Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty The fossil-fuel divestment movement has divided academia. On 24 April, SOAS University of London announced that it would sell off all of its investments in fossil-fuel companies within three years. Days later, the New York University (NYU) senate voted to recommend that the university keep its current fossil-fuel investments, but to develop a greener strategy for the future.
The Church of England’s governing body has thrown its weight behind efforts to slow climate change by backing the move earlier this year to divest its resources from from companies involved in extracting two of the most polluting fossil fuels.
Gil Kemp ’72 with Swarthmore President Valerie Smith. Photo by Laurence Kesterson Gil Kemp ’72 graduated with honors from Swarthmore with a B.A. in sociology and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Divestment At Swarthmore And ‘Hard Choice’ Foolishness The college and university student campaign to divest from fossil fuels as a protest against climate change began at Swarthmore College. It was therefore surprising when the board that overseas that institution’s investments recently voted against divestment. Or maybe it wasn’t very surprising after all.
Alumni came out strong for fossil fuel divestment during Alumni Weekend, and programming included a teach-in before the annual parade in front of Parrish on June 6, 2015.
Prof. Barbara Wien, the partner of a Swarthmore alum, provided these exciting videos showcasing the many alums carrying signs or wearing orange squares, who support divestment.
Today @swarthmore failed to step up to the plate, but this fight is far from over. http://bit.ly/1AuBas8 @SwarthMJ pic.twitter.com/sdcZQ5524r
The students @SwarthMJ have worked longer and harder than just about anyone in climate fight. The college board is a corporatist disgrace
— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) May 2, 2015
The students @SwarthMJ have worked longer and harder than just about anyone in climate fight. The college board is a corporatist disgrace
“The @swarthmore Board has agreed to our major demand, that they seriously engage with our proposal” #whoseside pic.twitter.com/6nRFf7F6du
Harvard students spent much of last week blockading the main administrative building because they want the college to discuss dumping its investments in energy stocks. A less aggressive effort for such divestment is happening in Worcester – including local colleges such as Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Worcester State University.