May 31, 2016

[UPDATE] Divestment Scoreboard: The Real Numbers Behind the Ailing Divestment Movement

[Updated 6/30/16]

Groups like 350.org have been quick to push out inflated numbers around the size of endowments that have decided to divest from fossil fuels. A breakdown of the numbers, however, highlights just how few schools have actually divested and, more importantly, how many have rejected the symbolic movement.

According to a scoreboard put together by DivestmentFacts.com, the total endowment size of U.S.- based schools alone that have rejected divestment equals roughly $140 billion dollars.  Meanwhile, the total endowment value of school’s that have pledged divestment equals under $2 billion.  Given the immense costs of divestment for universities — from increased transaction and managements costs to reduced diversification benefits — it’s no surprise that many schools are saying no to this costly movement.

Read the full scoreboard on U.S. universities and divestment HERE.