How a New Generation of Climate Activists is Reviving Fossil Fuel Divestment and Gaining Victories

By Nick Engelfried, Waging Nonviolence

A wave of student-led actions swept across the campuses of around 60 U.S. and Canadian schools last month, as students turned to sit-ins, walkouts and banner drops to pressure universities into divesting their endowments from fossil fuel companies. Called “Divestment Day” by activists, the Feb. 13 series of actions was just the latest escalation for a movement that’s been undergoing a serious revival.

It’s Not Just Barclays – Tackling Climate Change Means Building a New Banking System

By Seema Syeda, Open Democracy

The way forward is to channel popular support for action on climate change into an organised movement. The power of that movement—marshalled to support a left government—is our best shot at doing something meaningful while we still can.

Climate Action Must Now Focus on the Global Rich and their Corporations

By Nicholas Beuret, The Conversation

As we hurtle into 2019, we need to immediately shift to actions against the ultra-wealthy and the uber-powerful. It is long past time for changing how we talk about climate change.

Why We Need a Fossil Free London

By Finnian Murtagh, Red Pepper

Identifying where our campaigning aims overlap through a fossil fuel lens will enable us to expel the industry on a grand scale, and in turn enable us to transform our city on an equally grand scale- fairly, cleanly, and democratically.

Was 2017 the Year that the Tide finally Turned against Fossil Fuel Projects?

By Suzanne Dhaliwal, Open Democracy

The end of 2017 saw a rapid escalation of big divestment announcements, including from global insurer Axa. 2018 brings more opportunity – so long as campaigning prioritises the voices of those most impacted by climate change.

How Bill McKibben’s Radical Idea of Fossil-Fuel Divestment Transformed the Climate Debate

By Todd Schifeling, Andrew J. Hoffman, The Conversation

Exhibiting a phenomenon in the social sciences called the “radical flank effect,” McKibben and 350.org have dramatically altered the climate change debate in the United States. Their success on this dimension offers important insights relevant for all social activists to consider.

How Divesting of Fossil Fuels could Help Save the Planet

By Olaf Weber, Truzaar Dordi, Vasundhara Saravade, The Conversation

Recently, a number of institutional investors, including Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec in Canada and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, announced their intent to reduce their exposure in investments linked to fossil fuels. The announcements show that investors withdraw their funds to either mitigate financial risks or for ethical reasons. But the question remains whether divestment and divestment announcements have a financial impact on the share price of fossil fuel companies.

‘Divest The Globe’ Protests urge Banks to Cut Ties with Fossil Fuels

By Brandon Jordan, Waging Nonviolence

While banking executives from over 90 of the world’s largest financial institutions gathered in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday for the start of a three-day meeting on the environmental and social impacts of their infrastructure investments, activists in at least 15 U.S. states and several other countries staged protests under the banner of “Divest The Globe.” Their message to the banks was simple: cut ties with fossil fuel companies, or face major divestment campaigns.

Heiress to Standard Oil Taking a Stand Against Fossil Fuels

By Chuck Collins, Resilience.org

“I don’t want to act based on fear, but I see how fragile the institutions are around us. Things could suddenly change. I listen behind the headlines to the trends in the news, the signs of our societal decomposition. There are many ways we should prepare for the transition, and connecting with neighbors and local people is key.”

Dissonance and Divestment: Profile of An Activist

By Chuck Collins, Resilience.org

“Why should people divest from the fossil fuel sector?” Lisa Renstrom pauses and thinks. “Let me count the ways.”

G20 Climate Risk Report is a Wake-up Call for Fossil-Fuel Investors

By Jeremy Leggett, Jeremy Leggett blog

It is rare for a report to hold the potential to change the world, but one study published last month may do just that. The Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD — a group of experts assembled by the G20’s Financial Stability Board) aims to give investors, lenders and insurers visibility of how climate-change risk will affect individual businesses, and a road map for reacting to it.

How Standing Rock’s Divest Campaign Can Stop Future Pipelines

By Colby Devitt, YES! magazine

Sasja Beslik, head of sustainable finance at Nordea, one of the largest banks in Europe, recently traveled to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on a fact-finding mission.