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Colleges & Universities

  • Front Range 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 $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 Front Range Community 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 Front Range Community 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.
    14 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Stephanie Chrisley
  • Divest Antioch University from Fossil Fuels
    Climate change is an environmental and human rights crisis that demands bold action. We are witnessing the increasing impacts of a warming planet more and more consistently. The effects of climate change disproportionately affect lower income and marginalized communities, often exacerbating already existing social injustices. Almost every government in the world has agreed through the 2009 Copenhagen Accord that any warming above a 2°C (3.6°F) rise would be unsafe, and that humans can only pour about 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to maintain this. Based on current emissions, we will emit those 565 gigatons in a little over 15 years. Fossil-fuel companies possess proven fossil fuel reserves that would release approximately 2,795 gigatons of CO2 if they are burned, which is five times the "safe" amount. Warming in excess of the "safe" amount will leave us a planet inconsistent with that on which human civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted. Fossil fuel companies not only plan on burning all of their reserves, but spend millions of dollars per day exploring for more fossil fuels. Their business model is incompatible with a liveable planet. Knowingly profiting from the creation and exacerbation of climate change runs counter to both AU's mission of advancing social, economic, and environmental justice and to the values of our learning community. Our investment choices all have real-world social, economic, and environmental justice consequences. Antioch University has an opportunity now to be a leader in shifting its endowment resources from fossil fuels to investments in an array of robust alternatives that advance our institutional mission, such as, community development, clean and renewable energy sources, and energy efficiency and conservation, among other public goods. It is time for Antioch University to invest in communities and the future, not climate change. see https://drive.google.com/a/antioch.edu/file/d/0BzvD7pr40Gt1RWdzVTJRYlBhVlk/view?usp=sharing for a full brief with citations on why AU should divest from fossil fuels.
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    Created by Josh Lipkowitz
  • Lehigh 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 Lehigh University to 1. immediately freeze any new investment in companies responsible for the extraction, refinement, and processing of fossil fuels, and any companies whose sole purpose is to support these aforementioned companies 2. completely divest within five years from direct ownership and from any commingled funds that include public equities and corporate bonds associated with the companies mentioned above 3. increase investments in renewable energy companies We believe such action on behalf of Lehigh University 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. Additionally, the aforementioned actions are in alignment with the university’s commitment to service to others as discussed in the mission statement; just as graduates “are expected to live by a set of mature cultural and personal values, accept the virtue of work as a vehicle of service”, we expect these same ideals to be reflected by our administration.
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    Created by Laura Dobroski
  • UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL: DIVEST FROM THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY
    Investment in fossil fuel industries drives fossil fuel consumption and its negative environmental impacts. Burning coal, oil, and gas releases CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, both warming and polluting the planet. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if the status quo continues the planet could warm by almost 5oC by 2100 [2]. This would have a catastrophic impact on human life. It would turn our planet into one not “similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted”, as James Hansen, a top climate scientist at NASA put it [3]. The second reason is that investment in these companies gives implicit support to their activities. It is the moral duty of the University to withdraw its financial support for companies that actively contribute to global warming, the burden of which is being felt disproportionately by the world’s poorest countries, and which exacerbates global poverty. Divestment from fossil fuel firms will help remove fossil fuel companies’ social license to operate. The third reason is that investment in fossil fuel companies is illogical when set against the University’s environmental priorities. The Cabot Institute is committed to research surrounding the environment and climate change. Furthermore the university is pledging to become a net carbon neutral campus by 2030. It also has an annually reviewed environmental policy that states that, “protection of the environment is an integral part of good institutional practice” [4]. Besides its dangers, there are strong financial arguments for divestment. As the BP oil spill illustrated, fossil fuel companies operate in risky contexts that can not only damage environments and communities, but also shareholder value. Fossil fuel companies are at the mercy of regulations aimed at preventing climate change. Recent research has shown that, if regulators are serious about preventing climate change, a third of global oil reserves, half of all gas reserves, and over 80% of coal reserves will have to remain unburned to limit global warming to 2ºC [5][6]. This means fossil fuel firms would have to massively write down the value of assets on their balance sheets, leading to huge and sustained destruction in shareholder value. By divesting from fossil fuels, the University will join a long list of respected institutions already committed to going fossil free, including Stanford University, Glasgow University, Oxford CIty Council, the World Council of Churches, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The global divestment campaign is growing, and together we can make a statement about how we want our future to look. University of Bristol students and affiliates please provide student or university email addresses. [1] http://www.bristol.ac.uk/environment/bristol_european_green_capital_2015 [2] http://www.climatechange2013.org/images/report/WG1AR5_SPM_FINAL.pdf [3] http://benthamopen.com/openaccess.php?toascj/articles/V002/217TOASCJ.htm [4] http://www.bristol.ac.uk/environment/policy/env_policy.pdf [5] http://gofossilfree.org/uk/about-fossil-free/ [6] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v517/n7533/full/nature14016.html
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    Created by Rachel Simon
  • Divest Monash University from fossil fuels
    Monash University is one the leading universities in Australia. Numerous Monash researchers (many of them IPCC authors) contribute important research about climate change and its future impacts. The scientific consensus on climate change from these researchers is quite clear, climate change must urgently be addressed. What is needed now is decisive action. However, as atmospheric CO2 concentration levels crossed the 400 ppm threshold for the first time in human history (and in millions of years) and the world is already starting to feel the impacts of increasing extreme weather events, it is apparent that politicians, corporations, and the public in general are unable or unwilling to take meaningful steps to curb climate change, even using solutions that in many cases are already available. Instead, the problem is being deferred to future generations. Monash University has an opportunity to show leadership by divesting from investments in fossil fuels which are driving and accelerating world carbon emissions and obstructing meaningful action to curb climate change. Let's strengthen Monash University's already strong commitment to sustainability by going fossil-free.
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    Created by Kerry Nice
  • Fossil Free Sheffield
    As said so effectively by 350.org - "It’s simple math: we can emit 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide and stay below 2°C of warming — anything more than that risks catastrophe for life on earth. The only problem? Burning the fossil fuel that corporations now have in their reserves would result in emitting 2,795 gigatons of carbon dioxide – five times the safe amount."
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    Created by Camilla Zerr
  • SUNY Cortland: 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. After learning about the extreme impacts from climate change and, more importantly, the way it will affect future generations, a group of us banded together to form a club on campus. Our soul purpose was to work towards real change to create a better future. We need change NOW, because vulnerable communities are already facing the consequences of our continued use of fossil fuels. This problem is easily the most important of our time, and we need to stand together to put a stop to the destruction of the planet for corporate benefit. This is your fight too, to protect the planet and climate for future generations to come.
    497 of 500 Signatures
    Created by Stephanie Sobolewski
  • Fossil Free Uppsala Universitet
    Om världen ska klara de klimatmål som forskare enats om krävs det att fyra femtedelar av all kol, olja och gas stannar under jorden. Detta betyder att enorma summor pengar som fossilindustrin räknar som sina tillgångar, är pengar som inte får realiseras - en "fossilbubbla". Investeringar i fossila bränslen är både oetiskt, ohållbart och oekonomiskt. Framförallt är det att sätta ungas framtid på spel! Vi studenter på Uppsala Universitet vill visa att vi ställer oss bakom en ansvarsfull placering av de pengar som finansierar vår utbildning! UU har tagit en del steg mot att verka för hållbar utveckling. Vi vill uppmärksamma att även vart pengar investeras har stor betydelse för vilka värden skolan kommunicerar och vilka verksamheter den stödjer. Denna fråga har uppmärksammats på flera andra universitet och högskolor i Sverige, och är en del av en större internationell kampanj. Vi vill se att UU går före i denna utveckling! Studenter kan och borde påverka sin skola i en hållbar riktning! ENGLISH: If we are to reach the global climate goals agreed upon by scientists, 80 % of all coal, oil and gas need to remain unexploited. Hence, we have enormous amounts of money which are counted as assets by the fossil industry but cannot actually be realized – a “fossil bubble”. Investment in fossil fuel is unethical, unsustainable and uneconomical. Above all it is jeopardizing the future of today’s youth! As Uppsala University students, we want to show our support for responsible investment of the money that is financing our education! The university has taken some steps in working for a more sustainable development. We would like to draw attention to the fact that financial investments are also of major importance for the values that the university communicates and the activities it supports. This issue has been highlighted at a number of universities and colleges in Sweden, and is part of a larger international campaign. We would like to see UU take the lead in this development! Students can, and should, influence their university to move in a more sustainable direction!
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    Created by Fanny Sannerud
  • University of Wisconsin - Madison: Go Fossil Free!
    Experts agree that global warming from humans burning fossil fuels poses imminent and significant risks to us and other species. The scientific consensus is clear and overwhelming. We cannot safely burn even half of today's global fossil-fuel reserves without dangerously warming the planet for several thousand years. Yet, we continue searching for still more fossil-fuel deposits in the Arctic, on fragile public lands, and in the deep oceans. According to its mission statement, The primary purpose of the University of WisconsinMadison is to...discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that will help ensure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all. We find an intolerable contradiction between the University's mission and the UW Foundation's investing in companies that not only threaten the future for today's students, but which threatens human civilization as we know it.
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    Created by Stephanie Kimball
  • Oxford Alumni for Fossil Fuel Divestment
    Investments are a political statement. While the University remains invested in fossil fuels it aligns its financial interest with, and endorses the behaviour of, the most destructive industry on the planet. Climate change is the greatest human rights challenge of our time; if it’s wrong to wreck the climate, it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage. In the past, both in the case of South African apartheid and arms manufacturers associated with cluster munitions, the University has taken a stand on issues through its investment policy. In the case of climate change, the University must stand with hundreds of other institutions around the world that have already shown leadership on climate change and divested from fossil fuels. For the University to invest in the fossil fuel industry is inconsistent with its own policy to “ensure that its investment decisions (including those taken on its behalf) take into account social, environmental and political issues in order to maintain its ethical standards”. Oxford scholars are at the forefront of research on the impacts of climate change, and were lead authors of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report - the global authority on climate science. The report made clear that 80% of known fossil fuel reserves must remain unburned to stay below the critical threshold of two degrees of global warming. Fossil fuel companies continue to disregard this scientific consensus. They are committed to burning 100% of their reserves, are actively exploring for more in ever more extreme environments, and are lobbying extensively to block meaningful action on climate change. Leading actors in the financial sector acknowledge that fossil fuel investments are increasingly risky, given that known reserves will become ‘unburnable’ in a carbon constrained world. This work is being championed by Oxford Smith School’s own ‘Stranded Assets’ programme. We may already be seeing the influence of the IPCC research on the oil market: a recent report by Deutsche Bank suggested that last year’s drop in oil prices was driven by growing consciousness of a carbon budget and political momentum. By divesting from fossil fuels, the University can adopt the best investment practice both ethically and financially, act for the future of its scholars and alumni, and add its weight to the political momentum that is already undermining the industry. As Oxford alumni and donors, we urge our alma mater to take action on climate change and divest from fossil fuels. Further alumni action: Various alumni, including Guardian journalist George Monbiot, have agreed to symbolically hand back their degrees if the University does not divest. If you want to join in, please let us know here: http://tinyurl.com/handbackdegree, or any questions please email eande . [email protected] . org.
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    Created by Danielle Paffard Picture