0:00:04.880,0:00:07.237
OK, so I have to make a confession.

0:00:08.350,0:00:11.007
Every time I rehearsed this speech,

0:00:11.799,0:00:15.036
I got to the point[br]where I almost started crying.

0:00:17.386,0:00:20.292
What I want to talk with you about[br]moves me a lot.

0:00:21.226,0:00:22.789
And what moves me

0:00:22.789,0:00:26.452
is the beauty and the power[br]of people like you and me

0:00:27.444,0:00:29.525
standing up together

0:00:30.795,0:00:34.475
to solve a problem[br]that seems impossible to tackle.

0:00:35.606,0:00:37.391
This is me a couple of years ago.

0:00:38.718,0:00:42.933
I was deeply unsettled[br]and overwhelmed by global warming.

0:00:43.594,0:00:47.965
I knew it was there, but it seemed[br]very far away and abstract.

0:00:48.592,0:00:52.445
And at the same time,[br]I was closely surrounded by its cause:

0:00:53.682,0:00:56.089
our global economic system

0:00:56.679,0:01:00.359
that is based on digging out[br]and burning fossil fuels -

0:01:00.678,0:01:02.980
coal, oil and gas -

0:01:04.123,0:01:09.374
which holds responsible for two thirds[br]of our global carbon emissions.

0:01:10.810,0:01:13.420
Now, living a normal life in Germany,

0:01:13.420,0:01:16.102
I was part of the system every day,

0:01:16.102,0:01:21.671
from my consumption to the food I eat,[br]the travel, like in the picture,

0:01:22.546,0:01:24.178
the waste I produce.

0:01:25.066,0:01:28.225
In fact, I felt that I was[br]so much involved in it

0:01:28.225,0:01:30.593
that I didn't even have[br]the right to oppose it.

0:01:31.964,0:01:34.516
I was global warming in a way.

0:01:34.985,0:01:39.465
And no matter what I would do[br]to reduce my personal consumption,

0:01:39.802,0:01:42.603
it would never be enough[br]to solve the problem.

0:01:44.031,0:01:46.702
I felt helpless when I thought of it,

0:01:47.636,0:01:51.345
and so for a long time,[br]I preferred not to think of it too much.

0:01:54.201,0:01:56.107
I'm sure you are aware

0:01:56.107,0:02:00.854
that global warming[br]is an increasingly urgent topic.

0:02:02.353,0:02:06.409
It's proceeding much more rapidly[br]then expected just now,

0:02:08.725,0:02:11.381
and although we have no time to lose,

0:02:12.412,0:02:15.449
our political leaders don't seem[br]to take the necessary steps

0:02:15.449,0:02:18.158
to break free from those fossil fuels.

0:02:18.335,0:02:21.019
Although there are some[br]pretty good options on the table

0:02:21.019,0:02:23.947
like introducing carbon taxes,

0:02:25.922,0:02:28.551
ending subsidies[br]in the fossil fuel industry -

0:02:28.551,0:02:30.991
that are really high,[br]especially in Germany -

0:02:32.272,0:02:36.690
or an obligatory carbon footprint label[br]on all the products that we buy

0:02:36.690,0:02:38.339
so we actually have a choice

0:02:38.339,0:02:42.165
and we foster competition among companies[br]to reduce their emissions.

0:02:43.747,0:02:45.016
We get none of this.

0:02:45.774,0:02:49.173
And this is even more confusing[br]and unsettling to me.

0:02:50.473,0:02:52.359
And I kept asking myself,

0:02:53.114,0:02:58.397
"Is there anything I as an individual[br]can do to open the door to change?"

0:03:00.479,0:03:02.157
Well, I found there is.

0:03:04.033,0:03:08.018
Two years ago, I signed[br]a petition at 350.org.

0:03:08.702,0:03:11.178
It's a US based NGO

0:03:11.815,0:03:15.215
fighting climate change[br]by building a grassroots movement.

0:03:15.914,0:03:18.094
And this movement really excited me.

0:03:19.378,0:03:22.980
I saw people taking[br]creative public action.

0:03:23.897,0:03:26.534
They were many,[br]they were doing it together,

0:03:27.326,0:03:31.573
and they didn't at all seem sad[br]or desperate or aggressive.

0:03:32.221,0:03:34.603
They looked like they had a lot of fun.

0:03:35.473,0:03:37.981
And I fell in love with that movement.

0:03:39.829,0:03:44.605
Now, I have children and I have a job -

0:03:44.605,0:03:47.013
I'm a service design strategist -

0:03:47.013,0:03:48.560
but at this point,

0:03:48.560,0:03:52.394
I didn't at all think about how[br]I would be able to come up with the time

0:03:53.071,0:03:54.596
to put some effort into this.

0:03:54.596,0:03:56.763
I just knew I wanted to be part of it.

0:03:58.004,0:04:00.447
I wanted to end my paralysis.

0:04:01.494,0:04:04.513
On the map of 350.org,[br]I found Fossil Free Berlin,

0:04:04.513,0:04:06.999
which is the local campaign[br]in the town where I live.

0:04:06.999,0:04:08.386
It's a city actually.

0:04:10.053,0:04:13.255
When I got to meet these beautiful people,

0:04:14.576,0:04:16.710
I learned that their goal

0:04:17.138,0:04:22.556
was to get the city of Berlin to divest[br]its capital reserves from fossil fuels.

0:04:23.707,0:04:26.997
Just like you might be right now,[br]I was asking myself,

0:04:27.303,0:04:29.194
What is this 'divestment'?

0:04:29.194,0:04:30.631
I had no idea.

0:04:31.877,0:04:35.113
But by now, I've found out[br]three quite amazing things about it

0:04:35.113,0:04:37.242
that I want to share with you.

0:04:37.242,0:04:38.611
Number one:

0:04:39.802,0:04:44.749
Divestment is to pull out our money[br]from the fossil fuel industry.

0:04:45.376,0:04:47.553
It's basically the opposite[br]of an investment

0:04:47.553,0:04:49.300
because the investments that we have

0:04:49.300,0:04:55.098
are being withdrawn from companies[br]that dig out or burn fossil fuels.

0:04:55.943,0:05:01.575
Those are companies like Shell, NVE,[br]BP, ExxonMobil, Total -

0:05:01.575,0:05:03.237
you get the picture.

0:05:04.383,0:05:06.865
It's basically a boycott, simple as that.

0:05:08.047,0:05:09.516
Now you may say,

0:05:09.516,0:05:11.309
"That sounds like a good idea,

0:05:11.309,0:05:14.150
but I don't even own shares[br]in these companies."

0:05:15.580,0:05:17.764
I also thought that I didn't,

0:05:19.101,0:05:21.516
and then I had to found out that I did.

0:05:21.904,0:05:25.868
Not because I ever took that decision[br]and thought it was a really good idea,

0:05:25.868,0:05:29.618
but because the ones[br]who received my money did:

0:05:31.026,0:05:34.375
public administration, my bank,

0:05:34.659,0:05:38.497
my insurances, my pension fund.

0:05:40.032,0:05:42.721
No matter who I give my money to,

0:05:43.266,0:05:45.693
some of it goes[br]to the fossil fuel industry,

0:05:45.693,0:05:49.802
in the form of loans, shares,[br]project finance, bonds.

0:05:49.991,0:05:52.625
Today there is almost no exception.

0:05:55.388,0:05:57.987
Now, I realized[br]this makes me a stakeholder,

0:05:58.875,0:06:01.591
and as a stakeholder I can interfere.

0:06:02.412,0:06:05.519
I can tell them that I don't want this.

0:06:06.788,0:06:09.038
Chances are better[br]if I don't do it on my own

0:06:09.038,0:06:11.852
but together with other people[br]who are in the same position.

0:06:12.680,0:06:15.210
And this is how[br]the divestment movement works:

0:06:15.210,0:06:17.414
individuals get together

0:06:17.884,0:06:22.832
and ask their institutions[br]to divest from fossil fuels.

0:06:24.830,0:06:28.890
It's something very simple[br]and obvious we are asking for.

0:06:30.380,0:06:32.451
It's to divest from those companies

0:06:32.451,0:06:37.176
that are at the root of the system[br]that we need to change.

0:06:37.534,0:06:39.222
And it's usually not that much;

0:06:39.222,0:06:43.802
it's just between five and ten percent[br]of all investments that needs to be moved.

0:06:44.943,0:06:48.214
It's a totally realistic goal,[br]and we can reach it.

0:06:49.095,0:06:50.493
So, now you may say,

0:06:51.648,0:06:53.773
"Well, if it's not that much money,

0:06:53.773,0:06:55.151
who cares?"

0:06:56.062,0:06:57.439
And even worse,

0:06:57.439,0:07:00.313
"If these institutions divest

0:07:00.313,0:07:03.504
somebody else is going to buy[br]their shares, right?"

0:07:05.249,0:07:06.540
It's true.

0:07:06.968,0:07:09.458
The fossil fuel industry is very big,

0:07:09.458,0:07:12.498
and there will always be[br]investors who don't care.

0:07:13.541,0:07:17.842
So, will the fossil fuel industry[br]even take any notice of what's going on?

0:07:17.842,0:07:20.867
How can divestment[br]actually change anything?

0:07:22.170,0:07:27.166
Well, this brings us to the second thing[br]that I learned about divestment.

0:07:28.737,0:07:30.632
It's not about money.

0:07:31.160,0:07:32.972
But it can cause something else;

0:07:32.972,0:07:34.941
it can cause moral bankruptcy.

0:07:36.670,0:07:40.050
And you can see an example[br]of moral bankruptcy

0:07:40.050,0:07:43.768
if you look at the end[br]of the South African apartheid regime.

0:07:45.459,0:07:48.582
In the 80's, students in the US

0:07:49.762,0:07:53.739
succeeded in asking their universities[br]to divest from companies

0:07:54.141,0:07:58.468
that were doing business[br]with the South African apartheid regime.

0:07:59.281,0:08:02.612
And those universities divesting

0:08:03.000,0:08:07.048
and talking in public[br]about why they had done so

0:08:07.818,0:08:10.141
led to other institutions following:

0:08:11.328,0:08:16.963
faith organizations, unions,[br]cities, investment funds.

0:08:18.404,0:08:20.303
It spread like a virus.

0:08:21.237,0:08:26.173
And this public dissociation was,[br]according to Nelson Mandela,

0:08:26.173,0:08:29.346
a crucial factor in ending apartheid.

0:08:30.473,0:08:35.032
And Willem de Klerk, the last president[br]of the apartheid regime, can be quoted:

0:08:36.705,0:08:42.374
"When the divestment movement began,[br]I knew that apartheid had to end."

0:08:42.374,0:08:45.011
[F.W. de Klerk, last president[br]of the apartheid regime]

0:08:45.011,0:08:48.118
This is a political leader acknowledging

0:08:49.027,0:08:51.906
that once people are ready[br]to move their money

0:08:52.539,0:08:54.942
in order to make a moral statement,

0:08:55.921,0:08:58.061
they will have their way.

0:09:00.989,0:09:03.343
Think about the power that gives to us.

0:09:06.521,0:09:10.223
And there is yet a third thing[br]I came to understand about divestment:

0:09:11.500,0:09:13.668
it's a precondition for change.

0:09:15.246,0:09:19.296
Remember I said earlier that we don't see[br]the necessary political steps?

0:09:20.244,0:09:21.830
Well, here is why.

0:09:22.194,0:09:24.499
We as a society

0:09:24.499,0:09:28.898
currently depend on the profits[br]of the fossil fuel industry.

0:09:28.898,0:09:31.464
Because we invested in them everywhere.

0:09:32.522,0:09:35.810
Our wellbeing depends[br]on their dirty business.

0:09:36.199,0:09:39.874
Currently, as it is, if they fall,[br]we lose our money.

0:09:40.917,0:09:42.416
On the other hand,

0:09:42.416,0:09:46.309
we know if they remain profitable,[br]the planet will be boiled.

0:09:47.335,0:09:49.208
Which one is worse?

0:09:50.426,0:09:52.212
We need to understand

0:09:52.944,0:09:56.975
that ending this dependency[br]is a precondition

0:09:57.079,0:10:02.101
for taking the necessary steps[br]to stop global warming,

0:10:03.811,0:10:06.690
for rebuilding our economy

0:10:06.690,0:10:10.460
and changing it into one[br]that is based on renewables.

0:10:12.396,0:10:15.830
Divestment is not going to solve[br]all the problems immediately,

0:10:15.830,0:10:19.177
but it's the first necessary step[br]towards solving them.

0:10:23.199,0:10:25.995
And the virus is spreading.

0:10:28.956,0:10:32.898
This is what this powerful[br]and wonderful movement

0:10:32.898,0:10:36.556
has been achieving in the past 18 months;

0:10:36.556,0:10:39.781
all of these institutions[br]have decided to divest.

0:10:40.432,0:10:44.768
It's started with a lot of[br]universities in the US,

0:10:44.768,0:10:47.019
Yale being the latest example.

0:10:48.030,0:10:50.827
Then there was the Norwegian[br]Sovereign Wealth Fund.

0:10:50.827,0:10:56.729
They decided to divest[br]their 900 billion portfolio last year.

0:10:57.864,0:11:02.127
There were over 60 cities,[br]such as Seattle, Oslo, Copenhagen

0:11:02.127,0:11:06.240
and Munster, being the first German city,[br]to take that decision last year,

0:11:06.590,0:11:08.470
where responsibles said,

0:11:08.470,0:11:12.029
"It was surprisingly easy[br]and quickly done."

0:11:12.756,0:11:15.196
And then other huge institutions followed:

0:11:16.015,0:11:19.136
The Rockefeller Foundation,[br]The Guardian Media Group,

0:11:19.786,0:11:22.072
The British Medical Association,

0:11:24.029,0:11:27.269
a lot of faith organizations[br]and the Church of Scotland.

0:11:27.525,0:11:29.772
And even the Bill[br]and Melinda Gates Foundation,

0:11:29.772,0:11:33.633
who would not call it "divestment,"[br]but that is really what they do.

0:11:35.549,0:11:39.193
So, the entire sum

0:11:39.193,0:11:44.688
adds up to 3.4 trillion US dollars

0:11:44.688,0:11:47.108
that are committed[br]for divestment right now.

0:11:49.194,0:11:53.589
Now, what about my hometown, Berlin,[br]and the campaign I'm in?

0:11:54.537,0:11:55.884
We are not on the list yet,

0:11:55.884,0:11:59.974
but we had a meeting[br]with the senator for finance last week.

0:12:00.702,0:12:04.156
And he said that he began[br]looking into divestment

0:12:04.256,0:12:07.243
just shortly after[br]we launched our campaign,

0:12:07.366,0:12:10.565
and he expects it to be done[br]by the end of this year.

0:12:11.806,0:12:15.364
We're ten people in a four million town.

0:12:16.881,0:12:17.941
Now -

0:12:17.941,0:12:22.095
(Applause)

0:12:30.254,0:12:31.761
Getting him to talk to us

0:12:31.761,0:12:34.253
obviously was a lot of work[br]in the past year.

0:12:35.384,0:12:39.607
And I did most of that work[br]at nights and on weekends

0:12:39.607,0:12:43.844
because of my family[br]and my job filling my days.

0:12:45.792,0:12:48.833
It was very exhausting,[br]but I could not stop.

0:12:49.356,0:12:51.867
It was also a challenge[br]for the people around me,

0:12:51.867,0:12:54.723
and my husband at times,[br]frankly, almost went nuts.

0:12:55.083,0:12:57.352
Thank God, he is here today.

0:12:59.920,0:13:04.228
So, over the last winter,[br]I decided to take a climate sabbatical.

0:13:04.231,0:13:05.721
I was lucky I could do that.

0:13:05.721,0:13:08.678
I wanted more time during the day[br]for the Berlin campaign,

0:13:09.435,0:13:11.448
and also, I wanted to do something else,

0:13:11.448,0:13:15.672
I wanted to address my own pension fund -[br]Versorgungswerk der Presse -

0:13:17.896,0:13:19.736
and make them divest.

0:13:19.917,0:13:22.753
I sent a letter to them last fall,

0:13:22.753,0:13:24.386
and shortly after, they replied

0:13:24.386,0:13:30.186
saying that they had decided[br]to divest partly from coal.

0:13:30.938,0:13:34.450
Sometimes it can be that simple;[br]it was just one letter -

0:13:34.559,0:13:38.813
and of course, the threat to tell[br]the entire German press about it,

0:13:39.055,0:13:40.777
but OK.

0:13:41.151,0:13:42.788
(Laughing)

0:13:44.535,0:13:47.057
But it is just a first step;[br]it's really too little.

0:13:47.057,0:13:49.013
I want my pension to be clean,

0:13:49.013,0:13:51.123
and that's why I want them[br]to go all the way.

0:13:51.123,0:13:52.889
So I built this website,

0:13:54.259,0:13:57.034
and I'm mobilizing journalists[br]and other supporters

0:13:57.239,0:13:58.495
to send divestment letters

0:13:58.495,0:14:02.621
to the Versorgungswerk der Presse[br]through this website.

0:14:02.633,0:14:04.022
I hope you will check it out.

0:14:04.022,0:14:06.478
And if you think[br]it's a good idea, contribute.

0:14:07.526,0:14:09.555
Now, there is really no need

0:14:09.555,0:14:12.742
to go all the way crazy[br]over divestment like I did.

0:14:13.339,0:14:17.320
You can actually get things going[br]with fairly little effort.

0:14:18.180,0:14:22.456
And that's why I want[br]to encourage you to take action.

0:14:23.729,0:14:25.339
Look around you -

0:14:25.339,0:14:29.964
the person next to you might be a member[br]of the same pension fund

0:14:29.964,0:14:32.271
or a customer of the same bank as you.

0:14:33.985,0:14:37.582
You can get together[br]and start by writing a letter.

0:14:39.453,0:14:42.841
If you are not sure how to do it,[br]send me an email - we'll get it done.

0:14:44.505,0:14:47.948
Now, I've lived in Hamburg,[br]and I know that it's a wealthy city.

0:14:49.095,0:14:52.568
If you have money,[br]make sure it does the right thing,

0:14:54.158,0:14:57.907
and then go and tell everyone[br]what you did and why.

0:14:59.804,0:15:02.772
If we let our financial institutions know

0:15:02.772,0:15:06.062
that we do not want to benefit[br]from global warming anymore,

0:15:07.015,0:15:11.099
we will set in motion a change process.

0:15:11.853,0:15:15.708
I guarantee: the more we are the better.

0:15:17.376,0:15:20.491
And my dream is that one day[br]when we are looking back,

0:15:21.096,0:15:23.695
the fossil fuel industry[br]will be quoted this:

0:15:24.504,0:15:28.234
"When the divestment movement began,[br]we knew that fossil fuels had to end."

0:15:28.234,0:15:29.516
[The fossil fuel industry]

0:15:30.091,0:15:31.307
Thank you.

0:15:31.307,0:15:34.903
(Applause)