What is your long-term goal? What are you aiming to achieve from this campaign?
To put it simply – we want Cambridge University and all its constituent colleges to divest fully from fossil fuels.
We’re also keen that the divested money is then reinvested positively (for example, in renewables).
In more complex terms – we want the University’s Investment Office to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies, and divest from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds within 5 years. To find out more details, head to our “Learn more about…” section.
Why is it so important to you that the University of Cambridge divests?
A divestment win at Cambridge would be a game-changer. It would add weight to the rapidly growing divestment movement, and hopefully push other Universities and public institutions to divest as well.
A strong divestment movement across the world will make a clear political point: fossil fuels have got to go!
Is Zero Carbon’s divestment campaign realistic? Can you really achieve your goal?
Yes! Here are three good reasons why we think we can win the Cambridge divestment campaign:
1. The University is already considering its ethical investment options – it set up a Working Group in May to look into this issue (i). There is a pathway for change, and a clear level of concern from the University leadership.
2. There is a very strong financial case for divestment. It is actually in the University’s interests to divest in order to protect its investments!
3. We’re riding the wave of one of the biggest movements in history! There is a huge precedent for Cambridge to follow, with recent divestment successes at Warwick, Surrey and Edinburgh, along with 450 other universities and institutions across the world (ii).
Your slogan is “The Environment is Political”. What does that mean?
Climate change is about politics! Government policy, the media, ideology, corporations, economics – all of these are political, and all of them have an impact on the way climate change is tackled. The environment really is political…
Are you linked to any national campaigns?
Yes! We are part of the UK Fossil Free network, and also have links with 350 and People and Planet. We are in contact with individual divestment campaigns at other Universities.