The University’s Exploratory Committee on Fossil Fuel has released its final report on fossil fuel divestment, according to an email sent to the community on Friday by President Frederick Lawrence and Provost Lisa Lynch. The report recommended socially-responsible investing as a leading option for achieving the University’s carbon-footprint objectives.

According to the email, Lawrence formed the committee two years ago to “analyze the social and environmental impacts of fossil-fuel companies and to understand the potential effects of divestment on the Brandeis endowment.”

Written by a group of professors, Ph.D. candidates and undergraduates, the 173 page report discusses and argues for fossil fuel divestment. The report drew upon case studies at other universities—including Harvard—to make the case for fossil fuel divestment at Brandeis.

Consequentially, the report suggests Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing as a plausible option for working toward the University’s carbon footprint goals.

While the report acknowledges the University’s fiduciary responsibilities, it argues that investing in companies with smaller carbon footprints will benefit the school in the long run and help it attain its environmental objectives.

The University will use the report’s findings to “engage in a wider discussion of how to responsibly move forward on such an important issue of our time,” the email said.

Additionally, the email noted, the University’s new full-time sustainability manager will begin work in July and will begin measuring the University’s carbon footprint and encouraging reduction and eventual divestment from fossil fuels through 2020.

Committee member Philip Wight, an environmental history Ph.D. candidate, wrote in an email to the Justice that the points made in the report are "concise and straight forward," in the hopes of making the message of the report clear.

“What science is telling us about climate disruption is serious and this is going to be the fight of our generation,” he wrote. “The report shows that business as usual is not acceptable, and the University should not continue to invest blindly in only those energy companies that make the highest returns.”

“Brandeis has a responsibility to its students and its stakeholders to align its investments with what it teaches its students and its social justice mission,” Wight wrote.

Lawrence and Lynch’s email announcement also underscored the importance of the report both now and in the future.

“The committee’s report emphasizes the imminent dangers of climate change and the need for action consistent with Brandeis’ mission. It suggests that an endowment reflective of concerns about climate change might be achievable without sacrificing performance or increasing risk,” it read.

According to the announcement email, the report will be discussed during the May 14 faculty meeting. Moving forward, the University may hire an outside consulting firm to get a second opinion about divesting from fossil fuels, as is recommended in the proposal.

However, “no decisions have been made yet,” according to Wight.

The University will likely consult with a firm like TruCost, which was also mentioned in the proposal. Ultimately, Wight said, the decision is up to the Board.

According to the email, the administration now hopes to work with students to collectively discuss both initiatives and strategies for environmentally sustainable behavior and also has plans to work with student leadership in the organization of several forums in the fall to “discuss the merits of modifying our investment policies as well as the direct actions we can take to reduce our carbon consumption.”

Wight also supports the notion of divestment being a community effort.

“Divestment is not the only tactic, but it’s a very powerful one, and one that the University community should discuss, debate, and ‘strongly consider’ in the words of the Committee,” Wight wrote.

“Our energy investments are literally shaping the climate of tomorrow—and Brandeis students, faculty, and alumni need to ask themselves if they believe its right for our endowment to be profiting from those firms which are most responsible for the climate crisis,” Wight wrote.