Prof Quits After McGill Refuses To End Fossil Fuel Investments

Prof. Gregory Mikkelson, whose research focuses on environmental philosophy, is leaving McGill University because it refuses to fully divest from the fossil fuel industry. A tenured professor is resigning after McGill University refused to stop investing in the fossil fuel industry. Gregory Mikkelson said he could no longer stomach working for the Montreal academic institution because its decisions conflict so drastically with his environmental ethics research there. “I teach that reversing our ecological devastation and establishing ecological harmony require necessary social and economic changes,” Mikkelson told HuffPost Canada. “I’m going to undergo a big transition in my life. Canadian society will also have to undergo a big transition to meet our climate and environmental goals in general.” McGill’s board of governors voted against a motion in December that would’ve required the university to divest the school’s $1.7-billion endowment fund from the fossil fuel industry, including selling company stocks. About 8.7 per cent of the total fund is currently invested in the energy sector, according to a board report . Watch: Investment giant changes focus to climate change. Story continues below. “The whole point of divestment is to keep the vast majority of fossil fuels in the ground. If we […]

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