DC Divest (www.dcdivest.org) is a citizen-driven campaign to ask the District of Columbia government to stop investing in fossil fuel companies. We know we need to act fast to stop using fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas that emit the greenhouse gases that cause climate change — time is running out. The powerful fossil fuel companies refuse to go down without a fight, so they bully the governme
nt into doing nothing and confuse the public with misinformation, slowing the transition to safe, affordable clean energy. Can any of us stop these companies from causing devastating climate change? We can — if we band together and take action. We need to reconsider the support that we have given these companies for decades and use alternatives where we can. And we need our government to do the same. That means taking our money out of fossil fuel stocks, bonds and other investments. The District of Columbia uses some of our tax dollars to make investments to run the city. Some of these are invested in coal, oil and natural gas companies that have enough fossil fuel in reserves to cause out-of-control climate change. At the same time a range of new, cost-competitive clean energy options have become available, making fossil fuel investments not only unethical, but financially risky. Washington, DC is a national leader in a larger sustainable city movement. Mayor Vincent Gray is proud of his Sustainable DC initiative, crowdsourcing a plan to make DC “the healthiest, greenest, and most livable city in the United States.” DC government — already a leading national consumer of green energy — now uses wind power for 100 percent of its electricity needs. DC boasts the first modern bikeshare system in the country. In short, it’s safe to say DC gets it. Our city leaders just need support and guidance to take this next step. Join us in calling for the District of Columbia to divest its investments in fossil fuels.
