After kicking off last autumn with the Fossil Free Europe tour, the divestment movement is blossoming all across the region. Here’s a list of 9 campaigns to look out for in 2014. Let’s start!
1. Jönköping University, Sweden
The university is not showing any interest in divesting, but student involvement is growing stronger. On the 25 March, the local group organised a creative action with balloons (carbon bubbles!), gathering 100 new signatures for their petition. Radio and all major regional news outlets have been covering their demands and the ongoing activities.
2. Gothenburg University, Sweden
Students started a petition last semester and were recognized by local media from the start – with coverage so far by radio, a newspaper, and a student news outlet. But hear this. In an interview, a university administration staff stated last month that “when they have 1000 names on that list, it will be different from a list of 10 names [which they presented at first]”. Guess what? They are now closing in on 1000 names (UPDATE: which they’ve passed as of today!).
3. University of Glasgow, UK
The University of Glasgow Fossil Free campaign has been the fastest growing student campaign in the UK. Since Christmas their campaign has seen the University Court, the highest body in the institution, discuss divestment. This led to the creation of an investment advisory committee, which is set to make a recommendation to the University in the coming months.
To influence the decision, and show strong student support, the group has co-ordinated three high profile actions. They also organised a panel discussion with students, academics and politicians to discuss “Should universities invest in the fossil fuel industry?” which over 100 people attended.
The most recent action saw the group hand in their 1237 person strong petition to university Secretary, David Newall. Each petition name was written onto a piece of paper and attached to string. The string was then wrapped around the famous University of Glasgow cloisters in preparation for the hand in.
4. University of East Anglia, UK
The University of East Anglia (UEA) Fossil Free campaign has had a number of setbacks this year, but that’s not stopped them campaigning and mobilising students! After becoming the first UK group to receive a rejection to their campaign demand, they received another before they were able to secure a meeting with the University. How? By escalating the campaign and applying constant pressure on the university. The group organised a national communications blockade, where students and members of the public from across the UK called, tweeted and facebooked the University asking why they won’t divest from fossil fuels. The message was loud and clear; #RejectionDenied. The group also managed to break 1000 signature barrier before their meeting with university management last week.
5. Fossil Free Münster, Germany
The Fossil Free Münster group did not only choose one target institution but is actually campaigning on three of them: WWU University Münster, University of Applied Science, and the city of Münster. They went public with a petition and an action in the city center, and keep spreading the word about Fossil Free.
Thorough research showed that the city has investments in 10 of the top 200 fossil fuel companies by carbon reserves. The group’s outreach to civil society and the local government led to a first success. The Green Party included the demand for divestment in their election manifesto. Moreover, they pledged to support the implementation of fossil fuel divestment after the local elections in May.
Now the group is planning a high-profile panel discussion and will not stop mobilising until the city and the two universities have actually divested.
6. Fossil Free Berlin, Germany
The group Fossil Free Berlin started off with an Artivism Workshop. Without any further ado they joined the huge Energiewende demonstration in Berlin playing volleyball with the carbon bubble. The group’s expertise lies in spontaneity and creativity which they proved once more with interventions at a Shell-sponsored science slam.
The actions of Fossil Free Berlin are a crucial support for the divestment campaign targeting the biggest national development bank world wide – KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau). Despite its sustainable image, KfW is still funding new coal projects. This petition demands KfW to immediately stop any new investments in fossil fuels beginning with coal.
Fossil Free Berlin will continue to be innovative and has begun to spread the word about divestment throughout Berlin.
7. Fossil Free VHL Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Last year, when students handed over the Fossil Free letter, the Board responded very positively. Since then, students have been researching the finance flows and the possibilities of what their school can do to take leadership in fossil fuel divestment (since VHL does not have direct investments). Conversations with the finance manager have resulted in a letter from their school to Rabobank, asking them to provide a fossil free portfolio to VHL.
This week (3 April) there will be a meeting with the VHL board, in which the Fossil Free declaration will be proposed and if the board wants to sign onto that, a big victory-celebration-event will follow by the end of May (exactly one year after the letter was handed over).
8. Boxtel, The Netherlands
Boxtel is the first European municipality that declared themselves to become Fossil Free last year, in October 2013, at the kick-off event with Bill McKibben and Kumi Naidoo. Since then, they’ve inspired several other municipalities in the Netherlands to rethink their financial links with fossil fuel investments. Following from the initiative in Boxtel, also in Weert, Roermond and Utrecht Fossil Free letters have been sent and in two other towns initiatives have been started.
Boxtel will continue to take the lead in this initiative, also motivating all the frack-free municipalities in the Netherlands to also become Fossil Free.
9. Bergen, Norway
In Bergen, a coalition of more than 9 local groups are mobilising to stop the appointment between the University of Bergen and Statoil (Norway’s largest oil company). Through the contract, Statoil will sponsor university research by 55 million NOK over a five year period, mostly channeled into petroleum research. The coalition deems the appointment unethical, and the rector has now asked for an ethical evaluation by the National research committee on ethical issues, which expect to reach a decision in April 2014. So far, the campaign has got 653 signatures.
The post 9 European divestment campaigns to look out for in 2014 appeared first on Fossil Free.