Petition to Divest Clark College Foundation from Fossil Fuels
Clark College is no doubt a forward-thinking institution that has proven time and time again that it is invested in the future of its students. However, we all know that climate change is growing worse every day, and is putting that future at risk. What's more, Clark College believes in the importance of strengthening and benefiting communities, however climate change is already putting our communities in peril. Locally, climate change is already impacting, or is projected to impact:
-The Environment: Washington and Oregon have already seen more than 20 times more land burned by wildfires this year than last year.
-Public Health: We all remember the heat waves of this summer-these are only projected to grow worse, leading to “Increased heat-related illnesses and death, particularly among vulnerable populations”.
​
-Pre-existing Inequality: “In Multnomah County, communities of color experience many environmental and socioeconomic risk factors at higher rates than the white population”.
​
If we want to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe, we must stop supporting fossil fuels. Indeed, the IPCC tells us that the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas represents 89% of global CO2 emissions.
What we are asking
We urge the Board of Directors of the Clark College Foundation to do the following:
-
Immediately disclose investment portfolios to the public .
-
Vote to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies.
-
Divest from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil-fuel public equities and corporate bonds by an agreed-upon date within 5 years.
​