Resolution in Support of Divestment from Fossil Fuel Companies
WHEREAS, the leaders of 167 countries (including the United States) have agreed that any
warming of the planet above 2°C (3.6°F) would be unsafe, and we have already (as of 2012)
have raised the average surface temperature 0.8°C, causing far more damage than most
scientists expected1; and,
WHEREAS, this rapid temperature increase has exacerbated weather extremes including the
intensification and/or the more frequent occurrence of hurricanes2, tropical storms2, heat
waves3, floods4, droughts5, and wildfires6 and these extreme events have and will continue to
negatively impact the U.S. economy. In 2012, the US accounted for 67% of the $160 billion lost
globally due to natural catastrophes; and,
WHEREAS, The current global effects of climate change include at least 150,000 annual deaths
according to the World Health Organization7, and $1.2 trillion in annual economic losses
according to the Climate Vulnerable Forum8; and Fossil fuels negatively impact human health
via toxic pollutants, with a recent estimate of $345 billion per year in the United States alone due
to coal extraction and burning; and,
WHEREAS, according to the Carbon Tracker Institute, the proven coal, oil, and gas reserves of
the top 200 fossil-fuel companies, and countries (e.g. Venezuela or Kuwait) which function
similarly to fossil-fuel companies, equals about 2,795 gigatons of CO2, or five times the amount
we can release to maintain a 2°C limit of planetary warming9; and,
WHEREAS, the conditions resulting from climate change often disproportionately affect those
who are marginalized, including low-income communities and communities of color—who have
done the least to cause it and often have the least access to the tools to combat it-- and as a
University we must ensure social and environmental justice by doing all we can to mitigate
climate change and its impacts10; and,

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
1

http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/cop15/eng/11a01.pdf
“Climate Change and Sandy”, 15 Nov 2012. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/climate-changesandy.html
3
“Global Warming has increased Monthly Heat Records Worldwide by a Factor of Five, Study Finds”, 14
Jan 2013. http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/120114101732.htm
4
“In Weather Chaos, a Case for Global Warming’, 14 August 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/science/earth/15climate.html
5
“What we know about climate change and drought”, 24 July 2012.
http://www.washingtonpost/com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/07/24/what-we-know-about-climate-changeand-drought/
6
“Climate change will boost Lumber of West’s wildfires”, 12 Jun 2012.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/12/us-climate-wildfires-idUSBRE85B09420120612
7
http://www.who.int/heli/risks/climate/climatechange/en/
8
“Climate Change Reducing Global GDP by $1.2 Trillion”, 26 Sep 2012.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/
9
http://www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/08/Unburnable-Carbon-Full1.pdf
10
http://dornsife.usc.edu/pere/documents/The_Climate_Gap_Full_Report_FINAL.pdf
2

 WHEREAS, the fossil fuel industry has forcefully constructed itself as a lobbying superpower to
preserve the current status quo of burning fossil fuels, spending $179 million in 2011 alone to
ensure the failure of legislation designed to fight climate change11; and,
WHEREAS, numerous financial experts have concluded that it is possible to divest from fossil
fuels and still earn strong returns and an industry study by Aperio Investment Management
found that the theoretical risk to return from fossil fuel divestment is .0044%9; and,
WHEREAS, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) mission statement includes the
commitment “to advance the health and well-being of our region, state, nation and the world”12;
and,
WHEREAS, Associated Students UCSD has endorsed resolutions that support people’s right to
a clean environment; and,
WHEREAS, a multitude of college campus have already introduced and passed resolutions
through their Associated Student calling for the divestment from fossil fuels, including the
University of California Santa Barbara and University of California Berkeley; and,
WHEREAS, Hampshire College, Sterling College, and Middlebury College Board of Trustees
have already committed to divesting from fossil fuels; and,
WHEREAS, The University of California has affirmed its commitment to, “responsible
stewardship of resources and to demonstrating leadership in sustainable business practices”,
and to having a “net zero impact on the Earth’s climate”13; and
WHEREAS, The University of California currently has investments in the fossil fuels industry,
including coal mining and burning, petroleum extraction, and natural gas extraction; and
WHEREAS, By divesting from Sudan, South Africa, and tobacco, the University of California
has demonstrated the view that in holding investments in an industry, the institution is partially
accountable for the impacts of the decisions and actions of said industry; and
BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Associated Students of UC San Diego call upon the Regents of
the University of California, in its commitment to leadership in sustainability, to take the following
actions regarding the General Endowment Pool:
1

Instruct asset managers to stop any new investment in fossil fuel companies; and

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
11

http://blueocean.org/issues/opposition-to-clean-energy/
http://www.ucsd.edu/explore/about/index.html
13
“Sustainable Practices Policy”. http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/coordrev/policy/sustainable-practicespolicy.pdf
12

 
  

 2

3

Take appropriate steps to ensure that, within 5 years, none of its directly held or
commingled assets include holdings in fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds
determined by the Carbon Tracker list; and
Release quarterly updates, both detailing progress made towards full divestment and
providing information on the holdings of the endowment pool and of index funds within
the GEP.

Sponsors:
Andrew Buselt, Muir College Senator
Vanessa Garcia, AVP of Environmental and Social Justice Affairs