18 February 2014
Students across the globe are calling for their University boards to divest from the fossil fuel industry. As the effects of climate change become more apparent young people are organizing and mobilizing to meet the challenge head on. Following the examples set by campuses across Canada and the US, European students are now adapting divestment campaign models to launch campaigns on their own campuses, and with support from former President Mary Robinson the question at hand is - are Irish students ready to join the global divestment campaign?
The opening scene in The Wizard of Oz is one with which we’re all familiar. Dorothy and Toto are suddenly caught in a raging storm the likes of which we in lovely temperate Ireland would never have to endure –right? Well that was true until December 2013 when great storms whipped our coastlines and attacked our infrastructure resulting in over €100 million in repairs.
While the media have covered the bizarre and extreme weather thoroughly, they have failed to approach the causes of such dramatic changes to our normally mild climate. As always we have lapped up the drama of it all but neglected to get stuck into the hard science.
Well the science is clear. Our over dependency on dirty energy has brought about catastrophic changes experienced in not only our climate but in climates around the globe. In fact we are getting off lightly; it is regions in the Global South who are suffering the most devastating effects of Climate Change. And while we can afford to pay out €100 million in repairs following the storms, our friends in the Global South are not so lucky.
The problem is this –The Global North is responsible for bringing about Climate Change and societies in The Global North are most able to cope with its effects and prevent further damage. Meanwhile The Global South is suffering from the most devastating effects of Climate Change and at the same time is least able to cope with its effects. This notion of 'Climate Justice' is one which has inspired movements across the globe
- This picture developed by the Center for Global Development maps the impacts of climate change clarifying the regional disparities which are inherent to climate change.
By limiting global warming to 2°C, a goal that even the most conservative governments in the world have agreed to meet, then just maybe we can redesign our societies and economies to meet Climate Change head on and limit the effects on our planet. If we are serious about this goal, then we can only burn 565 gigatons more of carbon dioxide which is just one fifth of the fossil fuel reserves held by dirty energy giants today. None of this is news and yet neither is it talked about in the Irish media - even after the worst storms most of us have ever seen.
However an article published in The Guardian yesterday by former president and all round national icon Mary Robinson argued that there is one solution which is already making great strides in the fight for Climate Justice. The 'Divestment Campaign' is not a new idea. On the contrary it was most successful in the dismantling of the apartheid regime. Universities pulled their investments from companies which were found to be in support of the South African government in the late 1980's, simultaneously applying direct financial pressure to the regime and raising the issue in local, regional, national and international media. In the case of South Africa the Divestment Campaign was a roaring success and today a similar campaign to divest from dirty energy grows.
In yesterdays article, Mary Robinson wrote that "The active role of young people is worth noting. As with the anti-apartheid campaign in the 1980's, students today are taking action that can determine their futures – and the futures of generations to come – for the better. They are showing the world that, once again, a transformation in how we grow our economies is essential".
And she's right on the money. Students the world over are getting organised and launching divestment campaigns which have resulted in Universities pulling their millions out of the fossil fuel industry. In particular Canadian and US students have led the way and inspired European youth to follow suit. She added, "We do not have much time. Global investment in clean technologies is now at about $300bn (£180bn) a year, but according to the International Energy Agency, this would need to reach $1tn by 2030 in order to keep within a 2C warmer world, the threshold above which climate change would become catastrophic." Sure that all sounds wonderful, but I'm sure you're asking the same question as me - where do we start?
Organisations such as gofossilfree.org and wearepowershift.org have created excellent toolkits designed to arm students with the information and resources necessary to launch their own campaigns. These toolkits enable students to investigate the endowments of their universities and gain insight into exactly where their university has been investing its millions. Once we know where the money is going, we can begin to share this information with fellow students, faculty members and local media. A crucial element to the campaign is the provision of alternative areas of investment. While denouncing University boards' investment patterns does serve a purpose it is fundamental to suggest new ways in which boards can invest endowments in the future. This shows that the campaigners have thought about the issues carefully and can offer intelligent solutions to the problem, making the campaign more credible.
"National leaders have an important role to play, and with their electorate behind them, they will be far more willing to act" said Mrs. Robinson. If we expect our leaders to act with intention then surely it goes without saying that we must do the same. Each election day we choose the men and women who will lead our nation and represent our voices.
Now surely we can't expect them to do that without making them hear our voices first?
If you would like to launch a Divestment Campaign on your campus email youngfoe@foe.ie
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