December, 01 2015, 07:45am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Clemence Dubois, clemence@350.org +33642713175
Lindsay Meiman, lindsay@350.org, +19148444950
Divest for Paris
350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, President of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund Stephen Heinz, Pascal Canfin former Minister of Development of France and Senior Advisor for the International Climate Affairs at the World Resources Institute, and other divestment leaders will announce the new tally of divestment commitments and total money under management that's gone fossil free.
WASHINGTON
350.org co-founder Bill McKibben, President of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund Stephen Heinz, Pascal Canfin former Minister of Development of France and Senior Advisor for the International Climate Affairs at the World Resources Institute, and other divestment leaders will announce the new tally of divestment commitments and total money under management that's gone fossil free.
Le Bourget, Paris -- 350.org and partners will make a major new fossil fuel divestment announcement this Wednesday, unveiling the new sum total of institutions and assets under management that are committed to the cause.
This September, divestment advocates announced that over 400 institutions representing over $2.6 trillion in assets under management had made some form of divestment commitment. In just a matter of weeks, that number has grown significantly, as cities, universities, foundations, faith communities, and other institutions "Divest for Paris." Institutions are modeling the type of commitment they'd like to see politicians make here at COP21, moving money out of fossil fuels and into climate solutions.
This Wednesday, December 2, 350.org will unveil the new commitments at two events at COP21:
Divest-Invest Press Conference
When: Wednesday 2nd of December, 12.30pm - 1.00pm
Where: Press Conference Room 3, Media Center, Hall 5, Le Bourget
Speakers:
May Boeve, Executive Director of 350.org: May Boeve is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of 350.org, a global grassroots movement working to solve the climate crisis. 350.org has helped lead the fossil fuel divestment movement, the fastest growing such effort in history, according to Oxford University.
Stephen Heintz, President of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund: As President of Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Stephen Heintz divested one of the original fossil fuel fortunes and has become a leading advocate for divesting from fossil fuels and investing in climate solutions.
Kevin De Leon, President pro tempore of the California State Senate: De Leon led the effort in the California State Senate to pass a resolution to divest two of the world's largest pension funds, CalPERS and CalSTRS, which together represent nearly $500 billion in assets.
Noelie Audi-Dor, President of London School of Economics (LSE) Divest: After a long running student campaign, the LSE announced this November 26th that it would divest its PS97.2 million endowment from coal and tar sands companies and not invest directly in any fossil fuel companies. Students are still pushing for full divestment.
Jacqueline Delia Bremond, Co-founder and Co-Chair of the Ensemble Foundation: Delia Bremond will be announcing a new divestment commitment as part of the growing European Divest-Invest movement of foundations divesting from fossil fuels.
Momentum for Divestment Side Event
When: Wednesday 2nd December, 1.00pm - 2.30pm
Where: Le Bourget, Climate Generation Areas, Room 4, Green Zone.
Momentum for Divestment will feature speakers from across the global divestment movement who will speak to the growing momentum for change. Representatives will include faith groups, cities, universities, foundations, and more. In the last year alone, the movement has seen a 50-fold increase in the amount of assets under management from funds who have committed to some level of fossil fuel divestment. Divested assets under management are well over $2.6 trillion. Together, institutions are modeling what we need to see from governments: clear commitments to move money out of fossil fuels and into climate solutions.
May Boeve, Executive director of 350.org
Bill McKibben, Co-Founder of 350.org
Pascal Canfin, Senior Advisor for International Climate Affairs at the World Resources Institute
Jeremy Leggett, from Carbon Tracker Initiative
Stephen Heintz, President of the Rockefeller Brothers foundation
Jacqueline Delia Bremond, Co-founder and Co-Chair of the Ensemble foundation
Clara Vondrich, Global director of Divest / Invest philanthropy
Kevin De Leon, President pro tempore of the California State Senate
Jesse Bragg, Media Director at Corporate Accountability International
Noelie Audi-Dor, President of LSE Divest
Jess Worth, from "BP or Not BP?"
Kathy Jetnil- Kijiner, Poet and a Pacific Climate Warrior from the Marshall Islands
350 is building a future that's just, prosperous, equitable and safe from the effects of the climate crisis. We're an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.
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