• People

One Cool Thing: Greening the Ivies

• #climatechange
• #HarvardForward
• #YaleForward
• Columbia Earth Institute
• Columbia University

Ivy League Universities are making strides on climate action. Last week, Columbia University announced it is creating a new school within the University dedicated to the issue of climate change.  The University will draw on its Earth Institute (EI) and network of Global Centers in countries around the world.  And the election for the Harvard Board of Overseers is underway — with the five Harvard Forward climate change-focused young candidates working to “get out the vote.”

• Climate Change

University Divestment Movement Grows – Cornell and UC System Are Latest Wins

• #HarvardForward
• #YaleForward
• climate change
• Cornell University
• divestment
• fossil fuels
• University of California

Cornell University’s Board of Trustees announced on Friday that the University will make no new investments in fossil fuels, and it is believed that they have been divesting of their previous investments for several years, though the details of their endowment are not public. 

Why This Matters:  The climate movement has been led by young people and one easy focus of their activism is the universities they attend.

• Climate Change

Large Institutions Continue to Get Pressure To Disclose and Divest

• #YaleForward
• climate change
• divestment
• Harvard
• Yale

Senator Elizabeth Warren continues to push for greater transparency in corporate reporting documents so that shareholders and the public can get meaningful information about climate risks facing companies. Similarly, large institutions are also being pressured by shareholders and stakeholders to divest from fossil fuels in order to lower their climate risks.

Why This Matters:  The pressure is having an impact.  Harvard announced last week that its endowment would be “carbon neutral” by 2050 but does not go enough for climate-conscious students, faculty, and alums.