500 signatures reached
To: Ronnie Bowie, Chairperson of Court
University of Dundee: DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS
We call on the University of Dundee to:
1.Screen for and exclude the fossil fuel industry from their investment portfolio.
2.Immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies.
3.Divest from the fossil fuel industry and shift funds to lower risk, ethical investments within five years.
4.Call on their pension funds to exclude fossil fuel companies from their portfolios, and encourage employees to register their concerns with pension providers and switch to fossil-free pensions.”
1.Screen for and exclude the fossil fuel industry from their investment portfolio.
2.Immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies.
3.Divest from the fossil fuel industry and shift funds to lower risk, ethical investments within five years.
4.Call on their pension funds to exclude fossil fuel companies from their portfolios, and encourage employees to register their concerns with pension providers and switch to fossil-free pensions.”
Why is this important?
Dundee University’s environmental and sustainability policy statement lists using “resources efficiently to minimise our impact on the environment” among its responsibilities, and divesting from fossil fuels could certainly reduce our negative effects.
While fossil fuels are limited and damaging to the environment, investing in more green industries could aid the UK in producing more sustainable energy and more viable long-term investments.
The fact that anthropogenic global warming is occurring is supported by a huge number of scientific communities, and continued use of fossil fuels will exacerbate the problem. By 2011, methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide content in the air had already increased by 150%, 40%, and 20% respectively since 1750. The temperature of the oceans has increased by about 0.72 degrees centigrade between 1951 and 2012.
While research in the University is producing exciting sustainable possibilities that may help us stop this increase, we feel that its investments should also reflect that intent.
While fossil fuels are limited and damaging to the environment, investing in more green industries could aid the UK in producing more sustainable energy and more viable long-term investments.
The fact that anthropogenic global warming is occurring is supported by a huge number of scientific communities, and continued use of fossil fuels will exacerbate the problem. By 2011, methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide content in the air had already increased by 150%, 40%, and 20% respectively since 1750. The temperature of the oceans has increased by about 0.72 degrees centigrade between 1951 and 2012.
While research in the University is producing exciting sustainable possibilities that may help us stop this increase, we feel that its investments should also reflect that intent.