After months of discussion and debate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced it will not divest its endowment from fossil fuels, echoing previous comments from the university doubting the merits or effectiveness of divestment. Instead, the school announced a “plan for action on climate change” that places a greater emphasis on engagement and research initiatives. As …
Last week, we took a few minutes to outline some of the concerns surrounding the effort out in California to force the state’s two major pension and retirement funds — CalSTRS and CalPERS – to drop certain energy-related stocks from their portfolio, notwithstanding previous statements from each speaking out against divestment. But believe it or not, …
This week, California’s Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 185, a law that in essence forces the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) to divest their extensive portfolios from coal. “Forces” is the operative word here, as officials from these very funds have spoken out against divestment in …
Over the past year, IPAA has commissioned a series of studies that have quantified, really for the first time ever, the actual financial impacts that divestment has on institutions that chose to adopt the policy. The reports focus on different elements of that cost question, but no matter how you break down the numbers and …
“[He] smiled and waved but kept mum.” Confronted with questions from a MSNBC reporter at a press conference on Tuesday about his pledge to divest from fossil fuels, Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio “smiled and waved but kept mum.” DiCaprio was the headliner for a rollout of a new report from the pro-divestment group Arabella Advisors. …
Divestment activists, aiming to generate headlines around the Pope’s visit to the United States this week, held a press conference yesterday to try to convince reporters that their campaign is gaining momentum. To do this, they brought in eco-activist Leonardo DiCaprio and released a report purporting to show that entities representing $2.6 trillion in assets …
Following the UC Board of Regents’ decision to conditionally sell a portion of its coal and oil-sands related investments, Chief Investment Officer Jagdeep Bachher was quick to clarify for the third time in less than two weeks that the move was not an act of divestment. According to Bachher in the Santa Barbara Independent, “Climate …
So much for the “huge win” divestment activist declared just last week in California. During the University of California Regents Committee on Investments meeting on September 16, UC board members took time to reiterate the university’s stance opposing fossil fuel divestment. As Divestment Facts noted earlier this week, the UC Regents Board has been taking …
Divestment activists were quick to declare a “huge win” stemming from an announcement last week by the University of California’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO) that he had decided to sell roughly $200 million in investments tied to coal mining and oil sands development companies. But a closer look at the actual video of the investment …
As schools continue to reject calls to divest their endowments of fossil fuels, one common question is often left unanswered: How much does divestment actually cost? In an effort to answer this critical question, a new report released today, commissioned by the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and authored by a researcher from Caltech, …
All quotes featured by professors and school leaders on this website are public statements made by individuals and are not necessarily representative of the institution of which they are associated. Said schools and universities are also not affiliated with IPAA or DivestmentFacts.com.