This past weekend, the world came together for Global Divestment Day. There were over 450 individual events in 60 different countries, all with one unifying message: Stop investing in fossil fuel industries and projects that are destroying our planet.
Here are a few of my favorites:
In London, UK:
Shells CEO, Ben Van Beurden, was scheduled to make a speech at the International Petroleum Conference this past week. Shell will attempt to drill in the Arctic this summer, an incredibly risky endeavor only made possible by melting ice due to a warming climate.
Van Beurden hoped to give an inspiring speech to other oil executives about the need to be more assertive in controlling the debate over carbon bubblesonly he was blocked on his way into the conference by three activists dressed as, you guessed it, carbon bubbles. Oh the irony
Wonder where our carbon bubbles are heading to? pic.twitter.com/YlA5iNmvmk
— divestlondon (@divestlondon) February 12, 2015
In St. Petersburg, Russia:
Activists in Russia celebrated the wedding of Planet Earth to Renewables in a fun, romantic rally in downtown St. Petersburg.
They also used the day to announce a recent poll which showed that 67% of Russians want the future of the country in highly developed economy based on high-tech solutions and effective use of renewable resources and practically independent from oil and gas.
Love (for the climate) was certainly in the air
In Denver, Colorado:
Greenpeace and 350 teamed up to protest outside of Resource Capital Funds, the Denver-based, shadowy private equity company behind two controversial coal export projects in the Pacific Northwest.
Thousands of community members, health professionals, elected officials, and tribes oppose the coal industrys plan to ship millions of tons of coal through the Pacific Northwest.
In solidarity, activists in Denver rallied outside of Resource Capital Funds to demand that the company divest from the coal export projects. And they launched a new website www.resourcecapitalfunds-exposed.com to expose RCFs role in these dirty projects.
Coloradoans calling for home-grown private equity firm RCF to #divest from #coal exports! http://t.co/iqb73wNgmR pic.twitter.com/RczJ6BAsA4
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) February 14, 2015
Check out more stories and keep following the growing Divestment movement!
