Southern Illinois University Carbondale 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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale 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.

  409 of 500 Signatures

  Created by Patricia Walker
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  Divest Huddersfield University From Fossil Fuels

  Huddersfield University aims to be 'an inspiring, innovative university of international renown' and prides itself on its commitment to green policies and practice. It now has the chance to prove its values and refuse to profit from the hazardous actions of fossil fuel companies. The divestment movement is snowballing, winning over companies, organisations and universities all over the world. The Fossil Free movement has proven that the public wants action on climate change at a political level and the University of Huddersfield can help to lead the movement at a critical time. Fossil fuel companies' current reserves of oil, coal and gas hold 5 times more carbon than the world's atmosphere can safely handle. Their business plan will cause climate chaos for billions of us, yet UK universities still collectively invest £5.2bn in fossil fuel companies. Divestment will not stop climate change. It will show our refusal to feed the industry which poses the greatest threat to us all. Divestment is for our shared morals, progress and commonsense.

  1,051 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Sam Broderick
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  Divest Ulster University from Fossil Fuels

  The Students’ Union recently received a response to their freedom of information request Ulster University on their investment portfolio. We had inquired as to Ulster University’s direct investments through Innovation Ulster and those made indirectly through it’s Endowment Fund. It was found that the University invests its Endowment Fund through the Rathbones Active Income and Growth Fund. Without taking into consideration the fund’s direct investments, and bearing in mind that the total amount of money Rathbones are managing for the University is over £7 million, it has invested approximately £80,000 in fossil fuel companies such as Dutch Shell and BP. Furthermore, the University also have significant investments in the tobacco industry (Over £26,000) and most worryingly in the arms industry (£13,000). In this current climate we believe this money should be invested into student facilities and more sustainable alternatives.

  2 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Campaigns Officer
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  Divest Appalachian

  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.

  1 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Dustin Hicks
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  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.

  717 of 800 Signatures

  Created by David Le Page
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  Calling On Falmouth University To Commit To Never Invest In Fossil Fuels

  At the moment, there is no policy in place which stops our University investing in Fossil Fuels. We want this to change. Even though there are no investments at the moment, doesn't mean they won't in the future. We believe that it is incredibly hypocritical that an institution entrusted to prepare its students for the future should not profit from destroying it at the most fundamental level. As a forward thinking, up and coming university, is it right for Falmouth to profit from such morally questionable industries? If you are a student, academic, alumni or a concerned citizen who feels that Falmouth University should be challenged on this issue please add your signature to this petition and contact Divest Penryn to become more actively involved in this campaign!

  6 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Conor Cowden
• University of Illinois at Chicago: 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 University of Illinois at Chicago 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 University of Illinois at Chicago 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.

  51 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Emily Church
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  SUSSEX UNIVERSITY DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGN

  According to the most recent projections, the world is headed on a course to global warming of 4 degrees by the end of this century if we carry on emitting CO2 at current rates. [1] It is clear that fossil fuels are not the way forward, and that we must end our addiction to carbon and find sustainable energy alternatives before it is too late. Despite this, our governments and institutions continue to invest vast sums in companies extracting oil and gas, giving them huge public subsidies that have helped to make them some of the most profitable companies in the world. The University of Sussex is renowned as a progressive institution, and we believe that the University should lead by example and join dozens of other universities, religious institutions and local governments across the world that have already committed to investing its money ethically, and going fossil free. Collectively, we have the opportunity to send an important signal to our governments and the private sector about the urgent moral and financial imperative of phasing out fossil fuels.

  2,036 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Rachel Mohun