VIDEO: Global Divestment Day 350 ORG

Neville,

There aren’t many things more powerful in life than witnessing a movement coming together behind a simple idea: it’s up to us to end the age of fossil fuels and build a brighter future.

That’s exactly what I saw unfold this weekend as people from every continent on earth rose up to take action for Global Divestment Day — and it was beautiful!

This is a short video but it shows exactly what I mean:

Let’s be honest. The fossil fuel industry is cashed up and powerful — but it’s also on the wrong side of history. Every single act of divestment and every voice raised for renewable alternatives chips away at its social license and the legitimacy of its business plans.

The global divestment campaign, now in over 60 countries, is having exactly the impact that we hoped it would. 

By acting together, we’ve ensured that not a week goes by without a university, local government, faith group, medical association or heavyweight institution divesting from those driving the climate crisis. You’ve helped put major fossil fuel corporations on the defensive; even oil giants like Shell have been forced to look at what their business models mean for the climate, and the fossil industry is pushing out clumsy counter PR campaigns by the day.

Consider this: across the world, almost 200 cities, universities and other institutions have committed to divest, moving US$50 billion out of fossil fuels. Here at home – over 3000 Australians have moved over $400 million of their money out of the Big Banks. And just as Global Divestment Day was kicking off worldwide last week, all major political parties in the UK — the birthplace of the coal-powered industrial revolution — signed an historic pledge to totally phase out unabated coal.

The divestment campaign that started as recently as 2012 on a handful of US campuses went truly global this weekend. Our movement has hit its stride.

Thank you and welcome to everyone of you who joined us for the first time this weekend. Now it’s up to us to ensure we keep pushing and make fossil fuels history (more from us on that soon)!

Onwards,

Charlie on behalf of the Global Divestment Day team

PS: Check-out some of the global photo highlights here & Australian highlights here.

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