Oxford U undecided about divesting from polluting industries

London

OXFORD University has not decided whether it will join a growing movement in favour of divesting from publicly traded fossil fuel companies. The university in a statement on Monday said: "The University Council had a good discussion of the issues and agreed to consider the matter further at a future meeting."

Leading universities have been divided on the issue, with Harvard and Yale universities, which control the biggest endowments in the US, ruling out action for now. About 200 institutions worldwide have pledged to scale back investments in polluting industries, including Glasgow University in Scotland and Stanford University in California.

Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world, manages endowment funds of about £2 billion (S$4.1 billion). A decision in favour of divestment would mark a major victory for environmental activists seeking to stigmatise oil and coal companies in the way that South Africa and toba…