ANU Vice Chancellor Ian Young has blogged his reasons for divesting ANU’s substantial investment portfolio from companies trading in fossil fuels.

His thoughts on climate change are going to be uncomfortable for some in the corridors of power.

As well as being Vice-Chancellor of ANU, I am also an active researcher. Climate and changes to climate figure heavily in my research into physical oceanography, global ocean climate and extreme meteorological events.

We need to move from a carbon economy and my belief is that this will only happen when we have alternative sources of energy which are competitive with fossil fuels.

As such, new energies like solar, wind and even nuclear will be key, as will new sources yet to be developed. This is the main game. We, as a society and as a university, must be focused on these issues. This is why, for instance, I have made key strategic appointments to enhance our solar energy research.

I have a strong belief that the University’s investment strategy should be aligned with these goals.