News & Actions
Shareholder engagement promotes the image of fossil fuel companies as good corporate citizens, and strengthens their political power to fight climate legislation. What should pension funds, university endowments and other institutional investors do to help address climate change? The fossil fuel divestment movement calls on funds to divest from fossil fuel companies. Fund owners and managers…
Read moreWe’re showing up at CalPERS’ November 15 Investment Committee meeting to call them out on coal – again. Thank you, CalPERS, for having the wisdom to divest the remaining three (out of 17 identified) thermal coal companies that were targeted by the legislative mandate of SB 185. It’s great that you finally recognized that Exxaro,…
Read moreIn a recent interview with the Washington Post, CalPERS Managing Investment Director Anne Simpson traced the origins of the term “fiduciary” back to the Christian Crusades. Indeed, that history might explain why CalPERS remains invested in fossil fuels with an almost religious zeal.
Read moreNew divestment announcements brought the global total to $39.2 trillion for divestment, up from $14.6 trillion earlier this year.
Read moreThe California State University System, the largest in the U.S., decided today to divest from fossil fuels. The decision comes after a nine month campaign by the student group Divest the CSU.
Read moreOn Wednesday, September 22, 2021, Encinitas City Council unanimously passed Resolution 67-2021 urging CalPERS to divest from fossil fuels.
Read moreCalPERS has finally divested from three more thermal coal companies, as required by law. Following the passage of SB 185 (2015) CalPERS divested from all but three (out of 17) selected thermal coal mining companies: Exxaro, Adaro, and Banpu.
Read moreOn November 1, Managing Director Anne Simpson and other CalPERS dignitaries will appear on the global stage of the COP26 conference in Glasgow. This climate summit (competing for air time with climate-change-fueled natural disasters and the continuing global pandemic) is another opportunity for world leaders to pledge to address climate chaos by setting emissions reduction…
Read moreFossil Free California has some hard questions for Anne Simpson, who is the Managing Investment Director for Board Governance & Sustainability at CalPERS. She has helped create and perpetuate a culture of predatory delay, in which the strategy of shareholder engagement is not bolstered by credible actions to decarbonize the portfolio. Instead, CalPERS pledges “net-zero…
Read moreThe kids are mad as hell—and so are teachers who want their California teacher pension fund, CalSTRS, to join 1,000 other institutions collectively divesting $14.5 trillion from the fossil fuel industry that threatens climate catastrophe.
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