Media reports on fossil fuel divestment

Now that I am no longer tracking media references to the movement for my dissertation, I need a thread to post stories of interest to people tracking the movement.

For example: How Change Is Actually Made on Campus

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here.

11 thoughts on “Media reports on fossil fuel divestment”

  3. A group of students camped out in a Toronto university building say they’re not leaving until their school commits to a timeline for divesting from fossil fuels.

    More than 200 students have joined the 16-day occupation of the “Old Vic” building located on the University of Toronto’s downtown campus, says Erin Mackey, co-coordinator of Climate Justice U of T, the student group organizing the protest. Victoria University, whose undergraduate section is known as Victoria College, is part of U of T.

    “We are not leaving until we see a tangible action divesting from fossil fuel by Victoria College,” said Amy Mann, a second-year student and co-organizer of the protest. “We have been waiting for too long.”

  4. Fossil fuel divestment and public climate change policy preferences: an experimental test in three countries

    Joshua A. Schwartz, Paul Lendway & Abolfazl Nuri

    Divestment is a prominent strategy championed by activists to induce positive
    social change. For example, the current fossil fuel divestment movement
    includes over 1,500 institutions that control $40 trillion in assets. A primary
    pathway through which divestment is theorized to be effective is by influencing
    public beliefs and policy preferences, thus pressuring policymakers to take
    action. However, prior research only tests this argument via qualitative case
    studies. We assess the impact of exposure to information about fossil fuel
    divestment on public opinion through the use of national survey experiments
    in three major greenhouse gas emitters: the U.S., India, and South Africa. We
    find surprisingly little evidence that exposure to information about the fossil
    fuel divestment movement can increase public support for policies that address
    climate change. Our findings suggest that divestment movements may be less
    effective at changing beliefs and policy preferences than previously realized.

  5. Climate Change Imperils Pediatric Health: Child Advocacy Through Fossil Fuel Divestment

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10303248/

    Climate change poses an existential threat to children’s health. Divestment of ownership stakes in fossil fuel companies is one tool available to pediatricians to address climate change. Pediatricians are trusted messengers regarding children’s health and therefore bear a unique responsibility to advocate for climate and health policies that affect children. Among the impacts of climate change on pediatric patients are allergic rhinitis and asthma; heat-related illnesses; premature birth; injuries from severe storms and fires; vector-borne diseases; and mental illnesses. Children are disproportionately affected as well by climate-related displacement of populations, drought, water shortages, and famine. The human-generated burning of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide, which trap heat in the atmosphere and cause global warming. The US healthcare industry is responsible for 8.5% of the nation’s entire greenhouse gases and toxic air pollutants. In this perspectives piece we review the principle of divestment as a strategy for improving childhood health. Healthcare professionals can help combat climate change by embracing divestment in their personal investment portfolios and by their universities, healthcare systems, and professional organizations. We encourage this collaborative organizational effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

  8. Trinity College becomes last federated college to commit to fossil fuel divestment by 2030

    Climate Justice UofT: Divestment pledge is “a step in the right direction, [but] not good enough”

    https://thevarsity.ca/2023/09/12/trinity-college-becomes-last-federated-college-to-commit-to-fossil-fuel-divestment-by-2030/

    —

    University of Toronto’s Trinity College commits to fossil fuel divestment by 2030

    One climate action group on campus said while the announcement is a step in the right direction, “it is not good enough.”

    https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/university-of-toronto-s-trinity-college-commits-to-fossil-fuel-divestment-by-2030/article_eb971603-a1e7-5711-acb9-1c4d94023108.html

  9. For Divest McGill, 2023 ended on a positive note. Months of petitions and advocacy efforts led to a pivotal decision by the Board of Governors (BoG) on whether to remove the remaining fossil fuel holdings from the McGill Investment Pool (MIP), which currently account for less than one per cent of the University’s endowment fund. On December 14, the BoG unanimously voted to divest from direct investments in fossil fuel companies of the Carbon Underground 200 (CU200) by 2025. This came days after the COP28 signed an agreement laying the groundwork to phase out fossil fuels.

    https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2024/01/mcgill-board-of-governors-votes-unanimously-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/

  10. Divestment is a prominent strategy championed by activists to induce positive social change. For example, the current fossil fuel divestment movement includes over 1,500 institutions that control $40 trillion in assets. A primary pathway through which divestment is theorized to be effective is by influencing public beliefs and policy preferences, thus pressuring policymakers to take action. However, prior research only tests this argument via qualitative case studies. We assess the impact of exposure to information about fossil fuel divestment on public opinion through the use of national survey experiments in three major greenhouse gas emitters: the U.S., India, and South Africa. We find surprisingly little evidence that exposure to information about the fossil fuel divestment movement can increase public support for policies that address climate change. Our findings suggest that divestment movements may be less effective at changing beliefs and policy preferences than previously realized.

    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644016.2023.2178351

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