Members of the media may directly contact the following expert:
Darlene Himick (English only)
Associate Professor, Telfer School of Management
The fossil fuel divestment movement has grown significantly in the last year, highlighted at COP26. The recent announcements by such high profile investors as the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the New York City pension fund, Harvard University and the University of Toronto to divest their holdings, demonstrate the importance of understanding what is driving this acceleration, and how these investors reconcile their decisions with financial pressures.
Professor Himick studies the fossil fuel divestment movement, where activists are questioning what profitable investments are and arguing that profitability need not take precedence over environmental sustainability. She can discuss this global movement that is quickly gaining steam.
“Overall, global institutions have committed to divesting US$40 trillion in assets from fossil fuels. It’s a rapidly increasing number that may appear encouraging except that divesting from carbon-intensive companies may allow these companies to dodge stricter demands for accountability, while others argue that climate change is outside their scope.”