About this event

Climate change is a complex challenge with many facets that can affect society in different ways. The ramifications of climate change—and the question of how to mitigate its effects—have global implications.

As with many universities in North America, some students, staff and faculty at the University of Victoria have requested that the university divest its holdings in companies whose primary interests are in fossil fuel extraction, processing and transporting.

The University of Victoria Foundation, which manages the endowment funds and is a separate entity from the university, follows responsible investment practices that consider environmental, social and governance factors (ESG). It has decided not to divest at this time. In 2014, the foundation updated its responsible investment beliefs and became a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing.

UVic's Board of Governors continues to inform itself on divestment as a complex and significant issue and has asked the university to facilitate a dialogue among stakeholders. The January 2015 forum is co-hosted by the university and Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions to bring together different perspectives.

To promote the sharing of viewpoints, we are exploring this issue in the broader context of climate change in a forum that will be framed around four topics and viewpoints: divestment, sustainable investments, the energy sector perspective, and the broader social view.

In this section