London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine divests from coal

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has become the first health research organisation in the world to divest from fossil fuels. Announced in the guardian last week LSHTM has sold off its £16m endowment in coal companies and become the fourth university in the UK following Glasgow, Bedfordshire and SOAS, University of London, to commit to some form of fossil fuel divestment.

In the article a spokesperson for the university told the guardian “The school’s investment committee has recently decided to disinvest from coal. We are continuing to review our other energy investments.”

Martin McKee, professor of European public health at LSHTM, who backed divestment in a report published earlier this year has called the university a “pioneer” saying, “I expect that many other universities and health research funders will soon follow, recognising the strong economic and moral arguments.”

LSHTM now joins a fast growing divestment campaign started by the global climate movement 350.org. Since the campaign launched in 2012 more than 220 institutions – including universities, faith organisations, local authorities, pension funds and foundations – have committed to divesting from fossil fuels.

Read the full Guardian article here.