Energy

Opponents Of Fossil Fuel Divestment Claim Victory In Debate

(REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani)

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Chris White Tech Reporter
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The University of Manchester debate team decided to orchestrate a debate discussing whether the school should divest fossil fuels following revelations in February the school invested $56 million in fossil fuel companies.

The anti-divestment crowd came away from the debate the victor.

A straw poll was conducted prior to the debate, orchestrated by the Manchester Debating Union (MDU), showing the audience at the discussion was either undecided about the divestment or simply did not know enough about it to form an opinion.

Another poll was done after the debate revealing opposition to divestment received a 16 percent increase in votes in their favor.

The debaters were Manchester faculty, economists, and academic functionaries committed to fighting man-made global warming.

Kevin Anderson, a professor of climate change at Manchester, spoke first, telling the audience and his fellow panelists global warming may not seem like a pressing issue for wealthier countries but environmental damage caused by burning fossil fuels could mean death.

“We are more concerned about our powerful cars, our large overheated homes, our frequent flyer miles and double door refrigerators than we are about poor people in those climatically troubled parts of the world that are already struggling to eat,” Anderson said.

Jonathan Redfern, a professor of Petroleum Geoscience at the school, said he thought the global warming issue is “too serious… to be hijacked” by the type of “emotive words” divestment proponents typically use. He went on to say technology and money generated from fossil fuel companies helps address global warming.

Administrators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) agree with Redfern. MIT announced in 2015 a five-year plan to fight global warming by using new carbon-capturing technologies developed by fossil fuel companies.

“We choose not to divest from fossil fuel companies because we think engagement stands the greatest chance of success,” MIT President L. Rafael Reif said in a conference call with reporters at the time of the announcement. “MIT seeks to convene key players with the goal of helping drive significant progress for the world. There is a great deal to do and we are eager to get started.”

In effect, the institute intends on fighting global warming by getting closer to fossil fuel companies.

The push for divestment is not about bankrupting oil producers, Carl Death, a Manchester political economics professor, noted during the debate. Rather, it’s about sending a message to society at large that fossil fuels are harming the Earth. “Most progressive gains in world history have been achieved by social movements,” he concluded.

The MDU debate was happening in conjunction with JustFest 2016, the school’s Social Justice Festival Wednesday. The festival will encourage students and faculty to confront social injustices.

An MDU spokesperson said the debate allowed the public to sound off on issues the University of Manchester is currently debating.

A series of Freedom of Information Act requests made by the Manchester Fossil Free Campaign show the university still owns $13 million worth of assets in fossil fuel companies.

The requests also reveal the university has another $41 million invested in 100 fossil fuel companies through the school’s pension fund. All told, the school has about $56 million in oil and coal assets, among other fossil fuel sources.

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