To YorkU students, faculty, staff and alumni:
York University has invested millions of dollars in fossil fuel companies through the endowment and pension funds. These include companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing, which is tied to earthquakes and groundwater contamination. The extraction and consumption of coal, oil and gas are driving climate change to a level that is dangerous and irreversible. 80% of the world’s fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground. Frontline communities are already bearing the brunt of fossil fuel extraction. Divesting from fossil fuels is one way for York to challenge the legitimacy of the fossil fuel industry and prevent harm. We aren’t alone. The fossil free movement is the fastest-growing divestment movement in history.
We are calling on York University to:
1. Freeze new fossil fuel investments in the endowment fund immediately.
2. Divest from the top 200 fossil fuel companies by December 2017.
3. Divest from any companies that produce, refine, transport, or sell fossil fuels and reinvest in the low-carbon economy by December 2018.
We need to show that the York community is behind us!
