U of Montana Faculty Senate Votes to Divest Retirement Funds from Fossil Fuels

The University of Montana Faculty Senate passed a non-binding resolution that demands that the school's retirement fund divest from fossil fuels.

According to the Missoulian, the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund has approximately $13 billion invested in fossil fuel industries and about $844 million in deforestation. The resolution passed, via a Zoom poll, with 61% in favor, 22% against and 17% abstaining.

“We all need to be thinking about ways to reduce climate change, and there are personal things we can do like flying less, eating less meat, just being conscious of where our power comes from,” said UM wildlife biology professor Dr. Jedediah Brodie, who authored the resolution, according to the Missoulian. “But it turns out that one of the most effective things we can do as individuals is make sure that our retirement funds are not invested in climate destruction.”