Nearby Petitions

Colleges & Universities

• San Francisco State 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 San Francisco State 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 SF State 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 Andrew Hayes
• 

  Fossil Free Lund University

  Fossil Free är en global kampanj för att flytta våra gemensamma tillgångar (skattepengar och andra resurser) från investeringar i olja, kol och gas. Det är inte många institutioner idag som placerar sina tillgångar i vapenindustrin - det är helt enkelt betraktat som omoraliskt. Människor håller med varandra om att vapen inte är okej att stödja. Det vi nu insett är att även olja, kol och gas kan ses som vapen: Vapen riktade mot oss, klimatet och vår framtid. Är det då verkligen moraliskt att ha sina pengar placerade i en industri som utsätter oss alla för fara, en industri som bevisligen spenderar miljarder årligen på att genom lobbyism och klimatskeptiska tankesmedjor förhala all politisk handling riktad mot en förnybar omställning? "If it's wrong to wreck the climate, then it's wrong to profit from that wreckage!" Det finns även starka finansiella incitament för att divestera ur fossilindustrin. Vi har råd med absolut max en 2-gradig global medeltemperaturhöjning. För att hålla oss under 2 grader har vi råd att släppa ut max 565 gigaton koldioxid i atmosfären fram till 2050, detta enligt rapporten “Unburnable Carbon” från Carbon Tracker Initiative. Enligt samma rapport sitter dock fossilindustrin redan på gas-, kol- och oljekällor som vid utvinning och förbränning skulle orsaka utsläpp av 2 795 gigaton koldioxid. Utifrån detta kan vi räkna ut att 80% av befintliga fossila bränslen måste lämnas under jord, ifall vi vill bibehålla ett någorlunda stabilt klimat på jorden! Det innebär också att de pengar vi har placerade i dessa bränslen kommer att försvinna i tomma intet så snart alla inser att vi måste lämna 80% under jord - detta är en finansiell bubbla som förmodligen kommer att spricka inom en snar framtid. Inte vill väl vi förlora 80% av värdet på stora delar av våra tillgångar? Se gärna "Do the Math", en film som beskriver problematiken med att fossilindustrin ges fria tyglar (med stöd av våra pengar): http://vimeo.com/66066932 ENGLISH Fossil Free is an international campaign to move our common assets (tax money and other resources) from investments in oil, coal and gas. There are not many institutions today that invest in the weapon industry - it is simply regarded as immoral. People agree with each other about weapons is not okay to support. What we have realized, is that oil, coal and gas can be seen as weapons as well, weapons directed against us, the climate and our future. Is it then really moral to have ones money invested in an industry that puts us all at risk, an industry that evidently spends billions annually to procrastinate any political act directed against a renewable conversion, through lobbying and climate skeptic think tanks? "If it 's wrong to wreck the climate , then it's wrong to profit from that wreckage ! " There are also strong financial incentives to divest from the fossil industry. A 2 degree global temperature rise is the absolute maximum we can afford. To stay below 2 degrees , we can afford to emit maximum 565 gigatons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 2050 , according to the report "Unburnable Carbon" from Carbon Tracker Initiative. According to the same report , the fossil industry already holds gas, coal and oil sources that would cause the release of 2,795 gigatons of carbon dioxide when extracted and incinerated. From this we can understand that 80% of existing fossil fuels must be left in the ground, if we want to maintain a reasonably stable climate on earth! It also means that the money we have invested in these fuels will disappear into nothing as soon as everyone realizes that we have to leave 80% in the ground - this is a financial bubble that will probably crack in the near future. We surely don't want to lose 80% of the value of much of our assets? The film "Do the Math" above is a movie that describes the problems associated with our financial support to the fossil fuel industry.

  2,163 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Lisa Brand
• Lewis & Clark College: Go Fossil Free!

  Climate scientists agree that the record breaking weather events are being caused by increases in global temperatures (2). These temperature increases have largely been the result of carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. 60-80% of the existing coal, oil, and gas reserves should be left unburned (3) in order to limit global warming to less than 2°C, as signed in the Paris Climate Agreement (4). Anything above this threshold drastically increases the risks of more climate disasters. We therefore call on Lewis & Clark College to immediately freeze any new investments in the most carbon intensive fossil fuel industries, especially those on the Carbon Underground 200’s list (5) of biggest oil and gas companies, and to divest within five years from direct ownership and from any commingled funds that include public equities and corporate bonds in these industries. With increased transparency and in collaboration with students, Lewis & Clark College should revise the Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) investment policy in order to meet these divestment goals. We believe such action on behalf of Lewis & Clark College will not only be a moral decision for the well-being of the planet, but also a sound decision for our institution's financial portfolio. The recent fluctuations in fossil fuel prices make these investments unreliable. The stocks themselves are also being overvalued; the fossil fuel industry is considering their aforementioned unburnable fossil fuels as assets, when in fact they are “stranded assets” under the goals of the Paris Agreement. Divestment from fossil fuels will have adverse financial effects on the industry and will encourage a larger cultural shift in which these investments themselves carry a powerful stigma. As more and more people continue to view coal, oil and gas negatively, through movements like divestment, this will pressure these fossil fuel companies to transition to clean energy. As of December 2016, 688 institutions worldwide have divested over five trillion dollars from fossil fuels (6). Lewis & Clark College, a pioneer of sustainability, should participate in this significant global movement. (1) https://www.lclark.edu/live/files/22998-list-of-managers-may-31-2016pdf (2) http://www.livescience.com/10325-living-warmer-2-degrees-change-earth.html (3) https://phys.org/news/2013-04-unburnable-fossil-fuels-investors-stranded.html (4) http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php (5) http://fossilfreeindexes.com/research/the-carbon-underground/ (6) https://www.arabellaadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ Global_Divestment_Report_2016.pdf

  1,063 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Bruce Podobnik
• 

  Divest U of S

  Our University is 'dedicated' to sustainability and Indigenization, yet is invested in the fossil fuel industry. If we are actually committed to sustainability and building respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous peoples and nations then the University would not be heavily invested in fossil fuel industries who benefit from the destruction of the planet. The University and the administration need to step up NOW, TODAY, and make a change. It's not good enough to be the second to last university in Canada who chooses to take climate action seriously. Students - Universities should be leaders in combatting the major social problems of our time – such as climate change and social justice – not continuing to prop up and support outdated, dirty fossil fuel energy that harms communities. Students are already leading; universities need to get on board! Divesting from fossil fuels creates an opportunity to reinvest in clean energy that strengthens communities and builds a 21st-century economy, creating good new jobs. Universities are supposed to be preparing us for our future, but instead, they’re contributing to its destruction; these hypocritical actions need to end. Remaining invested in fossil fuels puts a stain on our school’s reputation - will we be proud to be U of S alumni with a degree that is soaked in oil? Or could we be proud of our education, institution, and administrators who took a stand as climate leaders who lead the way? Faculty - We ask you to stand with us. You teach us about sustainability and climate change, the wrongs of wrecking the environment, the desperate need to build respectful and reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities, yet work within an institution who says one thing but acts against those morals and values. Please stand with us - we want to see accountability from our institution and we ask you for your support.

  7 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Jaylene Murray
• 

  Divest TTU From Fossil Fuels

  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.

  11 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Eric Stinson
• 

  Divest Grinnell College

  Our future is in the balance!

  3 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Evan Feldberg-Bannatyne
• 

  SUSSEX UNIVERSITY DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGN - WE WON

  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.

  2,053 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Rachel Mohun
• St. Cloud State Divest From Fossil Fuels!

  Students on campus are concerned about the current state of our climate, and want our University to mirror the values of St. Cloud State students. Aside from benefiting our climate as a whole, we firmly believe this divestment will showcase the commitment St. Cloud State to being a progressive, innovative and conscious campus.

  1 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Students Organized for Change
• Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.

  25 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Briana Cervantes
• Divest The University Of Nottingham From Fossil Fuels

  The University of Nottingham’s (UoN) investment policy states that investment in companies which demonstrate ‘’explicit environmental damage’’ will not take place [1]. Yet, the fossil fuel companies Royal Dutch Shell, BP, BHP Billiton, Total and Centrica make up 11.08% of UoN’s portfolio and the total market value of the University’s investment in fossil fuels is £3,952,351 as of 31 July 2014. Investing in fossil fuel companies is not achieving the university’s aim “to act in an environmentally responsible way.’’ [2] BP as an example have shut down its solar business [3] and invested only 2% of profits into alternative energy between 2005 and 2015 [4]. It has not made new targets for alternative energy investments. Shockingly, BP were responsible for the 11 deaths and 4.9 million barrels of oil leaked in the Gulf of Mexico’s ecosystem. [5] Fossil Fuel exploration is needless. There is more proven oil and gas reserves than can be safely burnt without exceeding a global average temperature rise of 2 degrees, the widely regarded dangerous threshold. Burning fossil fuels contributes directly to climate change [6], leading to water scarcity [7, UoN research] as well as increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Arctic Ice thickness has also decreased 40 percent since the 1960s, endangering arctic wildlife. By divesting in fossil fuels, the university will help prevent the numerous effects of climate change, increase its reputation as a leading ‘Green University’ and make us as students feel proud that our education doesn’t come at an environmental cost. UoN did well in the People and Planets comprehensive sustainable university league table and ranked 42nd. A move to more ethical investments would improve the universities ranking. The University of Glasgow received recognition [8] for their pledge of divestment from fossil fuels. A similar pledge will, set a positive example for the hundreds of divestment campaigns across the world cementing UoN as a leading global university. [1] https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/governance/documents/investment-policy.pdf [2] http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/about/documents/environmentalstrategy200910.pdf [3] http://www.bp.com/en/global/alternative-energy/our-businesses/solar-power.html [4] http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/sustainability/group-reports/BP_Sustainability_Review_2013.pdf [5] www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13123036 [6] https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf [7] http://nottingham.ac.uk/globalfoodsecurity/strands/climatechangeandenvironmentalimpact/index.aspx [8] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/08/glasgow-becomes-first-university-in-europe-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels

  1,027 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Peter Mullard