Dear University of Birmingham investment team,

We are writing to you to ask that you commit to completely divesting from fossil fuels within the next three years.

We want to see the introduction of a publicly accessible ethical investment policy that specifies the exclusion of fossil fuels.

We want a centralised web page which contains all the information about fossil fuel investments and is kept up to date.

We also would like to see fossil fuel recruiters boycotted so they are no longer present at university careers events.

Students have been asking for this for a number of years. We have already seen an All Student Vote which resulted in the Guild boycotting fossil fuels last year. There have been protests at the presence of BP and Shell at careers events. The continuation of investment in this area is unjustifiable, given the evidence that students feel this level of discontent with it. As an educational institution this university should invest in its students' futures, not against them.

We recognise that the university is trying to make improvements and we are grateful to see that effort. We were glad to see the university rise from 101st to 35th position in the 2024 QS World Sustainability Ranking. It is especially exciting to see investment in fossil fuels go from 10% to 0.5% and then to 0.22%. It is clear from this improvement that the university has the capacity to radically reduce its fossil fuel investment, so why not divest completely, as other institutions have done before us? Of course, 0.22% might seem like an inconsequential portion of the university’s overall portfolio, but it is still £443k which amounts to almost 48 years worth of undergraduate tuition fees.

The University of Birmingham is now the only Russell Group that continues to invest. The university risks finding itself struggling to justify why students should choose to attend an institution that continues to support these companies. The university even has BP as an industry partner who supplies the Business School with guest lecturers and other benefits, revealing a direct influence on the education of Birmingham students. In 2022, BP reportedly generated just 0.17% of energy from renewable sources. 97% of the company's investment went to fossil fuels, and investment in renewable products was even reduced from 2021. How can the university justify its involvement with a company that does not seem at all interested in transitioning to green energy?

It is disconcerting to attend careers fairs and see companies like this supported by our university as potential employers for students. Of course it is the students’ right to choose their future careers, but platforming companies that have been accused of greenwashing, may put students at risk of being misled in terms of the credibility of the sustainable claims these industry giants are making. Why not focus on helping to promote companies that really are working towards a green future?

We look forward to hearing back from you.

Best regards,

Amnesty International Society in collaboration with other concerned students