Dear BURSAR NAME,
I am writing to you to urge the College to divest from all remaining direct and indirect investments in the fossil fuel industry and other environmentally destructive industries. The climate and ecological emergency is the defining issue of our generation and, unchallenged, will change the landscape of our world and the future of the College and all its members. Many students come from countries already on the front line of the climate crisis, where droughts, fires, flooding or failed harvests are regular occurrences. The UK is by no means exempt from these effects, with extreme summer temperatures, floods, and poor harvests now occurring regularly. Meanwhile all over the world fossil fuel companies are decimating areas of high biodiversity while causing untold suffering to the local communities via toxic pollution, violent land grabs, assault and even murder.
Cambridge Zero, the University’s own climate initiative, states that “if we are to avert a climate disaster, we must sharply reduce our emissions, starting today… We are the last generation who can do something about catastrophic climate change”. In this context it seems to me incredible that our College still has money invested in the very industries which will ensure the destruction of our species, alongside countless others. It is self-evident to me that, as a seat of ethics and learning, the University and its colleges have a responsibility to prioritise ethical investment over and above immediate financial return. The good news is that ethical investments are shown to consistently outperform unethical ones, leaving no discernible reasons for continued investment in fossil fuel and other extractive industries.
Divestment has been proven to be highly effective in removing the social legitimacy of unethical industries and facilitating shifts in government policy, and fossil fuels are no exception. Pioneering climate scientists are united with leading economists (including Joseph Stiglitz, Thomas Piketty and Kate Raworth) in supporting divestment. The global divestment campaign has thus far seen $14 trillion pulled out of the industry by more than 1,200 institutions, including over half of UK universities (but not Cambridge).
I cannot recommend the College to potential students until it takes its environmental commitments as seriously as the situation demands. Moreover, due to the College’s unethical investments, I am unwilling to donate to the College. I would encourage the College to prioritise protection of the natural world and the future of its students as its primary goals, and to fully divest from all harmful and ecocidal industries - including arms companies, fossil fuel companies, intensive animal farming, and any company involved in biodiversity destruction. I would also encourage the College to positively select investments in industries that are beneficial to the world, and companies that understand the necessity to live within planetary boundaries in a sustainable way.
I look forward to hearing that you have taken positive action on this matter.
Best wishes,
YOUR NAME