Portside

A report by BlackRock, the world’s largest investment house, shows that those who have divested have profited not only morally but also financially.

At $1.2 billion, Syracuse’s is the largest endowment to divest entirely of fossil fuel stocks.Katie McChesney, a campus divestment campaign organizer with the climate action group 350.org, said the successful student action showed that “if you want results, turn up the heat.”

Nearly two-thirds of Swarthmore’s 1,500 students signed a petition last December calling on the university to exit coal, oil and gas holdings. The Swarthmore Mountain Justice campaign is calling for an immediate freeze on new fossil fuel investments, followed by a staged withdrawal over five years.