Several non-governmental organizations are calling on people all over the world to take part in Global Divestment Day 13-14 February.

The day is designed to draw attention to the importance of divesting from fossil fuels, which are the main cause of global warming.

According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), around 80% of known fossil fuel reserves would need to remain in the ground for the international community to reach its declared goal of staying below a maximum two degrees Celsius global average temperature rise.

The organizers are specifically calling on institutional leaders to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies and, within five years, to divest from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds.

The campaign is designed to bolster prospects for an effective global climate change agreement in Paris at the end of this year by creating space for greater climate ambition.

Last year, the latest scientific report by the IPCC addressed the crucial role of redirecting investments to achieve the 2 degrees goal, stating that “substantial reductions in emissions would require large changes in investment patterns.”

At the time, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called upon companies to reduce their investment in fossil fuels, or to divest completely. He said:

“I have been urging companies like pension funds or insurance companies to reduce their investments in coal and a fossil-fuel based economy to move to renewable sources of energy.”

In his call, Ban Ki-moon joined a growing list of high-level figures advocating for divestment from fossil fuels including Archbischop Desmond Tutu, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres.