DCC's Mission Statement
student-led, climate action, environmental justice.​
DCC strives to mobilize student and leverage Duke University's institutional power to create high-impact, systemic climate progress.
All of our work is centered around campus and community education and inclusion, as well as building relationships with decision-makers.
We work to ensure transparency and fair representation of all stakeholder interests and hold decision-makers accountable for their climate and social responsibilities.​
Starting with Fossil Fuel Divestment.
Historically, DCC has been focused on divestment efforts at Duke.
What is Divestment?
We push for Duke to sell off investment funds from the university endowment that are unethical or morally ambiguous, including fossil fuel investment.​ We estimate that Duke has around $100-200 million invested in fossil fuels.
Why Divest?
The 2021 International Panel on Climate Change report has been called a “code red for humanity” because of its grave assessment of the world’s progress in fighting the climate crisis.
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Still, Duke remains indirectly invested in the industries responsible for that very crisis while presenting itself as a "leading climate university" amongst universities worldwide. This is despite the fact that many universities (prestige akin to Duke) have already divested.
As countries transition from fossil-based economies to renewable ones, fossil fuel investments become riskier.
Money divested can alternatively be invested in clean-technology startups.
$40 trillion
Other institutions have already divested a total of $40 trillion from fossil fuels. By divesting, Duke would join these institutions to deny fossil fuel companies a significant source of funding.
$200 million
Duke invests $200 million (around 1-2%) of its endowment towards directly supporting fossil fuel industries
