Nearby Petitions

Colleges & Universities

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  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
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  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
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  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 . chair@ousu . org.

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  Created by Danielle Paffard
• University of New Mexico: 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 the University of New Mexico 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 the University of New Mexico 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.

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  Created by Bill Balassi
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  Support our campaign to achieve divestment from the fossil fuel industry at King’s College London

  A global wide political agreement was made to limit global temperature rises to 2°C [1]. To ensure warming does not exceed this 2°C target, it has been calculated that a maximum of 565 gigatons CO2 can be emitted into the atmosphere [2]. The fossil fuel industry currently holds carbon reserves that are 5 times larger than what it is safe to emit into the atmosphere. In addition, this industry is actively trying to discover new reserves in environmentally sensitive regions [2]. It is imperative that 80% of these reserves remain untapped in order to mitigate climate change. The fossil fuel industry is currently committed to exploiting the full capacity of these reserves and in doing so will contribute further irrevocable damage to the environment. King's College London has a stated aim of providing “economic, social and cultural value to society” [3]. As of August 2013, King's College London has investments of at least 8 million pounds in fossil fuel companies, including Shell, Exxon Mobil, Rio Tinto, Centrica, PetroChina, and China Petroleum [4]. With this knowledge it is unethical to profit from the actions of the fossil fuel industry via the College’s endowment-linked investments. Moreover, this financial position is likely to go against the beliefs and values of the vast majority of its students and staff. References [1] COP 15 https://unfccc.int/meetings/copenhagen_dec_2009/meeting/6295.php [2] http://www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/08/Unburnable-Carbon-Full1.pdf [3] Page 5 from: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/aboutkings/strategy/2006-16StrategicPlan.pdf [4] https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/endowment_fund#incoming-416743

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  Created by Tytus Murphy
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  Pacific 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 Pacific 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 Pacific 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.

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  Created by Deke Gundersen
• University of Utah: 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 the University of Utah 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 the University of Utah 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.

  1,194 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Matthew Kirkegaard
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  NTNU og SiT ut av fossil energi - nå

  For øyeblikket vet vi at SiT og NTNU tilsammen har minst 17 millioner investert i fossil energi. Den totale verdien er helt sikkert høyere siden vi er usikre på hvor mye av SiTs internasjonale investeringer som er plassert i fossilbransjen. Kampanjen er viktig av både miljømessige og økonomisk årsaker. Miljøsaken: Klimaendringene er den største utfordringen i vår tid. I september 2013 offentliggjorde IPCC sin siste rapport som slår fast at det er ekstremt sannsynlig at den observerte oppvarmingen i global temperatur siste halvdel av 1900-tallet er et resultat av menneskelig aktivitet og CO2-utslipp. En økning i global temperatur fører til påvirkninger på natur og økosystemer som truer vårt livsgrunnlag og annet liv på planeten. Tall fra Carbon Tracker Initiative viser at fire femdeler av verdens kjente ressurser av fossil energi må bli liggende i bakken hvis vi skal ha en reell sjanse for å unngå en global oppvarming over to grader. Selv de mest konservative regjeringer i verden er enige om at to grader oppvarming er for mye. Den siste rapporten fra FNs Klimapanel IPCC viser at hvis vi fortsetter utslippene som i dag, vil vi ha en økning på over fire grader fra dagens temperatur. Hvis det er galt å ødelegge klimaet er det også galt å tjene penger på at klimaet ødelegges. Økonomisaken: Investering i fossile energikilder blir stadig mer risikabelt og eksperter advarer nå om en "karbonboble". Når verdens regjeringer bestemmer seg for å regulere utslipp av klimagasser og fossilt brennstoff, får vi en situasjon hvor selskaper er tvunget til å la kull, olje og gassreserver ligge igjen under bakken, noe som vil føre til at aksjekursen deres etter hvert vil falle. I praksis er det ingen spesiell risiko ved å ikke investere i fossil energi, det er mange fossilfrie fond med samme risiko- og avkastningsprofil. Deinvestering skjer allerede nå i Norge. Skagenfondene har annonsert en reduksjon i sine fossile investeringer på 50%, og Storebrand ekskluderer nå 23 kullselskaper fra sin investeringsportefølje fordi de sier slike investeringer vil være verdiløse i fremtiden. Hvis vi trekker ut pengene fra fossile energikilder og investerer i fossilfrie selskaper i stedet, kan vi begynne på en overgang til en mer miljøvennlig, bærekraftig og ren framtid både for oss mennesker og for jorda vår. Konseptet er enkelt: ta pengene ut av fossil energi, og bruk dem på bedre ting! -------- At the moment we know that combined SiT & NTNU have at least 17 millon kroner invested in fossil fuels. The total value is very likely to be higher that this as we are unsure as to how much of SiTs international investments are in the fossil fuel industry. The campaign is important for both environmental and economic reasons. Environmental case: Climate change is the biggest issue of the day facing us and our planet. In the latest IPCC report published in September 2013, it was stated that it was extremely likely that the warming of global temperature in the second half of the last century was due to human activity, namely increased CO2 into the atmosphere from human activity burning fossil fuels. The effects of global warming are widespread and threaten our livelihoods, our ecosystem services and nature as we know it. Figures from the Carbon Tracker Initiative show that 4/5th of the world’s known fossil fuel resource base must be left untouched in the ground to have a fair chance of avoiding exceeding the 2 degree limit which even the most conservative governments in the world have agreed would be too much. Emitting at present rates will lead to a four degree temperature warming. To stay within a two degree limit, we must sharply reduce our emission levels by approximately 5% per year. If it wrong to wreck the climate then it is also wrong to profit from that wreckage. Economics case: Investing in fossil fuels is more risky and experts are now warning of a ‘carbon bubble’. When the worlds governments decide to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and the use of fossil fuels we will have a situation where businesses are forced to keep their coal, oil and gas reserves in the ground and therefore their share prices will drop significantly. Economic experts have assessed the case of fossil fuels and in reality there is nothing particularly risky in divesting from fossil fuels and there are many funds that are fossil free with the same risk profile. If we divest from fossil fuels and invest that money into ethical businesses instead then we are able to transition to a more environmentally friendly, sustainable and clean future for both people and the planet. The concept is simple - divest from fossil fuels & use the money for something better!

  1,485 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Fossilfrie Penger Trondheim
• State University of New York - College at Plattsburgh: 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 SUNY Plattsburgh 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 SUNY Plattsburgh 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.

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