Claremont's Pitzer College to divest from fossil fuels

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Robert Redford using Molly Peterson's microphone to interview the president of Pitzer College about climate divestment on Saturday, April 12, 2014.

Molly Peterson/KPCC

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Pitzer College senior Jess Grady-Benson and dozens of other students at the Claremont colleges have worked together to push their schools' investments out of fossil fuels.

Molly Peterson/KPCC

Over the weekend, Pitzer College announced plans to sell off its financial holdings related to fossil fuels by the end of this year.

The move makes Pitzer College the first college in Southern California to commit to climate divestment. With a $125 million endowment, the Claremont-based school is the biggest name in higher education so far to divest as a matter of climate policy.

Trustee Don Gould says it's a careful move for the college.

"Divestment is about aligning our actions with our values. We envision a future substantially less dependent on fossil fuels. We can no longer reconcile that vision with an endowment that seeks to profit from investment in those same fossil fuels," said Gould.

Here to tell us more is KPCC's environment correspondent Molly Peterson.