A Decade Of Progress Toward A Just Climate Future
Making a difference in the fight against climate change through fossil fuel divestment, and renewable energy investment.
Divest-Invest 2021
The Challenge
Amidst a depressing era in the race against climate change--with killer fires and titanic storms, political stalemate and corporate greenwashing--the fossil fuel divestment movement is a source for tremendous optimism. Driven for a decade by youth, student, and indigenous communities, large and iconic institutions from around the world have pulled their money and portfolios away from fossil fuels--representing nearly $40 trillion of assets under management. Wallace Global Fund, a leader and convenor of Divest-Invest Philanthropy wanted to elevate the significant financial and global impact of the divestment movement through the release of a new report heading into the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26.
Our Approach
Fenton brought an integrated approach to demonstrate the momentous progress of the divestment movement and elevate the broad and diverse coalition of partners. We developed a comprehensive U.S. and global earned media strategy and supported the development of key messaging. Shifting from an in-person annual conference, we designed a virtual movement celebration and press briefing – coordinating with partners from Canada and Europe – showcasing leaders from philanthropy, faith, youth, and world cities. To amplify the financial data and impact, we designed a visually stunning report, created a powerful video telling the story and growth of the movement, and created a digital toolkit to share the report’s key figures and stories. The announcement was made on October 26, 2021.
Success
The data is clear: fossil fuel divestment is winning. Invest-Divest 2021: A Decade of Progress Towards a Just Climate Future makes the case that divestment holds fossil fuel companies accountable and chips away at their political power. Fenton built on the momentum of major divestment announcements with key media hits in Reuters, Associated Press, The Times (UK), Catholic News Service, and ABC News. More than 700 people registered from around the world for the virtual movement event featuring the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, the presidents of the Ford and MacArthur Foundations, leadership from The Vatican, and indigenous activists – all moderated by Fenton. The Invest-Divest report was picked up and amplified by dozens of movement groups and activists online.