Protests Pay Off: Students Win Long Climate Change Campaign

December 06, 2021

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by Bella Carpentier (Minnesota Daily/Associated Press) After years of pressure from student groups and numerous resolutions passed within the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Student Association (MSA), the University recently announced plans to fully divest from fossil fuels in the next five to seven years.

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The student-led movement to divest from fossil fuels gained traction in 2013 after MSA passed a resolution for the University to divest from fossil fuels. It took eight years after this student resolution was passed for the University to take concrete steps to fight climate change, despite overwhelming support from the student body.

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After little change resulted from MSA resolutions and referendums, Students for Climate Justice started to take a direct-action approach to pressure the University’s administration to divest from fossil fuels.

“Two years ago, we started more actively protesting,” Fisher said. “We tried to make the (Board of Regents) feel like we weren’t just going to sign papers. We were going to show up. We were going to protest. We were going to make noise.”

By holding rallies and marches around campus, student activists made it clear that they are not going anywhere without climate action from the University.

Keeping a strong student movement over the years has been a struggle for many student climate activist groups, especially as their members graduate. While student activists can easily mobilize against climate change living on campus, it is not as easy to advocate for change after graduation, said Fisher, who believes the University waits for activists to graduate and move off campus so it does not have to address their concerns.

Students for Climate Justice has powered through to create a sustained climate justice movement, even as some of their more active members graduate.

In combination with sustained protests and continuous action, the University finally announced on September 24 it would be divesting from fossil fuels. READ MORE

DIVERTING FROM DIVESTING: (Politico's Morning Energy)

Student climate activists from Yale, Stanford, Princeton, MIT and Vanderbilt file legal complaints to compel divestment --
For years, they tried to convince universities that investing in fossil fuels was immoral. Now they’re telling them it’s illegal. (Washington Post)

Insurer AIG steps back from coal, Arctic energy underwriting (Reuters)

We demand a Fossil Free Fed! (350.org)

Excerpt from Politico's Morning Energy: DIVERTING FROM DIVESTING: There’s a growing conservative charge in state capitals to curtail financial firms from considering climate risks when making investments, Zack and Jordan Wolman report for Pros. Texas, West Virginia and Oklahoma are among the states considering legislation that would make it illegal for officials to deal with companies that are divesting from fossil fuels or otherwise moving away from investments that could contribute to climate change. Republicans argue those kinds of divestments neglect portfolio managers’ responsibility to get the best returns for the clients, and some of the legislative pushes in state houses are backed by conservative groups with histories of downplaying the science on climate change.

Portfolio managers and activists alike who are pushing for greater climate consciousness retort that taking climate risk into consideration is simply good financial planning. With environmental volatility and finite resource extraction, “my folks really see this as not an issue of do-gooderism but as fiduciaries with a 100-year view,” said Dave Wallack, executive director with nonprofit group For The Long Term.

And complicating the playing field with a patchwork of laws over ESG could create a minefield for investors looking to limit risk. “Politics just getting in the way of that seems unfair to folks who don’t necessarily want their money involved in political fights,” said Greg Hershman, head of U.S. policy at Principles for Responsible Investment. Read Zack and Jordan's full story here. READ MORE