Sierra Club Calls on American University to Divest from Fossil Fuels

Dear President Burwell and Board of Trustees for American University,

We write to you today to express our support for the student leaders in Fossil Free American University. These students are acting boldly to respond to the urgency of the climate crisis, because as young people, they will have to live with the consequences of climate inaction.

We urge you to join the over 150 colleges and universities worldwide that have divested from fossil fuels. Institutions like yours have the power to take a moral stance by divesting from fossil fuels, and in turn, diminish the influence of the most polluting industries. The Sierra Club Foundation has divested of all fossil fuel holdings in our operating and endowment investments, so we understand the financial challenges that divestment poses.

But according to recent findings from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, avoiding the impending damage of climate change will require us to “transform the world economy at a speed and scale that has no documented historic precedent.” If we do not achieve a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions over the next twelve years, many of your current students are likely to experience 3 or even 4 degrees of warming in their lifetimes, with catastrophic consequences for public health, global security, access to clean water and the economy.

Student leaders at American University have informed us that Sierra Club’s annual “Cool Schools” ranking, released through Sierra Magazine, has been used by your administration to justify inaction on divestment. Your decision not to sell off your fossil-fuel holdings impacts your current and future Cool Schools ranking, and we request that you refrain from employing the Sierra Club brand to justify continued investment in fossil fuels. Though the other environmental initiatives American University has undertaken are admirable, divestment is widely considered in the environmental movement to be the most significant way for colleges and universities to contribute to the fight against climate destruction.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. American University has an opportunity to be a leader in the movement to save our climate, in partnership with the incredible student activists who have worked so hard to advocate for their own futures.

Best,

Karissa Gerhke, National Director Sierra Student Coalition (SSC)
Mark Rodeffer, Chair Sierra Club DC Chapter