More than a dozen people gathered Friday afternoon to raise awareness for Divestment Day.

The issue of divestment involves pulling money from fossil fuel investments and instead focusing efforts on renewable energy, said Gary Piazzon, event organizer.

The Divestment Day Rally, organized by Piazzon and his wife, Dianna Deseck-Piazzon, included a brief lecture to inform those in attendance of the issues, a group song and a sign demonstration on the sidewalk off Main Street in Coupeville.

“There’s a lot of awareness needs raising,” Piazzon said.

This is not the first Divestment event held on Whidbey Island. Starting with one in 2009, Piazzon and Deseck-Piazzon have attended and helped organize four events with 350.org, which Piazzon said is a group founded by university students to help raise awareness of and make a difference in climate change.

“Whidbey Island has a presence on a national and international stage in these historic events,” Piazzon said.

He said that Harvard Medical School estimated about 8.5 million people around the world have died due to climate-related events such as floods and droughts.

“The reason we’re so kind of oblivious to it in the United States is the very effective campaign of confusion funded by the fossil fuel industry,” Piazzon said.

He said that campaign included suggesting that climate change won’t be a big issue for a long time, isn’t as bad as some claim and is a problem that needs engineering solutions.

About 15 people attended the rally, at which Piazzon shared facts about 350.org and other campaigns to raise awareness and make a difference. Deseck-Piazzon read poems and talked briefly as well, and the group joined together in a song about the environment.

“The fossil fuel industry is one of the most powerful, profitable corporate entities that’s out there,” said Marshall Goldberg at the rally, “and there are very few ways that people can influence their behavior, and one of them is divestiture of investments.

“It’s one of the few ways we can express ourselves and let the fossil fuel industry know that we think there’re better alternatives, and they’re the ones who can lead the way. They have the resources, and when they decide to invest heavily in renewable energies, it’ll happen.”

Deseck-Piazzon, at the rally, said that climate change will create economic and social problems all over the world. She said these problems are already manifesting in increased numbers of serious storms, floods, droughts and the melting of ice masses.

“Everything is going to change, and it’s happening a lot faster than they thought it was,” Deseck-Piazzon said.

Piazzon explained 350.org got its name because there were 350 parts per million of CO2 the atmosphere was estimated to be able to handle while preserving a livable planet. He said that the world is already over 400 ppm.

“Right here on Whidbey Island, we care about what happens outside of our immediate environment, and that’s why I’m here,” Goldberg said.