Glasgow University’s Climate Action Society Credit: Facebook @gucasociety
Writer
The number of universities in the UK divesting from fossil fuels has risen to 43.
People and Planet, a nationwide student campaign group, reported that 16 UK higher education institutions vowed to divest from fossil fuels last year, joining the 27 other UK universities who had already divested.
These new institutions include the University of Kent, University of Lincoln, Cardiff Metropolitan and
Manchester Metropolitan. Others universities, such as the University of Sussex, Aston University and Goldsmiths University London, have vowed to divest from the most polluting investments – tar sands and coal.
According to People and Planet, the divestment from all 43 UK universities stands at £10,7 billion.
The University of Glasgow declared in 2014 that it would freeze new investments and reallocated a total of £18 million from the fossil fuels industry, making the university the first higher education institution to commit to divestment. This was announced following the campaigning and petitioning of Glasgow University’s Climate Action Society (GUCA).
GUCA stated in its campaign that the University of Glasgow had a “moral and financial duty” towards its students, which should be in line with the University’s Socially Responsible Investment Policy. The University of Glasgow also has an Environmental Policy which states that the University has a “commitment to environmental issues” and it has the “intention to address those issues through continual improvement in environmental practices.”
