UNIVERSITY of WA students are calling on the university to divest from fossil fuels, with a campaign backed by the UWA Student Guild to be officially launched next week.

The Fund our Future campaign will launch with a “Pints for the Planet” event at the UWA Tavern on Tuesday, September 8.

Students, staff and alumni are calling on UWA to disclose its fossil fuel investments and commit to a transparent three-to-five-year plan to divest from the industry.

• UWA’s student guild doesn’t want any fossil fuel coin.

They are also seeking enforceable exclusion criteria, independent verification and annual public reporting so the university community can hold UWA accountable for its climate and sustainability commitments.

The campaign claims UWA has about $42 million invested in the fossil fuel industry, which campaigners say conflicts with the university’s own sustainable investment guidelines.

Those guidelines state UWA will “assess climate change-related risks and opportunities in our investments and manage them accordingly”.

Fund our Future campaigner and UWA student Ruby Wood-Hill said educational institutions should be preparing students for the future rather than investing in industries threatening it.

“educational institutions are meant to prepare us for the future. These same institutions should not be funding the very companies that are destroying this future for generations to come.”

The campaign follows pressure on universities over their relationships with the fossil fuel industry, including a student-led campaign at Monash University in Melbourne that resulted in the end of an ongoing partnership with Woodside.

UWA Ocean Institute Student Society president Emily Ellis said the university’s investment position sent a mixed message.

Continuing to educate and support students and researchers working to protect the environment while simultaneously investing in major fossil fuel companies “sends conflicting messages about the UWA’s commitment to climate action. It’s time for UWA to seek accountability.”

Masters of Biological Science student Spencer Beaumont-Bilsby said divestment could help UWA bring its investments into line with its stated commitments.

Divestment from fossil fuels “presents UWA with a unique opportunity to better align with their climate and sustainability commitments as a global leader in this space.”

Renowned Australian botanist Professor Kingsley Dixon, who will speak at Tuesday’s event, will focus on WA’s biodiversity loss and the impacts of climate change.

“We have created an apocalypse for our nature, driving more species to extinction than ever in evolutionary history,” Professor Dixon said.

The Fund our Future launch will run from 6pm to 8pm on Tuesday, September 8, at the UWA Tavern.

Speakers will include UWA Guild president Oliver Barrett, Ruby Wood-Hill, Professor Dixon and Mr Roberts.