Providence, R.I. -- Rhode Island's capital city has joined a growing movement to fight climate change with a City Council vote to withdraw all investments in fossil-fuel companies.
The council on Thursday voted 11-1 in favor of the resolution put forward by majority leader Seth Yurdin, who described it as an effort to address the effects of climate change, such as ocean acidification and rising sea-levels, to which Rhode Island is particularly vulnerable.
"It's really a local issue on top of the big-picture issue," he said in an interview.
The resolution directs the city's Board of Investment Commissioners to pull all investments in the world's largest coal, oil and gas companies within five years and stop making any new investments.
It comes amid divestment campaigns at Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design and other higher education institutions in the state.