Divestment, how far have we come?

In the 1980’s numerous universities and other institutions around the world did away with their investments in South African companies in response to the brutal Apartheid regime. Those actions helped generate public pressure which ultimately led to the downfall of Apartheid in 1990 and the transition to democracy in South Africa. This is the most famous example of divestment, or intentionally getting rid of stocks, bonds, and investment funds for ethical reasons.
In 2015 we find ourselves in the midst of a growing divestment movement, but this time taking on the issue of climate change by challenging the supremacy of the global fossil fuel industry. 350.org is spearheading this movement by supporting independent campaigns seeking goals that include:

• immediately freezing any new investment in fossil fuel companies;
• divesting from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds within 5 years