DivestInvest Australia is a project of The Australia Institute's Climate & Energy Program. It was originally created by a group of members of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network.
DivestInvest Australia provides sound research and advice to guide institutions and individuals through the process of divesting from fossil fuels through to investing in solutions to global warming. Pledges to divest posted to the DivestInvest Australia will contribute to the global totals announced annually at Climate Week in New York.
To keep global warming below a 2˚C increase is not only vital to our survival but, according to Bloomberg, it is expected to create a US$12 trillion investment opportunity in renewable energy investment alone.
Fossil fuel free portfolios are now matching or outperforming benchmarks. It’s a tipping point. In Australia, we’ve already seen those who have divested avoid significant losses from fossil fuel investments.
The global movement to shift investments out of fossil fuels and into clean energy is gaining momentum. On the anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, Arabella Advisors reported:
+ 1000 institutional investors across 37 countries had committed to divest from fossil fuel companies.
+ The value of assets represented by institutions and individuals committing to some sort of divestment from fossil fuel companies reached $6.24 trillion up from $52 billion four years ago—an increase of 11,900 percent.
+ Pension funds and insurance companies now represent the largest sectors committing to divestment, reflecting increased financial and fiduciary risks of holding fossil fuels in a world committed to stay below 2° Celsius warming
DivestInvest Australia is part of an informal network of organisations in the US, UK and Europe. For more information visit www.divestinvest.org)