A film by Jamie Oliveira, Jennifer Fong, Seth Hahn, and Nicole Blunt in cooperation with San Francisco State University’s Health Equity Institute and Fossil Free SFSU.

A global movement is coming together to challenge the fossil fuel industry in a fight for the planet and our future here.

“$hift” aims to mobilize people to join the divestment movement that is sweeping the nation, exposing divestment from the fossil fuel industry as a practical solution for creating the systemic change that is necessary to sustain a livable planet. This film documents the stories, ideas and actions behind groups like Fossil Free SFSU, 350.org, 350 Bay Area, Fossil Free SF and other divestment campaigns, uncovering the truth about climate change and revealing the case for divestment.

Scientists estimate we can only emit 565 more gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere to sustain a livable planet. Fossil fuel companies currently have enough coal, oil, and gas reserves to emit 2795 more gigatons of carbon. That’s five times the livable amount. If we want to avoid disastrous consequences of climate change, 80% of those reserves, we have to leave in the ground.

If it is wrong to wreck the climate, then it is wrong to profit from that wreckage. We believe that educational and religious institutions, city and state governments, and other institutions that serve the public good should divest from fossil fuels.

We want institutions to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies, and divest from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds within 5 years.

200 publicly-traded companies hold the vast majority of the world’s proven coal, oil and gas reserves. Those are the companies we’re asking our institutions to divest from. Our demands to these companies are simple, because they reflect the stark truth of climate science:

1) They need immediately to stop exploring for new hydrocarbons.
2) They need to stop lobbying in Washington and state capitols across the country to preserve their special breaks.
3) Most importantly, they need to pledge to keep 80% of their current reserves underground forever.

This documentary takes a look at climate change as a social justice issue and exposes divestment as a practical solution for creating the systemic change that is necessary if we want to truly $hift our behavior and sustain a livable planet.

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/shiftdocumentary
For more information about using $hift as a catalyst for discussion in your community and for more about the filmmakers, please visit healthequityinstitute.org/doc/newF12/hift.html
For more information about divestment and how to get involved, please visit gofossilfree.org.

Download “The Keystone Song” by John Radognos: mediafire.com/?kz1wuedf5u31yba
We had the pleasure of stumbling across John and his guitar in front of a San Francisco divestment meeting at City Hall. You rock, John.

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