Blog post by Cherry Tsoi, Fossil Free Lund University
Fossil Free Lund University (FF LU) is a campaign that has been running tirelessly for two years, and in that time we’ve seen small wins and also setbacks. The divestment in 2014 from a fund containing Gazprom stock was a success, though it was a success made smaller by each consecutive “No” from the University Board when asked to divest completely from fossil fuels.
Recently, close to 200 faculty and staff at Lund University signed a letter, issuing their own plea for divestment. FF LU had planned to release this letter in the lead-up to the University Board’s meeting that took place on April 24th. One band of FF LU activists worked tirelessly to disperse this letter throughout Lund University and to collect signatures from staff of all departments. Another group focused on lobbying each of the Student Unions operating at LU, achieving all but one of the Unions’ public declaration of support. Yet another few activists worked together and made appointments for meetings and interviews with individual board members. The momentum built up was perfectly timed to the University Board meeting – whence we were confronted with the news that Divestment would not be on the agenda.
This is a blow to the campaign, to the activists, to the professors, and to the thousands of students up in arms and passionately calling for divestment. Vice Chancellor Torbjörn von Schantz wrote a blog piece addressing the the FF LU campaign, commending our efforts but disagreeing on the degree of merit that LU itself will deliver if divestment is achieved. He says the amount of money actually invested in fossil fuel companies is small, ineffectual in the whole scheme of things.
In another vein, apparently a certain Swedish law, and the rather open interpretation of said law, is the reason the University Board is stalling again, and asking for another third party assessment report. However, even in the face of this, Chalmers University, the county of Örebro, and the likes of the Church of Sweden have all heeded the divestment call.
Let’s clear something up: The divestment movement does not intend to bankrupt or singlehandedly cripple the fossil fuel industry, and it especially does not expect to do it via University endowments. The aim is, as Bill so recently put, to politically, morally, and intellectually bankrupt these companies. And in the realm of effectuality – raindrops make up the ocean and it is the thousands of voices, the various campaigns across the world, the theoretical underpinning of democracy – that back up our story and our cause. It is because of this that we will win.
See you next time, University Board.
Photographer: Gavin McCrory