"It's time to start treating the fossil fuel industry like Big Tobacco," said May Boeve, executive director of 350.org, an international climate campaign. "When it comes to the UN Climate Talks, the fossil fuel companies aren't just looking for a seat at the table, they're looking to burn the table down. Until we can challenge their political power, we won't see real climate progress."

The situation for the fossil fuel industry will only get worse. According to a slew of recent reports by institutions like the World Bank, HSBC, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 60-80% of current fossil fuel reserves must stay underground in order to limit global warming to below 2°C.

The divestment campaign is based on the belief that if we are to stay below 2°C of warming, we cannot emit more than 565 gigatons of carbon dioxide in the future. Fossil fuel companies have more than five times that amount in coal, oil and gas reserves.