{"id":23187,"date":"2016-03-11T14:46:24","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T20:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/?p=23187"},"modified":"2016-03-14T11:19:21","modified_gmt":"2016-03-14T16:19:21","slug":"hcls-paul-kivi-divestment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/2016\/03\/11\/hcls-paul-kivi-divestment\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Benefits of Divestment to Encourage Social Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Paul Kivi, assistant professor of economics at Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ, will present a March 23 Honors Council Lecture which seeks to answer the question of whether Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ should de-invest in fossil fuels.<\/p>\n

His presentation, “Should Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Join the Rapidly Growing Divestment Movement?”, begins at 7 p.m. in Hagg-Sauer Hall 112. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ’s Honor Council lectures are open to everyone free of charge.<\/p>\n

During the lecture, Kivi will examine climate change induced by the burning of fossil fuels and the lack of government action in response to the growing issue, despite strong public concerns about the problem.<\/p>\n

One growing solution that is under consideration is divestment –– removing funds from business activities that contribute to a social problem. In this case, Kivi is looking at the divestment of businesses that release carbon from the ground and into the atmosphere and the oceans. He will look into the pros and cons of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ possibly becoming a part of this rapidly growing movement which according to MSNBC in Sept. 2015 had reached $2.6 trillion in funds committed to the cause.<\/p>\n

“Obviously, by itself Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ is not big enough to make any sort of an impact, but when you join together with hundreds and potentially thousands, at the rate it is growing, of other organizations that would get people’s attention, ” Kivi said. “It’s time for somebody to do something – and this is one way that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ can do something.”<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Dr. Paul Kivi<\/strong>
\nDr. Kivi is an assistant professor of economics and environmental studies, with a doctorate from the University of Wyoming in economics and a graduate minor in environmental science, and a Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ graduate in economics and environmental studies. He has written articles published in Ecological Economics, Economics Letters, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and he is currently writing a textbook on Environmental Economics.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ the Honors Council Lecture Series<\/strong>
\nThe Honors Council Lecture Series is hosted by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Honors Council. The council is the advisory group to the honors program composed of 12 faculty members representing each of the university’s colleges. Student representatives are also elected to the council by their cohorts for one-year terms.<\/p>\n

Contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n