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Fossil Fuel Divestment Rally Draws Crowd in Oakland

Despite the frigid temperatures, a few dozen people showed up to a fossil fuel divestment rally at Oakland’s Schenley Plaza Friday.

Those gathered wanted the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University to divest from coal, oil and natural gas. It's unknown how much of the universities’ investments are in those fields.

Pitt junior Mihir Mulloth went to the rally because he said he reads climate reports and the state of our planet becomes more alarming the more he reads.

“It seems like every time one of these reports comes out, these drastic outcomes become closer and closer," he said. "Now it's finally having a direct impact on my generation or my kids' generation, and you want to leave something for the next generation.”

At the rally, Joanne Mule sold handmade buttons, with a portion of the benefits from the sale of the buttons going to divestpittsburgh.com. She said she was there because she believed entities such as the universities were investing too much money in non-renewable sources.

Similar rallies are taking place this weekend at universities across the country for Global Divestment Day. Some have been postponed because of the cold weather.