Timeline

March 18, 2024

Cambridge University places a moratorium on all fossil fuel investments and donations. This follows a 2020 announcement to achieve net-zero emissions by 2038, and to fully divest from fossil fuels by 2030.

March 1, 2024

The Harvard Management Company releases annual climate report. The report outlines how HMC plans to achieve their net zero endowment target by 2050, “be carbon neutral in its operations,” and “establish better disclosure and practices to improve better data availability.”

January 2, 2024

President Claudine Gay resigns following months of allegations of plagiarism and criticism of her testimony at a November Congressional hearing on antisemitism on college campuses. Her presidential tenure is the shortest in Harvard’s history. Provost Alan Garber serves as interim President.

December 15, 2023

McGill University announces plan to divest their remaining direct holdings from the Carbon Underground 200 (CU200) as part of their decarbonization investment strategy.

December 13, 2023

The Salata Institute announces the recipients of 7 student-led research projects, providing funding support to over 20 organizations on campus.

November 30 — December 13, 2023

The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) takes place in Dubai, UAE. The Conference concluded with a resolution for all signatory nations to become net-zero by 2050. The Conference received criticism for being hosted in the UAE, among one of the wealthiest OPEC nations

September 4, 2023

The Salata Institute reveals the names of 14 grant recipients as part of the Institute’s Seed Grant program. Projects range from calculating the carbon footprints of AI-computing, predicting sea-level rise in the arctic, and developing algae-based insulation materials.

August 4, 2023

Harvard professor Jody Freeman steps down from her role at ConocoPhillips. This comes after environmental activists critiqued this conflict of interest while working with Harvard’s Environmental and Energy Law program and as co-chair of the Harvard Presidential Committee on Sustainability.

July 1-31, 2023

Experts deem July the warmest month in documented global history. Triple-digit heat worldwide leads to unsafe work conditions for outdoor workers like farm laborers and firefighters, along with the creation of a new city government position in Arizona. Reportedly, many oil companies expand oil production and scale back on climate pledges during this record-breaking heat wave.

July 18, 2023

Royal Holloway, University of London announces fossil fuel divestment, following a review of its investment portfolio in collaboration with People and Planet.

July 5, 2023

The Guardian reports on data gathered by Fminus that reveals how over 1500 U.S. state lobbyists work for fossil fuel industries while serving typically liberal-leaning cities and public institutions.

June 30, 2023

Seattle University becomes the first Jesuit Catholic university in the world, and the first university in Washington State, to divest from fossil fuels after a five-year divestment plan.

May 9, 2023

FFDH meets with activists at HKS to discuss strategies for fighting climate injustice. During the meeting, FFDH argues not just for fossil fuel divestment but also a “reinvestment” of the Harvard endowment.

April 24, 2023

US Supreme Court rules to allow state-level lawsuits against Big Oil companies to proceed. The Center for Climate Integrity asserts this a “major victory” that should usher in a new era of climate litigation, according to some experts.

April 02, 2023

FFDH publishes an open letter addressed to President-Elect Claudine Gay and the FAS Dean Search Committee. They state the imperative for the next FAS Dean to “stand for the integrity of the academic mission, and against the toxic influence of the fossil fuel industry.”

April 01, 2023

The Guardian publishes an article about Jody Freeman’s receipt of a research grant from the Salata Institute. A follow-up article appears on April 6th, discussing Freeman’s involvement in coordinating meetings between ConocoPhillips and the SEC.

March 28, 2023

FFDH publishes an open letter addressed to Jody Freeman. FFDH calls her conflict of interest with ConocoPhillips into question, writing that it risks “overshadowing” her climate work throughout her career.

March 27, 2023

The Guardian releases an article about Divest Princeton’s response to Tim Barckholtz, a senior scientific adviser at Exxon, teaching classes on campus. The article also discusses how “fossil fuels have purposely sought to ‘colonize’ academia with industry-friendly science.”

March 1, 2023

The Guardian publishes a piece that asserts that fossil fuel companies donated over $700 million to universities in the United States over a 10-year period. Data for Progress releases a memo with a fossil fuel industry donation tracker with Harvard, MIT, U.C. Berkeley, and other prominent research institutions.

February 13, 2023

The Salata Institute announces its first five grant recipients who have been awarded over $8 million collectively over three years. Two projects focus on emission reduction, and three others focus on gathering data about the meteorological and economic consequences of climate change.

January 18, 2023

FFDH Alumni publishes a White Paper calling on the University to divest research funding away from fossil fuels. The statement calls on Harvard to: 1) ban fossil fuel research funding, 2) increase transparency about funding sources, and 3) implement new systems of accountability to uphold these standards.

January 12, 2023

The Harvard Gazette publishes an article that summarizes Harvard-led research about ExxonMobil’s modeling of global warming during the 1970s and the company’s continued denial of its effects.

December 15, 2022

Harvard announces current FAS Dean Claudine Gay as the next President of Harvard University beginning July 2023. She will be the first Black president and the second woman to serve in the role.

November 14-18, 2022

In the wake of COP27, student-led occupations around the world call for an end to the presence of Big Oil on university and college campuses. Students from Harvard, Brown, George Washington University, Cambridge, and University of Toronto participated.

November 12, 2022

University of Barcelona announces that all students will be required to take a mandatory class on the climate crisis starting in 2024. Likely the first of its kind, this decision is in response to activism by End Fossil Barcelona.

November 6-18, 2022

The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as COP27) is held in Sharm El Shiekh, Egypt. Discussions revolve around how to help developing nations transition away from fossil fuels, debates over which nations are responsible for paying the costs of global warming, and a first-time pavilion dedicated to the climate impacts of food.

October 26, 2022

The Salata Institute hosts an opening symposium to celebrate the Institute’s hopes of bringing a University-wide focus on climate change.

October 19, 2022

300 individuals (and counting) with retirement accounts with the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA) sign a formal complaint calling for TIAA to divest from fossil fuel and deforestation economies. Signers include Bill McKibben, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Judith Butler, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Michael Mann. This complaint was drafted and circulated by the TIAA Divest! movement.

October 13, 2022

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Investments (IEEFA) publishes “Two economies collide: Competition, conflict, and the financial case for fossil fuel divestment.” The report suggests the financial risks of climate change and asserts that sustainable economic practices are proving increasingly viable.

October 12, 2022

Members of MIT Divest and FFDH disrupt an ExxonMobil recruiting event held at MIT in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department. Similar events transpired at Brown University on October 11th.

September 29, 2022

Princeton University announces that the university will no longer accept donations from fossil fuel companies to support climate change research. This makes Princeton the first higher education institution in the U.S. to divest from the fossil fuel industry and to eliminate the conflict of interest posed by having big oil support research into climate change solutions.

September 23, 2022

Doug Koplow provides comments on the HMC’s Second Climate Report published in February of this year. He writes: “While this report comprises the most detailed accounting HMC provides [to] the public on the issue of University investment and the climate, it remains almost entirely lacking in substance.” See the full annotations here.

September 14, 2022

The Steering Committee for the HFD sends a letter to the faculty subcommittee for the Presidential Search, calling for environmental leadership to factor into search committee’s criteria. Click here to see the full text of the letter.

September 1, 2022

Stanford University opens its Doerr School of Sustainability, a counterpart to Harvard’s Salata Institute.

August 7, 2022

The US Senate passes the Inflation Reduction Act. The Act proposes strategies to reduce inflation, in part through the largest U.S. commitment to investing in clean energy and fighting climate change to date. Detailed information can be found on the Senate Democrats’ website.

June 21, 2022

President Bacow announces the foundation of The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, supported by a $200 million donation. Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability James Stock (Economics) will serve as Director of the Institute. The Institute is slated to officially open in November 2022.

June 11, 2022

Wendy Ring’s podcast series “Cool Solutions” posts an episode entitled “Irresistible Force Beats Immovable Object: Harvard (finally) Divests. ” The episode features HFD’s Virginie Greene (Romance Languages and Literatures).

June 8, 2022

President Bacow announces that he will step down from his Presidency at Harvard in June 2023.

May 6, 2022

FFDH releases a report, "Whose University? The Case for Reinvestment at Harvard."

May 3, 2022

At the final FAS meeting of the academic year, Virginie Greene (RLL) asks University Leadership to open time at FAS meetings in the fall to present an updated timeline about divestment and decarbonization, and provide a progress report on the Harvard sustainability plan.

April 13, 2022

The alumni group of FFDH launch a petition to ban fossil fuel research money.

April 5, 2022

During the question period of FAS meeting, Alexander Rehding (Music) asks what progress has been made toward the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, becoming more urgent in the light of the war in Ukraine.

March 21, 2022

A coalition of international students launches a new campaign “to end the toxic influence of fossil fuel money on climate change-related research in universities.” Its letter, with calls for U.K. and US universities to ban funding from the fossil fuel industry, is signed by 500 scholars.

February 24, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompts conversation around Harvard’s role in divesting from fossil fuels to prevent the support of petrostates like Russia. The article in The Guardian was written by Harvard alumnus Bill McKibben.

February 3, 2022

HMC releases its second climate report. The Harvard Crimson reports on some of the report’s findings, including the HMC’s intentions to “accelerate” the endowment’s investments in climate solutions.

November 12, 2021

FFDH, the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign, and Stop Harvard Land Grabs organize a rally at the Kennedy School of Government, the Law School and the Science Center, protesting against dirty money on campus.

November 9, 2021

FFDH releases a report titled “Beyond the Endowment: Uncovering Fossil Fuel Interests on Campus.”

September 21, 2021

On September 21st, HFD members write an open letter in response to Pres. Bacow announcement of Sept. 9.

September 15, 2021

FFDH announces its vision of severing all fossil fuel industry ties on Harvard’s campus, which includes holding Harvard accountable for following through on its commitment. Divest Harvard also supports a broader reinvestment of Harvard’s endowment (and those of our peer institutions of higher education) in a more just, regenerative economy. 

September 9, 2021

President Bacow announces a plan of action addressing climate change, including “reducing its [Harvard portfolio] exposure to fossil fuels.” In short, Harvard is on its way towards divestment.

September 7, 2021

Around eighty students and community members rally for fossil fuel divestment and climate justice in Harvard Yard, calling for Harvard to recognize that its campus and community are not immune to the impacts of climate change.

Fall 2021

All students are allowed to return to campus to resume courses mostly as normal under certain COVID-19 protocols.

August 24, 2021

FFDH hires its new alumni coordinator, Caleb Schwartz, to support alumni efforts to end Harvard’s fossil fuel investments.

June 24, 2021

Two state lawmakers, Rep. Michael L. Connolly (D) and Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven (D), introduce a bill in the Massachusetts legislature seeking to compel Harvard to divest from fossil fuels. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/6/25/state-reps-introduce-divest-bill/

May 26, 2021,

Doug Koplow publishes on Earth Track blog a critical analysis of the HMC report.

May 3, 2021

HFD’s Joyce Chaplin (History) moderates webinar, with three Brazilian researchers, on speculation with farmlands in Brazil by international pension funds and endowment funds, including TIAA and Harvard University.

April 30, 2021

FFDH members meet with MA Attorney General’s office to discuss their complaint filed against Harvard. A follow-up meeting occurs on July 30th. Also at this time, HFD sends a letter to President Bacow, the Corporation, and HMC in response to the HMC report of February 25.

March 25, 2021

The University of Michigan announces it will “shift its natural resource investment to renewable energy investments” and “discontinue directly investing in companies that are the largest contributors to greenhouse cases.”

March 15, 2021

FFDH files a complaint with MA Attorney General Maura Healey, arguing the illegality of Harvard’s investments in fossil fuels per laws about how charitable organizations should allocate their investments. More than 100 Harvard faculty will sign a letter of support for the complaint.

March 3, 2021

HFD members Jim Engell (English) and Joyce Chaplin (History) meet with Kate Murtagh, Chief Compliance Officer and Managing Director for Sustainable Investing of HMC.

March 2, 2021

At the FAS meeting, Alexander Rehding (Music) and Virginie Greene (RLL) question President Bacow about the HMC report.

February 25, 2021

HMC releases its first periodic “Climate Report”, the results of which are summarized in this article in the Harvard Magazine.

February 18, 2021

FFDH organizes a teach-in via zoom on Harvard Corporation.

January 22, 2021

Columbia University announces its policy of “non-investment” in oil and gas companies and decarbonization of its portfolio.

January 20, 2021

Following President Biden’s inauguration into office, the United States rejoins the Paris Agreement.

December 16, 2020

A group of FFDH undergraduate students meets virtually with President Bacow, Senior Fellow Bill Lee, and other members of the Corporation to discuss Harvard’s response to the climate crisis.

November 4, 2020

At the behest of President Donald Trump, the United States withdraws from the Paris Agreement.

November 3, 2020

Joe Biden is elected President of the United States. Chloe Maxmin is elected to Maine Senate.

October 8, 2020

Colin Butterfield, a former manager at HMC, launches Solum Partners, an investment management firm focused on real assets in the agriculture and food production industry. HMC will be a key investor in the firm.

October 2, 2020

FFDH writes a letter to President Bacow and the Corporation using the Cambridge announcement as an example of leadership.

October 1, 2020

The University of Cambridge announces its plan towards divestment.

September 23, 2020

The HAA hosts its first Climate Conversation: “Climate, Biodiversity, Pandemics, and Justice: Converging Reasons for Alarm?” Speakers include Bruno Carvalho (RLL), Samuel Myers (School of Public Health), Caro Park (School of Public Health), and Laurie A. Wayburn (Pacific Forest Trust, Harvard ‘77).

August 18, 2020

The results of the postponed elections of overseers and directors of the Harvard Alumni Association are announced: three overseers and five directors are candidates supported by Harvard Forward.

July 6, 2020

Harvard announces that for the Fall term 2020 courses will continue to be taught online, and that only 40% of the undergraduates will be allowed to reside on campus.

June 8, 2020

FFDH posts a statement of solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives following the racially motivated violence.

June 6, 2020

HFD member Scott Edwards (Zoology) starts a coast-to-coast bicycle trip from Massachusetts to Oregon. As a black scientist and birder, his purpose is to show “that African Americans do enjoy nature,” and he embarks on this mission in support of Black Lives Matter, Black Birders Week, and #ShutdownSTEM.

May 31st, 2020

FFDH Alumni and Harvard Forward organize “Harvard Amid Crises: A Panel for Students and Alumni on Climate Change, COVID, and Divestment”, moderated by Chloe Maxmin, Maine State Senator (Harvard ‘15).

May 29, 2020

A letter to John Rosenberg, editor of the Harvard Magazine, titled “What Counts” appears in the May-June issue. The letter underscores lack of faculty participation in faculty meetings and votes (with only a quarter of eligible AS faculty voting on divestment). This triggers a discussion between HFD faculty and alumni about what they see as a crisis of governance at Harvard.

May 26, 2020

As Commencement is celebrated online, the Harvard Alumni for Climate and Environment Group invites all graduating students to join an online session titled “Students’ Solutions to Combat the Climate Crisis.”

May 25, 2020

George Floyd is murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, MN.

May 11, 2020

GRAIN, a non-profit organization for small farmers, and Rede Social de Justiça e Direitos Humanos, a Brazilian human right organization, publish online report that denounces Harvard and TIAA for investments in land-grab projects in Brazil.

May 6, 2020

FFDH Harvard, Harvard Forward, Harvard Alumni for Divestment, and the Ad Hoc Committee on Harvard Divestment send a detailed letter to the President and Fellows, also endorsed by Harvard Faculty for Divestment. 

May 5, 2020

At the FAS meeting held virtually over Zoom, Ned Hall (Philosophy) questions President Bacow about the announcement of a net-zero pledge by 2050.

May 3, 2020

In response to the HMC’s announcement of a net-zero pledge by 2050, the Harvard Medical School Faculty for Divestment send a letter to President Bacow, with more than 170 signatories.

April 29, 2020

The Faculty Petition for Fossil Fuel Divestment counts 1123 signatures.

April 22, 2020: Earth Day

In a press release, Divest Harvard responds to President Bacow’s message, recognizing progress but finding the Corporation’s plan insufficient. In the following days, President Bacow and the Corporation receive two letters (HFD from FAS, the ad hoc alumni committee on divestment) reacting on similar lines.

April 21, 2020

President Bacow sends a letter to all FAS faculty to inform them of the Corporation’s response. The letters states that: “The Corporation has directed the Harvard Management Company to develop a strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the portfolio by 2050.” This process is viewed as a “path to decarbonize the overall endowment portfolio.”

March 11, 2020

The World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a pandemic.

March 10, 2020

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, all Harvard students are asked to leave the campus by March 15 and instruction is switched to online courses. On that same day, the Crimson publishes an article titled “Harvard Indirectly Holds Nearly $100,000 Worth of Stocks in Tobacco Companies” mentioning the discussion on divestment from fossil-fuel industry.

February 26, 2020

HKS Dean Elmendorf replies to students that HKS faculty are considering to increase coverage of climate change, but that as dean he avoids making decisions that could be unpopular with “members of our community.”

February 18, 2020

Kennedy School students send a letter to Dean Elmendorf, asking him to strengthen the School focus on climate policies and politics.

February 14, 2020

As published in the Crimson, Divest Harvard activists occupy University Hall during a rally for the National Day of Divestment. They ask Harvard Corporation to answer the faculty vote by April 22, Earth Day.

February 12, 2020

Harvard Medical School Faculty Council votes 23-5 to support a motion calling the Corporation to remove all investments from companies making most of their profit from fossil fuels.

February 11, 2020

The World Health Organization gives an official name to a new infectious disease: Covid-19.

February 8, 2020

HFD sends a letter of support to colleagues and students at Oxford University, whose call for divestment had received a dispiriting response from their bursar, Andrew Parker.

February 4, 2020

At an FAS meeting, faculty vote 179-20 in favor of a motion urging the Corporation to divest from companies involved in developing further reserves of fossil fuels, and to subject all future investments to a process of decarbonization. President Bacow promises to bring the motion and vote to the Corporation.

January 21, 2020

President Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg speak at Davos (not together and not to each other).

December 6, 2019

Ten Harvard students and alumni and 19 Yale students and alumni who had been arrested during the Yale-Harvard football game protest for divestment were ordered by a Connecticut judge to do 5 hours of community service.

December 3, 2019

Third debate at FAS meeting, focusing on the text of a motion to be voted at next meeting. The motion demands that the Corporation instruct HMC “to withdraw, and henceforth not pursue, investments in companies that explore for or develop further reserves of fossil fuels, or in companies that provide direct support for such exploration and development.” Main speakers: Nicholas Watson (English), Virginie Greene (Romance Languages), Richard Thomas (Classics), Kirsten Weld (History), Ned Hall (Philosophy), Jim Engell (English). At the same time, the Graduate Student Union starts a strike, and a protest against the tenure denial of Professor Lorgia Garcia Peña is ongoing.

November 26, 2019

A white paper titled “Harvard’s Response to the Climate Crisis” authored by eleven faculty of the Harvard Faculty Divestment group is circulated with the agenda of the FAS meeting for December 3, including a motion calling Harvard to divest.

November 23, 2019

Hundreds of protesters for divestment storm the field during halftime of the Yale-Harvard football game. About 50 protesters are arrested. The action was organized by Divest Harvard, Fossil Free Yale and the Yale Endowment Justice Coalition.

See articles from NPR, the New York Times, and the article published in the Crimson.

November 5, 2019

Second debate on climate change and divestment at FAS meeting. Main speakers are Joyce Chaplin, Charlie Conroy, and Stephen Marglin. Transcripts in Harvard Magazine.

October 24, 2019

The “Ad Hoc Committee on Harvard Divestment” (twelve alumni including Tim Wirth and Bill McKibben) send a letter to President Bacow and William Lee, senior member of the Corporation. They ask 7 questions about Harvard investments, transparency, and conflicts of interest related to the fossil fuel industry.

October 15, 2019

Harvard Forward, a group of alumni, students, and faculty, presents a slate of five candidates committed to “move Harvard toward divesting from fossil fuels” for the Board of Overseers elections in spring 2020.

October 1, 2019

First debate on climate change and divestment at FAS meeting. The main speakers are Ned Hall (Philosopher), Jim Anderson (Chemistry and Chemical Biology), and Naomi Oreskes (History of Science). See the recap of the debate in the Harvard Magazine.

September 20, 2019

Harvard affiliates and Cambridge residents meet on the Science Center Plaza to participate in the global climate strike. See articles from the Crimson published on the 20th and 23rd.

September 1, 2019

In the September-October issue of the Harvard Magazine, President Bacow devotes his letter to “Climate Change.”

May 30, 2019

An ad in the Commencement issue of the Crimson sums up the divestment petition and lists most of the 289 faculty who signed it.

May 7, 2019

After the regular FAS meeting, Ned Hall (Philosophy) leads a town hall about Harvard investment in fossil fuels, preparing for the debate in the fall that President Bacow has agreed to allow.

May 6, 2019

Kathryn Murtagh, chief compliance officer at HMC, meets with students and faculty from Divest Harvard and Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign.

May 2019

Canyon Woodward (‘15) works for an alumni group on the Harvard divestment campaign, while he manages Chloe Maxmin's (‘15) campaign for Maine Senate.

April 22 to 26, 2019

Heat Week starts with a joint press conference of alumni, students and faculty of the HD campaign and ends with a "Flood Harvard" rally.

April 12, 2019

President Bacow comes unannounced to the forum on divestment organized by Divest Harvard and the Harvard Political Union, moderated by Ilana Cohen. With a panel of three faculty members — James Anderson (Chemistry and Chemical Biology), James Engell (English), Cornell West (HDS) — and a Boston financial adviser, Karen Shapiro, he discusses the questions of engagement versus divestment, and the “political” use of the endowment.

April 4, 2019

Protesters from the Divest Harvard and the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign groups hold banners and sit on the stage during Kennedy School forum on social policy featuring President Bacow and Dean Long (of GSE) as speakers. President Bacow moves the discussion to another room, saying that he responds to reason and not to pressure.

April 2, 2019

During FAS meeting, on behalf of nine faculty members, Prof. Ned Hall asks President Bacow to host an open forum about Harvard investment in the fossil fuel industry.

March 19, 2019

President Bacow reiterates the University’s position on divestment. He asserts that Harvard’s endowment is not a mechanism to be used for social change; Harvard must continue to engage with the fossil fuel industry.

January 2019

An ad hoc alumni group headed by former Senator Tim Wirth joins the cause of divestment and communicates several times with President Bacow and Senior Fellow William Lee.  Other alumni, such as Roger Shamel and Valerie Nelson, join the conversation and mobilize at various schools for divestment and climate action at the university.

December 11, 2018

Twenty-one Harvard faculty members (“Harvard Faculty for Divestment”) send a petition to President Bacow and the Corporation asking Harvard to divest from fossil fuels. The petition has been signed by about 100 faculty members.

December 10, 2018

In an interview, President Bacow opposes divestment, arguing that it would be impractical and ineffective. “We need to be willing to work with those organizations and institutions that are responsible for the infrastructure that literally fuels our economy.”

December 5, 2018

The student group “Harvard Undergraduates for Environmental Justice” send an open letter signed by 150 students asking President Bacow “to bring a new voice and vision to Harvard’s role in climate reform.” The letter asks Harvard Corporation to “take serious climate action” and propose to open discussions on pathways to divestment. The Crimson reports mixed support for and against.

November 29, 2018

Six student groups host an event to talk about environmental justice and the intersections between the issues central to each student organization.

November 15, 2018

71.5 percent of undergraduate voters support divestment from fossil-fuel industry.

November 6, 2018

Chloe Maxmin ('15, co-founder of Divest Harvard) is elected Democrat Representative in the Maine House. Her campaign manager, Canyon Woodward (‘15), is another Harvard alumnus.

November 5, 2018

In the Harvard Political Review, Ilana Cohen reflects on the history of the divestment campaign since 2012, its victories and failures, and the hope of reviving it under a new University President.

July 1st, 2018

Lawrence Bacow succeeds Drew Faust as President of Harvard.

May 22, 2018

Kathryn “Kat” A. Taylor (’80) resigns from Board of Overseers, citing the University’s failure to “adopt ethical commitments” in its investments,  fossil fuels in particular.

January 2, 2018

Kathryn “Kat” A. Taylor (’80) resigns from Board of Overseers, citing the University’s failure to “adopt ethical commitments” in its investments,  fossil fuels in particular.

June 1, 2017

President Trump announces his intention to withdraw the USA from the Paris Agreement, which can be officially done only in a delay of three years.

April 24, 2017

Colin Butterfield, HMC’s head of natural resources, announces a pause in Harvard investments in some fossil fuels.

March 29, 2017

Divest Harvard organizes a blockade of University Hall, protesting Harvard continued investment in coal.

March 13, 2017

Benjamin Franta (former graduate student at Harvard and organizer of FFDH) and Geoffrey Supran publish an article in The Guardian about the role of fossil fuels in “colonizing” academia.

October 2016

Harvard Corporation members meet with students but refuse to commit to divesting from the coal industry.

September 29, 2016

Harvard announces the appointment of a new CEO of HMC: N. P. (Narv) Narvakar, starting on December 5.

April 29, 2016

Bloomberg News reports that the head of HMC broaches the possibility of investing in distressed oil and gas companies. James Engell (English) replies in a letter to the New York Times that was also signed by eighteen other faculty.

April 22, 2016

On Earth Day, the Paris Agreement is opened for signature in New York City. John Kerry signs on behalf of the United States.

April 21, 2016

Divest Harvard organizes a protest outside HMC office in Boston and a sit-in. Four students are arrested for civil disobedience and charged for trespassing.

November 30-December 12, 2015

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) takes place at Le Bourget, near Paris. 196 nations participate. Members adopt a 12 page agreement aiming at decreasing the effects of global warming.

November 29, 2015.

About 785,000 people participate in the Global Climate March, organized by 350.org, Avaaz and many other groups.

Fall 2015

Harvard Magazine publishes online a letter from concerned faculty regarding divestment.  President Faust is asked in an FAS meeting if any member of the Corporation will engage in a public forum addressing divestment. She responds, no.

April 29, 2015

Open debate over divestment at the Belfer Center, Kennedy School of Government: James Engell (English) v. Rebecca Henderson (Harvard Business School).

June 18, 2015

Pope Francis publishes the encyclical Laudato si, calling people of the world to act swiftly against global warming.

April 13, 2015

Harvard Divest blockades Massachusetts Hall during Heat Week.

October 26, 2014

Forum on fossil fuel divestment held in Boylston Hall. The main speakers are James Anderson (Chemistry and Chemical Biology), Stephen Marglin (Economics), and James Engell (English).

October 17, 2014

A group of faculty from across the University meet with President Faust and Senior Fellow Bill Lee.  The meeting results in no change in policy by the Corporation.  Statements against divesting are repeated, but reasoned objections to those statements go unanswered.  The administration stresses its commitment to running the university in a sustainable way but regards investments separately.

October 2, 2014

A long article in the Crimson sums up the divestment campaign since its beginning in 2012.

September 21, 2014

More than 300,000 people gather in New York City for the People’s Climate March organized by 350.org and Avaaz.

June 5th, 2014

Bill McKibben’s “A Call to Arms” appears in Rolling Stones.

May 28, 2014

Robert (Bob) Massie writes an editorial in the Crimson, urging Harvard to divest from fossil fuel industry.

May 6, 2014

Stanford University announces that it will divest from coal mining industries.

May 1, 2014

Divest Harvard blockades Mass Hall. One student is arrested and released without charges.

April 10, 2014

93 Harvard faculty sign an open letter to President Faust and the Corporation urging them to divest from the fossil fuel industry.  The Harvard Faculty Divest website is up.  Subsequently, it provides updates on the Corporation’s reply and a response to that reply.

February 27, March 10, April 8, April 22, and April 30, 2014

Five FAS and Medical School faculty—Eric Chivian (HMS), Joyce Chaplin (History), James Engell (English), James Recht (HMS), and Richard Thomas (Classics) — meet to discuss a faculty response to the Corporation and to support the student Harvard Divest group. Subsequently joined by Stephen Marglin (Economics), this group continues to meet as Harvard Faculty Divest and reaches out to colleagues.

January 17, 2014

A small group of FAS and Medical School faculty meet with Bob Massie to discuss divestment. (Previously, Massie had analyzed divestment from South Africa under apartheid.)

November 8, 2013

Forum on Fossil Fuel Divestment is held in Sever Hall, with Tim DeChristopher, Rebecca Henderson, Daniel Schrag, and James Engell as the primary speakers.

October 4, 2013

President Drew Faust writes a letter stating: “I do not believe, nor do my colleagues on the Corporation, that university divestment from the fossil industry is warranted or wise.”

April 12, 2013

Divest Harvard rallies at Massachusetts Hall and delivers a petition signed by over 1300 students, faculty and alumni asking for divestment from the fossil fuel industry.

November 17, 2012

At the Undergraduate Council presidential election, a referendum proposal advocating divestment of University funds from the fossil fuel industry obtains 72% of the undergraduate votes (3600 ballots).

August-September, 2012

Undergraduate students create Divest Harvard, following the call to campuses put out by the organizations Students for a Just and Stable Future and 350.org. One of the founders of the Harvard group is Chloe Maxmin, class of 2015.