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- Gainesville State College: 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 Gainesville State College 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 Gainesville State College 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.10 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Alan Guerra
University of Turku: Go Fossil FreeMiksi tämä on tärkeää: Yliopistoilla on moraalinen vastuu yhteiskunnan korkeimman tiedon lähteinä hyödyntää omassa toiminnassaan parasta olemassa olevaa tietoa. Tiedeyhteisön yhteisymmärrys on kiistaton. Emme voi polttaa edes puolta maailmanlaajuisista fossiilisten polttoaineiden tunnetuista varannoista aiheuttamatta tuhoisaa ilmaston lämpenemistä. [2][3][4][5] Ilmastotieteilijät ovat yhtä mieltä siitä, että fossiilisten polttoaineiden käyttö on suurin yksittäinen syy antropogeeniseen eli ihmisen toiminnan aiheuttamaan ilmastonmuutokseen, joka aiheuttaa äärimmäisen vakavia ekologisia ja sosiaalisia katastrofeja. [2] Turun yliopiston tulisi johtaa omalla esimerkillään ilmastonmuutoksen hillitsemistä harjoittamalla entistä kestävämpää sijoitustoimintaa niin ympäristön kuin taloudenkin kannalta. Hiilikuplalla tarkoitetaan fossiilisia polttoaineita tuottaviin yhtiöihin liittyvää taloudellista riskiä, joka johtuu alihintaisten kasvihuonekaasupäästöjen aiheuttamasta markkinahäiriöstä. Hiilikupla on saanut useita sijoittajia vetämään sijoituksensa pois näistä yhtiöistä. [6][7] Yliopiston siirtyminen fossiilisten polttoaineiden tuottajista vapaaseen sijoitusstrategiaan olisi vahva signaali yliopiston henkilökunnalle ja opiskelijoille siitä, että yliopiston johto tunnustaa tieteellisen tutkimustyön tulokset ja pyrkii kehittämään yliopiston toimintaa entistä kestävämmäksi. Yhteiskunta tarvitsee edelläkävijöitä, jotka luovat uuden normaalin ja motivoivat muita osallistumaan uusien parhaiden käytäntöjen omaksumiseen. ------------------------------------------------------ Why is this important? Universities have the moral responsibility to act according to the leading sources of scientific research and education in a society. The scientific consensus is clear and overwhelming; we cannot safely burn even half of the world's fossil-fuel reserves without dangerously warming the planet for several thousand years. [2][3][4] Scientists agree that global warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels will continue to accelerate and intensify tragic climate disasters. [2] University of Turku should take the lead in confronting climate change by promoting sustainable and financially sound asset management practises. Carbon bubble is a term used to describe the financial risk related to companies holding fossil fuel reserves as governments move to fix the market failure caused by uncontrolled carbon emissions. [5][6][7] Divestment would send a strong signal to the University's staff as well as current and future students, that the University will take action for a sustainable future. Society as a whole needs leadership from organisations that shape the future and motivate others to join and implement best practises. [1] http://gofossilfree.org/companies/ [2] http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg1/WGIAR5_SPM_brochure_en.pdf [3] http://carbontracker.live.kiln.it/index.html?CMP=twt_gu [4] http://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus [5] http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/ [6] http://gofossilfree.org/endorsements/ [7] http://www.carbontracker.org/report/carbon-bubble/ [8]http://www.tyy.fi/sites/tyy.fi/files/attachment/liite1_talousstrategia_edustajistolle.pdf272 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Valtteri Moilanen- Divest WasedaWaseda University is the biggest investor among Japanese univesities, so it would be the huge impact if they would divest from fossil fuels.13 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Atsushi Takahashi
- Seattle University: 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 Seattle University 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 Seattle University 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.57 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Lucas McKinnon
Divest Occidental College From Fossil FuelsWe must divest if we are to regain our integrity as an institution. Occidental College prides itself on being a liberal arts institution that shapes citizens who will contribute to and better the world society. Therefore, it should not be harming our environment and society through financial support of the fossil fuel industry. Climate change is real. 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. If we do not fully commit ourselves to substantive action as individuals, as institutions, and as a society, climate change will accelerate and intensify on an unprecedented scale. Colleges and universities are unique in the abundant wealth they hold in social, intellectual, and financial capital. This makes these institutions better suited than any other entity to lead our society toward a more just and sustainable future. We have a duty to apply our intelligence and creativity to the enduring problems of our civilization, which include climate change. In its mission statement, Occidental College calls on its students to gain a "deeply rooted commitment to the public good." It would be hypocrisy for the college not to pursue the same goal. Despite using environmental sustainability to enhance its brand, Occidental College backs the destructive fossil fuel industry through its investments. This lack of integrity is unacceptable. If Occidental is to fulfill its mission and uphold its values as an institution, it must divest from fossil fuels. If our open-minded and reputable college cannot divest from the destructive fossil fuel industry, then who will? To regain its integrity, Occidental must divest. In doing so, we will set a moral standard that other institutions will be inspired to live up to.636 of 800 SignaturesCreated by Alex Lukas
FOSSIL FREE HEC ParisThe IPCC and other scholars have estimated that to have at least a 50% chance to stay below a temperature increase of 2°C within the 21st century, we have to limit the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions between 2011 and 2050 to approximately 1.100 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e)[1]. In contrast, research also discovered that global fossil fuel reserves contain 2900 GtCO2e in total, which means that at least 33% of global oil, 50% of global natural gas and over 80% of global coal reserves must remain unused in order to probably meet the 2°C target.[2] Nevertheless, oil, gas and coal mining companies continue to invest hundreds of billions of dollars per year into the exploration and production of new reserves (USD 674bn in 2012)[3], although an extensive body of research from the University of Oxford, the Carbon Tracker Initiative in collaboration with the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Chatham House, HSBC, The Economist Intelligence Unit, Kepler Chevreux, the Bank of England, and from many more renowned organisations has underlined the high and growing carbon risk embedded in fossil fuel assets[4]. These assets will lose their value before the end of their economic life (known as stranded assets) if political leaders implement stricter climate policies necessary to limit global warming to 2°C. In addition to the continuation of business as usual, fossil fuel companies engage in lobbying and disinformation campaigns to prevent climate change legislation[5].These points illustrate that the fossil fuel companies' business model and practices are fundamentally inconsistent with climate change mitigation and undermine the globally supported 2°C target. The investment in and support of fossil fuel companies to continue business as usual is neither in line with HEC's mission and values[6] nor does it contribute to climate change mitigation. If HEC Paris wants to educate and train global leaders of tomorrow to contribute to society as a whole, then HEC has to support a global legally binding climate agreement to be formulated and signed in Paris. Investments in fossil fuel companies which hold and are ready to produce a carbon-intensive asset base while pushing global temperature increase beyond 2°C are first and foremost a threat to the future of humanity and, in addition, pose a significant and urgent economic risk. References: [1] See McGlade, Ekins (2015). The geographical distribution of fossil fuels unused when limiting global warming to 2°C. Nature. Vol. 517. January 2015. [2] See McGlade, Ekins (2015). The geographical distribution of fossil fuels unused when limiting global warming to 2°C. Nature. Vol. 517. January 2015; see also Mitchell et al. (2015). Oil and Gas Mismatches: Finance, Investment and Climate Policy. Research Paper of the Chatham House: The Royal Institute of International Affairs. [3] See Carbon Tracker Initiative and Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science (2013). Unburnable Carbon 2013: Wasted capital and stranded assets. [4] See Asnar et al. (2013). Stranded assets and the fossil fuel divestment campaign: what does divestment mean for the valuation of fossil fuel assets? Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford; and See Carbon Tracker Initiative and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science (2013). Unburnable Carbon 2013: Wasted capital and stranded assets; and see Mitchell et al. (2015).Oil and Gas Mismatches: Finance, Investment and Climate Policy. Research Paper of the Chatham House: The Royal Institute of International Affairs; and HSBC stated that "we believe stranding risks for assets are relatively high this year and growing." Paun et al. (2015). Stranded assets: what next? How investors can manage increasing fossil fuel risk. HSBC Global Research; and see The Economist Intelligence Unit (2015). The cost of inaction: recognising the value at risk from climate change; and Kepler Chevreux states that "USD 28trn of fossil-fuel revenues [are] at risk in a 450-ppm world"; Kepler Chevreux (2015). Stranded assets, fossilised revenues. ESG Sustainability Research; and see Carrington (2015). Bank of England warns of huge financial risk from fossil fuel investments. The Guardian Online. [5] For an overview see for instance Fossil Free MIT (2014). The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Role in Hindering Climate Change Action: Lobbying and Disinformation Against Science and Scientists. [6] See HEC Paris (2015). About HEC Paris: Mission and Values. HEC Paris website.207 of 300 SignaturesCreated by David Kampmann- Warren Wilson College: 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 Warren Wilson College 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 Warren Wilson College will not only be a sound decision for our institution's financial portfolio, but also for the well-being of its current and future graduating classes, who deserve the opportunity to graduate with a future not defined by climate chaos.29 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Robert Corriher
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College 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 $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.12 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Kimberly Rhodes
Central Washington University: 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 $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 over one fifth of global fossil-fuel reserves without dangerously warming the planet for several thousand years. Central Washington University needs to show it cares about the future of it’s students by divesting from investments in fossil fuels. It is vital that students and alumni realize that University leadership are investing student and alumni funds in areas that are responsible to present and future generations. A students choice of a university education should not include the implicit approval of investments that harm people and all of the earth’s inhabitants. We urge you be a University that carries the ”fossil fuel free” title.64 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Kevin Kane
Divest Willamette University From Fossil FuelsClimate 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.284 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Linda Wallmark