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However small or tentative this first step may be, Concordia University now has the distinction of saying it is the first university in the country to have initiated the process of divesting from fossil fuels.

With the creation of a new sustainable investment fund that will start with $5 million dedicated to divestment, social and ethical investing, the university has taken its first baby steps toward divesting from fossil fuels.

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But while some student groups welcomed this as a step in the right direction, Divest Concordia has called it a “flat-out rejection of student calls for full divestment from fossil fuels.”

The group, which aims to raise awareness about climate change and responsible investing, denounced the university for ignoring a year of lobbying and a 2,400-signature petition calling for full divestment over three years.

“Concordia missed an opportunity to take real leadership on the most urgent issue facing humanity — climate change,” Marcus Peters, a member of the group, said in a statement.