Cambridge University Makes $4.5 Billion Fossil-Fuel Divestment Promise
The university said it’ll quit coal and gas investments by 2030 and pledged to boost its renewables portfolio
Cambridge University students march through central Cambridge demanding the university divest its unethical investments in arms and fossil fuels companies in 2018.
Photographer: Robert Evans/Alamy
After five years of sustained pressure that saw students protest and graffiti on ancient buildings, Cambridge University has committed to divesting its endowment from fossil fuels in a more comprehensive way than its peers have done so far.
The 800-year-old university said today that it will divest direct and indirect holdings in fossil fuels from its 3.5 billion pound ($4.5 billion) fund by 2030 and pledged to make “significant” investments in renewable energy by 2025. It also promised to ensure greenhouse-gas emissions from the activities of all its investments balance out to zero by 2038. The institution last year committed to reaching neutrality on its own energy-related emissions by 2048.