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Blog

May 9, 2017

This week marks the start of the Global Divestment Mobilization, an effort led by 350.org to promote divestment with events around the globe over the next week. While the effort has received little attention to date, let’s take a look back at where the divestment campaign stands, and why universities across the country have said …

May 1, 2017

New study quantifies for the first time the true costs divestment imposes directly upon students, faculty and retirees Read Prof. Bessembinder’s op-ed on the report in Fox News  Numerous reports conclude that fossil fuel divestment is a costly and ineffective endeavor for universities and pension funds to undertake, but little research has calculated how this …

April 28, 2017

Kenyon College trustees just announced that the school will not divest its endowment of fossil fuels, instead putting priority on endowment returns. According to the Kenyon Collegian, trustees said divestment would not have an impact on the environment and they did not see divestment as a way to effect change. The decision comes after a …

April 26, 2017

UPDATE (4/28/17, 10:00 am EST):  Turns out we were right. Environmentalists seemed to run with the news that Harvard was “pausing” investments in fossil fuels.  Bill McKibben said Harvard had “de facto divested from fossil fuels” calling it a “huge win.”  His group 350.org went as far as to issue a press release about the …

April 24, 2017

A recent forum at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) explored the topic of fossil fuel divestment with a group of panelists with varying opinions on the issue. Once again, the reality of divestment as an ineffective and costly investment strategy was center stage. Divestment has been debated at Johns Hopkins over the past few years, and …

April 24, 2017

This weekend, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri announced it would not move forward with divestment – the latest in a string of rejections for the failing divest campaign. As University Chancellor Mark Wrighton stated on Sunday, the university’s $6.5 billion endowment’s primary role is to provide for the college and its nearly 15,000 students. …

April 19, 2017

UPDATE (4/20/17, 2:00 pm EST): This week’s CalPERS meeting was another heavy blow to divestment activists. At the event, four pro-divestment speakers addressed the board in protest of the proposed policy to all but ban divestment at the fund.  In response, California State Controller Betty Yee acknowledged their concerns but resolutely defended the fund’s divestment …

April 18, 2017

The Bowdoin Climate Action (BCA) group issued a statement last week explaining its decision to end its five year divestment campaign on the campus of Bowdoin College. Admitting defeat, the group’s co-leader says it is “time to shift the tactic” because, as we all know, divestment simply doesn’t work. BCA’s website incites a call to action …

April 17, 2017

Trustees at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts voted unanimously this week to reject fossil fuel divestment, noting such a decision “would sacrifice the strength and stability of our endowment.” The Board’s rejection cited its fiduciary duty and highlighted the significant role its endowment plays in funding vital university functions and programs, including nearly every facet …

April 7, 2017

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley delivered the keynote address at Tuesday’s Climate Justice at Boston College (CJBC) divestment rally. The former governor-turned presidential candidate-turned Boston College (BC) law professor advocated broadly for fossil fuel divestment, but oddly enough did not directly call out BC on the issue, even though the school has refused to divest. …

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