Students Sue Harvard Over Fossil Fuel Investments

Harvard students and faculty have been calling for the University to rid its endowment portfolio of fossil fuel investments.  Now in a novel case, Harvard students have sued their institution, claiming the university is violating its mission and intentionally investing in “abnormally dangerous activities” that threaten the “future habitability of the planet.” 

One of the plaintiffs is second year law student Kelsey Skaggs, who says that it is important for Harvard to divest in fossil fuels because they are contributing to the harms of climate change.  Because Harvard is an elite institution, it is an opinion leader, so “an action of divestment would send a message that Harvard is not willing to be part of this system in which fossil fuel companies are given impunity to destroy the planet and destroy the future of Harvard students,” explains Kelsey. 

The plaintiffs consist of Kelsey and two other second-year law students, several undergraduate students, and a graduate student at the Applied Sciences and Engineering graduate school.  In addition to the first count, where the plaintiffs assert a special interest as students, a second count includes another plaintiff: future generations.  Hence, the students are suing on behalf of generations to come who could potentially be harmed by the climate change to which Harvard is contributing. 

The students are seeking injunctive relief, thereby asking that the court order Harvard University to divest its holdings in fossil fuel companies. 

See Harvard Sued Over Fossil Fuel Investments, Living on Earth, Feb. 20, 2015. 

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.