Another year draws to a close and I’m reminded of the words of Mahatma Gandhi when I think of the progress our fossil fuel divestment movement has achieved in 2014.
It’s true, many investors and fossil fuel industry insiders do continue to laugh at or ignore the “existential threat” we pose to them, as former BP boss Lord Browne put it recently. But 2014 was the year that everyone from the oil-rich Rockefeller family to the World Council of Churches (representing 500 million Christians worldwide) saw the writing on the wall and chose to get out of fossil fuels. Divestment is firmly on the global agenda for 2015.
These days it’s rare that a week goes by without news of another major divestment commitment or encouraging developments and endorsements. This week was no exception. We saw the first Marshall Islands university divest from the companies raising the sea level that threatens their nation’s security. And so many more encouraging stories that we have compiled a Global Divestment Digest.
We must be on the right track, because the industry is also starting to fight back. That means we need to shift up another gear in 2015 and we will. We’ve grown to be a truly global movement, with divestment campaigns now spread across 5 continents. On Global Divestment Day, we’ll need to amplify and coordinate our efforts even better if we are to permanently remove the fossil fuel industry’s social license to wreck the climate.
So, on February 13 and 14, let’s work together to truly make fossil fuels history. Find a Global Divestment Day event near you (or make a plan for one with friends & family).
Many of us will take a festive break with family and friends as the year ends. Let’s use that time to celebrate and reflect on everything we’ve achieved together as a climate movement; and to make plans for taking Fossil Free to the next level in 2015.