The report, which looks at the impact of the movement, makes the case that divestment has been successful at holding fossil fuel companies accountable for the true cost of their unregulated carbon pollution and chipping away at their political power. It reviews recent market data to prove that a divest-invest strategy is the most financially responsible path for institutional investors.
The report and divestment movement also calls for continued pressure on pension funds, cities, universities, foundations, faith organizations, insurers and banks around the world. Namely:
- All institutional investors must make an immediate public commitment to fully divest from and stop all financing of coal, oil, and gas companies and assets. Institutions that have partially divested must now divest all of their assets from all fossil fuels. As linked to this commitment, all institutions must align their policy, regulatory positions, and political expenditures with this commitment.
- All institutional investors must immediately move to invest a minimum of 5 percent of their assets in climate solutions, doubling to 10 percent by 2030, including investments in renewable energy systems, universal energy access, and a just transition for communities and workers. Further, investors must hold these companies accountable to respecting Indigenous and other human rights and environmental standards.
- To achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050, all institutional investors should adopt Net Zero plans that both immediately cut investments in fossil fuels and ensure that all other assets in their portfolio develop transition plans that halve absolute emissions by 2030, consistent with science’s demands to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Download the report:
Invest-Divest 2021: A Decade of Progress Towards a Just Climate Future