The Drax coal-fired power station near Selby, North Yorkshire, England. Warwick Sweeney / Photographer's Choice / Getty Images Plus
Thirty of the world's largest investors, who together control $5 trillion in assets, have pledged to cut the greenhouse gas emissions of their portfolios by as much as 29 percent in five years.
<p>The investors, who include Allianz, the Church of England and the California Public Employees' Retirement System, are all part of the UN convened <a href="https://www.unepfi.org/net-zero-alliance/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance</a>. The group formed in 2019 with the goal of reducing the emissions of their investment portfolios to net zero by 2050 and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. On the road to that goal, the group announced their <a href="https://www.unepfi.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Alliance-Target-Setting-Protocol_Final-Consultation-Draft.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2025 Target Setting Protocol</a> Tuesday, which includes the goal to reduce emissions across members' portfolios by 16 to 29 percent of 2019 levels by 2025.</p>
<p>"According to the UNEP Emissions Gap Report, every year of postponed emissions peak means that deeper and faster cuts will be required," UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative leader Eric Usher said in a <a href="https://www.unepfi.org/news/industries/investment/net-zero-asset-owner-alliance-sets-unprecedented-5-year-portfolio-decarbonization-targets/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press release</a>. "The Target-Setting Protocol represents world-leading progress on the required emissions reductions from some of the biggest investors in the world."</p><p>To reach their goal, the investors will pinpoint the 20 companies most responsible for their portfolios' emissions, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/13/top-asset-managers-commit-to-big-carbon-emissions-cuts?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco&fbclid=IwAR0KiEWbHZMlu9oKxXTOJ7tmvDOGZZmHOwX7Wp_ZN4ja8yxfOJJXmOJA6P8" target="_blank">The Guardian explained</a>. They will also set specific targets for highly emitting sectors like <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-and-gas" target="_self">oil and gas</a>, transport and utilities.</p>
<p>Some financial institutions have acted on the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> by divesting entirely from certain companies or refusing to fund certain ventures. For example, Norway's largest private asset manager <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/norway-asset-fund-divest-exxon-chevron-2647116709.html" target="_self">divested</a> in August from companies that lobby against climate action or make more than five percent of their revenue from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a> or <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-sands" target="_self">oil sands</a>. The Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance, however, takes a different approach, seeking instead to engage with the companies it invests in in order to push the overall economy towards a just transition to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a>.</p><p>"Although decarbonization of portfolios could be easily achieved by selling carbon intensive investments, it is highly questionable if such actions alone would have a positive impact on the real economy," the group explained in the press release. "Additionally, it might undermine Alliance members ability to engage with these [companies] to effect reductions in the real economy."</p><p>Part of that engagement means encouraging companies to share regular reports on their climate actions and to craft plans to green their business, according to The Guardian. The alliance itself will also release yearly reports, and plans to grow its membership to 200 or the assets under its control to $25 trillion.</p>
<p>"Alliance members start out by changing themselves and then reach out to various companies to work on the change of their businesses," Alliance Chair Günther Thallinger, who serves on the board of management for Allianz SE, said in the press release. "Reaching net-zero is not simply reducing emissions and carrying on with the business models of today. There are profound changes and opportunities that will come from the net-zero economy, we see new business opportunities and strong wins for those who are ready to lead."</p><p>The alliance is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC's) broader Race to Zero campaign, in which cities, companies and investors work to increase the number of entities that have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier, <a href="https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4021571/institutional-investors-managing-usd5tr-pledge-2025-portfolio-co2-goals" target="_blank">Business Green reported</a>. The plan is to have as many as possible commit before the next major UN climate summit, the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/cop26-postponed-coronavirus-2645616746.html" target="_self">delayed COP26</a>.</p>
<p><em>Correction: An earlier version of this article said that Norway's largest hedge fund divested from companies that lobby against climate action. The article has been updated to identify the fund as Norway's largest private asset manager.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Mining Company CEO Forced to Resign After Blasting of 46,000-Year-Old Aboriginal Site
11 September 2020
Popular
Western Australia's Juukan Gorge has been home to a sacred site to local Indigenous peoples for over 46,000 years. In May of 2020, the site was destroyed in an explosion designed to expand a nearby iron ore mine. About the House: the official channel of the Australian House of Representatives
The chief executive officer and two senior executives are being forced out of the mining giant Rio Tinto several months after investors started to revolt over the company's destruction of an ancient aboriginal rock shelter, according to CNN.
<p>CEO Jean-Sebastian Jacques will leave in March 2021, while two senior executives, Chris Salisbury, iron ore chief executive, and Simone Nieven, head of corporate relations who had the responsibility of handling relations with Indigenous communities, will leave at the end of 2020, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/09/11/ceo-of-one-of-the-worlds-largest-mining-companies-forced-to-resign-over-destruction-of-sacred-indigenous-site/#790943ed412a" target="_blank">Forbes</a>.</p><p>The 48-year-old chief executive is being forced out after investors listened to a continuing outcry from the Indigenous people of Australia who were horrified that Rio Tinto would trounce upon their sacred ground and blast away the ancient Juukan Gorge rock shelters, two culturally significant rock shelters in Western Australia's Pilbara region. Despite knowing the importance of the grounds to the the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people, Rio Tinto blasted the site in order to mine a better quality of iron ore, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/11/rio-tinto-ceo-senior-executives-resign-juukan-gorge-debacle-caves" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>The company's board responded to the move by cutting executive pay and stripping the three executives of $7 million in bonuses, but investors lined up to denounce that penalty as inadequate.</p><p>"There were certainly some shareholders who felt strongly that the accountability was inappropriate and that this was an issue that needed to be addressed to rebuild trust," said Rio Tinto Chairman Simon Thompson to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/rio-tinto-ceo-top-executives-resign-amid-cave-blast-crisis-20200910-p55uf8.html" target="_blank">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>.</p><p>"While there is general recognition of the transparency of the board review and support for the changes recommended, significant stakeholders have expressed concerns about executive accountability for the failings identified," the company said in a statement, as The Guardian reported.</p>
<p>The wanton destruction of the site has shed light on the remarkable power the mining industry has over sacred, traditional lands. It has shown the need for greater legal guarantees to make sure heritage sites are protected.</p><p>A spokesperson for the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people told The Sydney Morning Herald, "Our focus continues to rest heavily on preserving Aboriginal heritage and advocating for wide-ranging changes to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again. We cannot and will not allow this type of devastation to occur ever again."</p><p>Among the prominent shareholders to express their misgivings were several large Australian investment funds and a group of 81 British pension funds. Also, the National Native Title Council in Australia said the board was divorced from reality in thinking that the pay cuts were somehow just punishment for destroying a 46,000-year-old site, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.</p>
<p>"There is more work to be done," said Jamie Lowe, chief executive for the National Native Title Council, as The Guardian reported. "The law needs to be strengthened. We can't rely on the goodwill of mining companies, we need the law strengthened. We can't rely on their word that things will get better."</p><p>"What happened at Juukan was wrong," Thompson said Friday to The Sydney Morning Herald. "We are determined to ensure the destruction of a heritage site of such exceptional archaeological and cultural significance never occurs again at a Rio Tinto operation."</p><p>Ian Silk, the chief executive of Australia's biggest superannuation fund, AustralianSuper, said that he was "satisfied that appropriate responsibility has now been taken by executives at Rio Tinto," according to The Guardian,</p><p>"Rio can now work with traditional owners to guarantee that its processes are appropriate for the protection of culturally important sites and that it has the right internal accountabilities," he added, as The Guardian reported.</p>
<p>Additionally, the Australian Center for Corporate Responsibility applauded Friday's announcement as an end to the "dishonest malaise of Rio Tinto's board and senior management," according to The Guardian.</p><p>While the news of the executives departing is welcome, the institutional investors who have the clout to spur action within the company said the company would have to take steps to repair its relationship with Australia's Indigenous people.</p><p>"Rio Tinto now has the opportunity to address the necessary remediation, cultural heritage and risk processes with fresh eyes," said Louise Davidson, chief executive of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors, which advises 38 large super funds on governance issues, to The Guardian.</p><p>"Rio Tinto must prioritise working with traditional owners the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people to rebuild their relationship. It is critical that this is not delayed," she added.</p>
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If you're looking to cut down on your single-use plastic consumption, refusing to-go cutlery is an easy switch to make. In this article, we'll show you three of the best bamboo utensils and cutlery sets for eating on the go.
<h2>Why use bamboo utensils?</h2><p>There are a few reasons we recommend tossing bamboo utensils in your pocket or purse. As takeout and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/air-pollution-food-delivery-plastic-waste-2648454324.html" target="_self">food delivery</a> is becoming increasingly popular, the use (and disposal) of plastic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/biodegradable-straws-cutlery-2647876041.html" target="_self">to-go cutlery</a> is on the rise. According to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauratenenbaum/2019/07/16/plastic-cutlery-is-terrible-for-the-environment-and-we-dont-need-to-have-it-delivered/?sh=6e3312f74019" target="_blank">Forbes</a>, in the U.S. alone, it's estimated that 40 billion individual plastic utensils are wasted every year.</p><p>Many times, it's not just a single fork or spoon but a whole set wrapped in a disposable plastic bag, complete with a napkin and even single-serve salt and pepper packets. More often than not, people only use the one utensil they need and toss the rest without a second thought.</p><p>By carrying reusable utensils with you, you can refuse the single-use cutlery. But with so many options — metal, bamboo, or sturdy plastic — it can be difficult to narrow down the best set for you.</p><p>Here are a few reasons we recommend going with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/bamboo-building-2641420012.html" target="_self">reusable bamboo</a> utensils over metal or plastic alternatives:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><strong>Lightweight:</strong> Bamboo is lighter than both plastic and metal, making it more convenient to carry for everyday use.</li><li><strong>Odorless: </strong>Some materials, especially plastic, can take on the smell of the foods you've eaten. Bamboo doesn't trap odors, so you don't have to worry about them getting funky.</li><li><strong>Compostable and biodegradable: </strong>If your bamboo utensils get worn out, they can be composted at the end of their life, so they'll never end up in a landfill or waterway.</li></ul><h2>Best bamboo utensil sets</h2><p>Based on our market research and firsthand use, these are the three best bamboo utensils and eco-friendly bamboo cutlery sets available:</p><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<p class="">Whether it be bringing your own utensils, a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/eco-friendly-straws-2571689759.html" target="_self">reusable straw</a>, or a takeout container from home, finding ways to reduce your plastic consumption when out to eat is key to leading a more sustainable life. With any of these three bamboo utensil sets, you can feel good about being able to refuse single-use plastic on the go.</p><p><em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/about-ecowatch-2641507575.html?rebelltitem=47#rebelltitem47" target="_self">Melissa Smith</a> is an avid writer, scuba diver, backpacker, and all-around outdoor enthusiast. She graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in journalism and sustainable studies. Before joining EcoWatch, Melissa worked as the managing editor of Scuba Diving magazine and the communications manager of The Ocean Agency, a non-profit that's featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary Chasing Coral.</em></p>
Most Sustainable: To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensil Set With Carrying Case
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MTE1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxODcxNzc0NX0.Hhrok0N7KqE2MvxtupO40adJitu3eS3-hTEqPO5fTqU/img.jpg?width=980" id="da412" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="da83d259d32c6fae8c884f82fcd6f5b3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" /><p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Go-Ware-Bamboo-Travel-Utensils/dp/B002BFIH2U/ref=sr_1_25?dchild=1&keywords=bamboo+utensils&qid=1608141073&sr=8-25" target="_blank">To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensil Set</a> includes a fork, spoon, non-serrated knife, and chopsticks. It comes in a handy carrying case that's made from 100% post-consumer <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-recycling-europe-2646085302.html" target="_self">recycled plastic bottles</a>, so not only are you preventing plastic from entering the waste stream, but you're also helping to reduce the amount of existing plastic clogging our landfills and oceans.</p> <p>The company itself, a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/exclusive-b-corps-matter-2507063576.html" target="_self">certified B Corp</a>, has a steadfast commitment to the planet. Aside from using sustainable materials, it collaborates with eco-friendly brands like <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/patagonia-vote-climate-deniers-2647697498.html" target="_self">Patagonia</a> and 4ocean and has employee programs such as a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/zero-waste-cities-2646926686.html" target="_self">zero-waste pledge</a> and community clean-ups to reduce its environmental footprint.</p> <p><strong>Customer Rating:</strong> 4.7 out of 5 stars with over 1,500 Amazon reviews</p><strong>Why Buy: </strong>Sleeve made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles; Certified B Corp; Climate Neutral Certified; Supports 1% For the Planet; Fair Labor Association member
$14
Most Convenient: Bambu Reusable Bamboo Sporks
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MTE2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDM3MDU1OX0.IOZYR4FjNBzsPDtpK_byFwJ7JbzzPnD8Bpg3RFlqA7c/img.jpg?width=980" id="d6700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="56eb8186f68d96f0c6c11df3c6c0943b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" /><p>If a full bamboo cutlery set is too bulky to carry, consider the compact <a href="https://www.amazon.com/bambu-Organic-Bamboo-Sporks-Set/dp/B00WO85PCO/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=bambu+spork&qid=1613143126&s=home-garden&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Bambu Reusable Bamboo Spork</a>. This merges two bamboo utensils into one convenient tool that's small enough to fit in your pocket yet still large enough to hold in your hand and comfortably eat with.</p> <p>Bambu products are sourced from the "bamboo belt" of Eastern China and sustainably handcrafted in family-operated workshops near the raw material source for minimal environmental impact. It's certified organic by a number of international organizations, including the USDA, LETIS, and CERES.</p> <p><strong>Customer Rating: </strong>4.7 out of 5 stars with over 50 Amazon reviews</p><p><strong>Why Buy:</strong> Certified USDA Organic and Biobased Product; Certified B Corp; Carbon<em>free</em>® Product Certified; Supports 1% For the Planet</p>
$13
Best For Travel: Waves of Change Reusable Bamboo Utensil Set
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MTE3Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjE0MTk2Mn0.yD-3WyiWU1uA7ebVN_FZXK-oIdfw6UV5ieGVAxTu7Gw/img.jpg?width=980" id="94190" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="517e913db9c23e8e9ac544d704c03caa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="400" data-height="400" /><p>The Waves of Change line from Full Circle Home features ocean-inspired products to make meals away from home more sustainable, including <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wave-Change-WC19304V-Reusable-Recycled/dp/B0813GY18R/ref=sr_1_72?dchild=1&keywords=bamboo%2Butensils&qid=1608142155&sr=8-72&th=1" target="_blank">insulated lunch bags</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wave-Change-WC19304V-Reusable-Recycled/dp/B0813GDSSC/ref=sr_1_72?dchild=1&keywords=bamboo%2Butensils&qid=1608142155&sr=8-72&th=1" target="_blank">sandwich</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wave-Change-WC19304V-Reusable-Recycled/dp/B0813GY176/ref=sr_1_72?dchild=1&keywords=bamboo%2Butensils&qid=1608142155&sr=8-72&th=1" target="_blank">snack pouches</a>, and a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wave-Change-WC19304V-Reusable-Recycled/dp/B0813GY176/ref=sr_1_72?dchild=1&keywords=bamboo%2Butensils&qid=1608142155&sr=8-72&th=1" target="_blank">reusable bamboo utensil set</a>.</p> <p>These eco-friendly bamboo utensils come in a zippered pouch for extra cleanliness while traveling or commuting. Whether you choose the wave or whale design, each pouch is made with a recycled fabric that's produced from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/world-plastic-waste-leader-us-2648607158.html" target="_self">plastic waste</a> and certified by the Global Recycled Standard (GRS).</p> <p><strong>Customer Rating:</strong> 4.5 out of 5 stars with over 200 Amazon reviews</p><strong>Why Buy: </strong>Sleeve made from GRS-certified recycled fabric; Certified B Corp; Plastic Neutral company; Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified; USDA Certified Biobased Product
$15
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The Radcliffe Camera at the University of Oxford, England on Nov. 30, 2014. Pablo Fernández / Flickr
At the behest of student activist raising awareness about the climate crisis, universities around the world have recently been pulling their investments from the fossil fuel industry.
<p>The University of California <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/university-of-california-to-ditch-fossil-fuel-investments-2640417734.html" target="_self">pulled all $84 billion</a> in its pension and endowment funds from gas, coal and oil in the fall. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/university-of-california-to-ditch-fossil-fuel-investments-2640417734.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">Sustained pressure from Georgetown University Fossil Free</a> successfully persuaded the school to divest from fossil fuels and boost its investments in <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a> earlier this year.</p><p>The latest school to commit to a fossil-free future is the renowned British institution the University of Oxford, which also asked its fund managers to show evidence of net-zero business plans, as the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-52454439" target="_blank">BBC</a> reported. The school, which has more than $3.7 billion in its endowment fund, made the announcement on Monday.</p>
<p>The Oxford Climate Justice Campaign (OCJC) said the resolution was of "historic importance," as the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-52454439" target="_blank">BBC</a> reported.</p><p>Vice-chancellor Professor Louise Richardson said it would make the university a "world leader in reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change before it is too late."</p><p>However, the University of Oxford is late to the party. In 2015, the university said it would stop investing in the worst polluting fuels, but it stopped short of a total divestment, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-52454439" target="_blank">BBC</a>.</p><p>Since 2012, student campaigns have sought to marginalize companies like Shell and BP, which profit from actions that contribute to the climate crisis. As of January, the National Union of Students, People & Planet and Students Organizing for Sustainability UK had successfully lobbied 77 universities in the UK to end their investments in fossil fuels, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/13/universities-divesting-from-fossil-fuels-have-made-history-but-the-fight-isnt-over" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-04-27-oxford-announces-historic-commitment-fossil-fuel-divestment" target="_blank">press release</a>, Oxford announced that it would follow the guidelines set forth in the <a href="https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/briefings/Principles_For_Climate_Conscious_Investment_Feb2018.pdf" target="_blank">Oxford Martin Principles for Climate-Conscious Investment</a>. That framework helps connect climate-conscious investors with companies around the world working to create a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability">sustainable</a> future. It also helps assess whether an investment will foster the goals of the Paris agreement.</p><p>"Their work is just part of the sector-leading environmental research across Oxford in such areas as climate economics, biodiversity, resource security, transition in energy use and climate change modeling," the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-04-27-oxford-announces-historic-commitment-fossil-fuel-divestment" target="_blank">press release</a> said.</p><p>Professor Cameron Hepburn, director of the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, added: "This is not mere divestment; this is a commitment to divestment plus engagement, according to the Oxford Martin Principles, to help accelerate progress towards net zero emissions. It is right that Oxford's leadership on the science, economics and finance of the transition to net zero emissions should be consistent with how we invest our endowment."</p>
<p>Of course, while the goals of a net zero future are admirable, the reasoning behind the divestment is not necessarily altruistic. Coal has been a losing investment for years and the energy sector has not produced favorable returns for institutional investors.</p><p>Writing in <a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-09-16/divestment-fossil-fuel-university-of-california-climate-change" target="_blank">The Los Angeles Times</a> when the University of California divested from fossil fuels, investors said, "We believe hanging on to fossil fuel assets is a financial risk." They went on to say that renewable energy sector is a growth opportunity.</p><p>"We have been looking years, decades and centuries ahead as we place our bets that clean energy will fuel the world's future. That means we believe there is money to be made. We have chosen to invest for a better planet, and reap the financial rewards for UC, rather than simply divest for a headline."</p><p>Activists have looked to spur similar action at some of the most prestigious schools in the U.S. They have lobbied to get Yale, with over $30 billion in its endowment, and Harvard, with over $40 billion in its fund, to end its investments in fossil fuels.</p>
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Trending
Michael Mann photo inset by Joshua Yospyn.
By Jeff Masters, Ph.D.
The New Climate War: the fight to take back our planet is the latest must-read book by leading climate change scientist and communicator Michael Mann of Penn State University.
<p>Published Jan. 12, 2021, <em>The New Climate War</em> describes how outright <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier" target="_self">denial</a> of the physical evidence of human-caused climate change simply is no longer credible. It describes in explicit detail how forces of denial and delay – fossil fuel companies, right-wing partisans, media and talking heads, and oil-funded governments – continue to profit from our dependence on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>. It explores how they have shifted to new tactics, using "an array of powerful Ds: disinformation, deceit, divisiveness, deflection, delay, despair-mongering, and doomism."</p>
<p>In better understanding how prospects for climate action still are threatened, readers will learn fascinating climate history and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/science/">science</a>, and will be uplifted by Mann's take on how close society may be to a tipping point on solving the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a>. "A clean energy revolution and climate stabilization are achievable with current technology," Mann writes. "All we require are policies to incentivize the needed shift."</p><p>The new Mann book consists of nine sections:</p><p>The first two chapters, "The Architects of Misinformation and Misdirection" and "The Climate Wars," outline the history of climate science denial over the years.</p>
<p><strong>The Crying Indian' and the Birth of the Deflection Campaign</strong> details how vested interests use <em>deflection</em> campaigns to defeat policies they dislike. A classic example is the iconic "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Crying Indian</a>" commercial of the 1970s, which alerted viewers to accumulating glass bottle and can waste litter. The commercial was part of a successful deflection campaign by the beverage industry to blame the public rather than corporations, emphasizing individual responsibility over collective action and regulations.</p>
<p><strong></strong><strong>It's YOUR Fault</strong> describes how fossil fuel interests, using <em>deflection</em> campaigns, "are actually all too happy to talk about the environment. They just want to keep the conversation around individual responsibility, not systemic change or corporate culpability." Mann also details how deflection campaigns criticize individuals for their air travel to attend conferences.</p><p>Internet bots and trolls from oil-rich Russia are also involved in deflection campaigns, Mann writes. He writes that barbs aimed at 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "appeared to come from the environmental left, criticizing her climate policies (for example, her position on fracking). We now know that many of those attacks were actually Russian trolls and bots seeking to convince younger, greener progressives that there was no difference between the two candidates (so they might as well stay home)." Mann writes also that Russia is believed to have helped instigate the 2018 'Yellow Vest' revolts that undercut French governmental efforts to introduce a carbon tax.</p><p>Mann describes a number of "wedge" campaigns run to divide climate advocates. He points to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/21/climate-tweets-twitter-bots-analysis" target="_blank">a 2020 news story in The Guardian</a> reporting that "the social media conversation over the climate crisis is being reshaped by an army of automated Twitter bots." That article estimated that "a quarter of all tweets about climate on an average day are produced by bots," with a goal of "distorting the online discourse to include far more climate science denialism than it would otherwise."</p>
<p><strong>Put a Price on It. </strong><em><strong>Or Not.</strong></em> This chapter begins with Mann's concerns that "the fuel industry has been granted the greatest market subsidy ever: the privilege to dump its waste products into the atmosphere at no charge." When <em>implicit</em> subsidies are included like the health costs and environmental pollution damage, including the damage done by climate change, Mann writes, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-the-challenge-of-defining-fossil-fuel-subsidies" target="_blank">estimated</a> subsidies of over $5 trillion were paid in the year 2015 alone. These subsidies need to end, Mann argues, preferring a price on carbon emissions to force polluters to pay for the climate damage done by their product, fossil fuels, and a tilt giving an advantage to clean and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> forms.</p><p>Mann rejects flat-out concerns over a potential carbon tax. For instance, he writes that "whether a carbon tax is progressive or regressive depends on how it is designed. A fee-and-dividend method, for example, returns any revenue raised back to the people."</p><p>Mann also expresses support for supply-side measures like "blocking pipeline construction, banning fracking, stopping mountain-top-removal coal mining, divesting in fossil fuel companies, and putting a halt to most new fossil fuel infrastructure."</p>
<p>In <strong>Sinking the Competition</strong>, Mann backs explicit incentives for renewable energy and elimination of incentives for fossil fuels. He says fossil fuel interests and their backers have "put their thumbs on the scale by promoting programs that favor fossil fuel energy while sabotaging those that incentivize renewables, and engaging in propaganda campaigns to discredit renewable energy as a viable alternative to fossil fuels."</p>
<p><strong>The Non-Solution Solution</strong> chapter details Mann's concerns that those opposing climate action promote "solutions" (natural gas, carbon capture, geo-engineering) that Mann argues aren't real solutions at all. "Part of their strategy is using soothing words and terms – 'bridge fuels,' 'clean coal,' 'adaptation,' 'resilience' – that convey the illusion of action but, in context, are empty promises," he writes. Mann's preferred "viable path forward on climate involves a combination of energy efficiency, electrification, and decarbonization of the grid through an array of complementary renewable energy sources. The problem is that fossil fuel interests lose out in that scenario, and so they have used their immense wealth and influence to stymie any efforts to move in that direction."</p>
<p><strong>The Truth Is Bad Enough</strong> decries obsessive pessimism and "doomism" as unhelpful to tackling the climate crisis. "Exaggeration of the climate threat by purveyors of doom – we'll call them 'doomists' – is unhelpful at best," he writes. "Indeed, doomism today arguably poses a greater threat to climate action than outright denial. For if catastrophic warming of the planet were truly inevitable and there were no agency on our part in averting it, why should we do anything?"</p>
<p><strong>Meeting the Challenge</strong> presents a summary of Dr. Mann's four-point battle plan, which he outlines in the introduction to the book:</p><p><em>Disregard the Doomsayers:</em> The misguided belief that "it's too late" to act has been co-opted by fossil fuel interests and those advocating for them, Mann argues. It's just another way of legitimizing business-as-usual and a continued reliance on fossil fuels. Overt doom and gloom arguments should be ignored.</p><p><em>A Child Shall Lead Them:</em> Youths are fighting to save their planet, and there is a moral authority and clarity in their message that only the most jaded can disregard. Youths are the game-changers climate advocates have been waiting for, and their actions, methods, and idealism are models for all.</p><p><em>Educate, Educate, Educate:</em> Most hard-core climate-change deniers are unmovable, with an ideology impervious to facts. Don't waste time and effort trying to convince them. Instead, work with and help inform victims of climate change disinformation campaigns so they can join efforts to combat the climate challenge.</p><p><em>Changing the System Requires Systemic Change:</em> Those responsible for fossil fuel disinformation engage in either-or arguments rather than address larger systemic issues and consider incentives. Policies need to incentivize shifts away from fossil fuel burning toward a clean, green global economy, and those policies warrant the support of elected leaders.</p><p>The bottom line on <em>The New Climate War</em>: The book could benefit from more graphics and cartoons as complements to its 267 pages of text. Overall, though, the book still is a must-read for every climate-savvy and climate-dependent. (Only air breathers need apply!)</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/01/scientist-mike-manns-must-read-book-the-new-climate-war/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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St. Peter's Square and St.Peter's Basilica on May 20, 2020 in The Vatican, after it reopened following a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection. ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images
The Vatican urged Catholics to closely consider where they invest their money and to take a close look at the environmental impact of the companies they may be shareholders in, as Reuters reported.
<p>Pope Francis has frequently criticized wanton greed that has led to environmental degradation and a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis" target="_self">climate crisis</a> that is uprooting the lives of the world's most vulnerable and impoverished people. On Earth Day, the Pope gave a speech in which he said that humans have sinned against the earth, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pope-francis-earth-day-speech-2645811438.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">EcoWatch</a> reported at the time.</p><p>To follow up on the pontiff's works, the Vatican released a 225-page manual for church leaders and workers that included the guidance to end investments in weapons manufacturing and defense systems, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>, and to closely monitor companies in the energy sector to see if their actions are causing environmental harm, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-environment/vatican-urges-catholics-to-drop-investments-in-fossil-fuels-arms-idUSKBN23P1HI?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>The manual, called <em>Journeying Towards Care For Our Common Home</em>, is a follow up to the Pope's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pope-francis-encyclical-urges-swift-action-on-climate-change-ahead-of--1882051686.html" target="_self">landmark encyclical </a>on climate change called "<a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html" target="_blank">Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home</a>," which gave the official Catholic Church seal of approval to the pope's environmental concerns. The new compendium offers practical steps to follow up on the Laudato Si, which translates from Latin to Praise Be.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-environment/vatican-urges-catholics-to-drop-investments-in-fossil-fuels-arms-idUSKBN23P1HI?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported, the manual's finance section said that shareholder action "could favor positive changes ... by excluding from their investments companies that do not satisfy certain parameters." It listed these as respect for human rights, bans on child labor, and protection of the environment.</p>
<p>"The Vatican's call for divestment is a breath of hope in times when faith is more needed than ever," said Bill McKibben, author and co-founder of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/18/new-vatican-document-urges-fossil-fuel-divestment-serve-planet-and-common-good" target="_blank">350.org</a> in a statement, as <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/18/new-vatican-document-urges-fossil-fuel-divestment-serve-planet-and-common-good" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a> reported. "It is also one of the handful of great moments in this decade-long campaign. It is a powerful statement that attempting to profit off the destruction of the planet is plainly and simply immoral and unethical."</p><p>The Vatican bank has insisted it does not invest in fossil fuels and many Catholic dioceses and educational institutions around the world have taken similar positions, including a move last month by more than 40 Catholic institutions globally that pledged to divest from fossil fuels, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-environment/vatican-urges-catholics-to-drop-investments-in-fossil-fuels-arms-idUSKBN23P1HI?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>One action point in the manual called on Catholics to "shun companies that are harmful to human or social ecology, such as abortion and armaments, and to the environment, such as fossil fuels," as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-environment/vatican-urges-catholics-to-drop-investments-in-fossil-fuels-arms-idUSKBN23P1HI?utm_source=reddit.com" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported. Another section called for stringent monitoring of the mining and extraction industry to make sure they were not adding harmful contaminants to the air, land and water.</p><p>Journeying Towards Care For Our Common Home sees the climate crisis as "a profound environmental, ethical, economic, political, and social 'relevance'" which "impacts the poor above all," according to the <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/vatican-interdicastery-document-laudato-si-safeguarding-creation.html" target="_blank">Vatican News</a>. It calls for a new model of development that links the fight against the climate crisis and the fight against poverty to church doctrines.</p><p>The document calls for a commitment to low-carbon, sustainable development, reforestation of the Amazon region, and humanitarian protections for climate refugees, according to the <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-06/vatican-interdicastery-document-laudato-si-safeguarding-creation.html" target="_blank">Vatican News</a>.</p>
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Georgetown Announces Fossil Fuel Divestment, Students Across U.S. Demand Their Schools Follow Suit
08 February 2020
Energy
The Georgetown University board of directors announced Thursday it would divest from fossil fuels. Ehpien / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
By Julia Conley
Student-led anti-fossil fuel campaigns at universities across the country pointed to Georgetown University Friday as the school's board of directors announced it would divest from fossil fuels and redouble its efforts to invest in renewable energy instead.
<p>The university's <a href="https://www.georgetown.edu/news/fossil-fuels-divestment-continues-georgetown-commitment-to-sustainability/" target="_blank">decision</a> came after a sustained pressure campaign from Georgetown University Fossil Free (GUFF), a student group which submitted multiple proposals to the Georgetown Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility before the panel recommended the divestment this week. The school community also voted on a <a href="https://twitter.com/GUSAElections/status/1225647985305874434" target="_blank">referendum</a> regarding divestment on Thursday, within more than 90 percent voting in favor.</p><p>GUFF issued a statement thanking the board of directors for its decision to divest and the school community for participating in the campaign.</p><p>"We are thrilled that our university has taken this important step in supporting climate justice, student voices, and financial accountability," GUFF wrote.</p>
<div id="f6b9f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0WD47O1581185780"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1225561830384427009" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">GEORGETOWN’S DIVESTING https://t.co/29Pg7iLelS</div> — GU Fossil Free (@GU Fossil Free)<a href="https://twitter.com/GUFossilFree/statuses/1225561830384427009">1581031684.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Similar groups at other schools called on administrators to follow suit:</p>
<div id="af01c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="WX91NI1581185780"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1225564181803524103" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Georgetown has committed to divest. Does Creighton want to be a leader in sustainability as they claim? Or will we… https://t.co/7yHiBU332h</div> — CU Climate Movement (@CU Climate Movement)<a href="https://twitter.com/divestcreighton/statuses/1225564181803524103">1581032245.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="65b19" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="A1HXPG1581185780"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1225630938685726720" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Georgetown joins the global movement to divest from fossil fuels
There’s no reason @UVA can’t divest too https://t.co/UuffNxFxh2</div> — Michael Payne (@Michael Payne)<a href="https://twitter.com/MPayneCville/statuses/1225630938685726720">1581048161.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="9a349" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3IQUKE1581185780"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1225866444748902400" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">THIS IS HUGE: Georgetown fully divests. @CarletonCollege we're falling behind the curve! #DivestCarleton https://t.co/0jVJMw26MJ</div> — Divest Carleton (@Divest Carleton)<a href="https://twitter.com/DivestCarleton/statuses/1225866444748902400">1581104310.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Under Georgetown's new policy, the board of directors said, "The university will continue to make investments that target a market rate of return in renewable energy, energy efficiency and related areas while freezing new endowment investments in companies or funds whose primary business is the exploration or extraction of fossil fuels."</p><p>The school will divest from public securities in fossil fuel companies in the next five years and existing investments in those companies in the next decade.</p><p>"Divestment allows us to divert more capital to fund development of renewable energy projects that will play a vital role in the transition away from fossil fuels — part of the long-term solution required to prevent the most dangerous effects of climate change," Michael Barry, Georgetown's chief investment officer, said in a statement.</p><p>Climate action advocates including 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben and author Naomi Klein applauded the move.</p><p>"Something big is shifting," Klein wrote.</p>
<div id="7bad6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="C29PAR1581185780"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1225560805007122433" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Holy holy holy heck! If I'm reading this right, @Georgetown Georgetown--one of the country's great universities and… https://t.co/z5u2YPb71n</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1225560805007122433">1581031440.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="d2f63" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="PK4EUQ1581185780"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1225773344726880261" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Another huge divestment win. Something big is shifting, and it lines us up perfectly for a real #GreenNewDeal start… https://t.co/cjvss6mNXV</div> — Naomi Klein (@Naomi Klein)<a href="https://twitter.com/NaomiAKlein/statuses/1225773344726880261">1581082113.0</a></blockquote></div><p>In November, hundreds of Harvard and Yale students <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/23/incredible-hundreds-harvard-and-yale-students-storm-football-field-demanding" target="_blank">stormed the field</a> during the two schools' annual football game to demand the institutions divest from fossil fuels. The University of California system <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/9/18/20872112/university-california-divestment-fossil-fuel-climate-change" target="_blank">announced</a> it would divest last September, and more than 1,000 other institutions around the world have <a href="https://gofossilfree.org/divestment/commitments/" target="_blank">committed to divestment</a> in recent years.</p><p>As Georgetown students and faculty were celebrating the board's decision Friday, the Sunrise Movement chapter at George Washington University two miles away expressed frustration with the school's board of trustees, which announced it would form an "environmental, social, and governance responsibility" task force without naming divestment from fossil fuels as an immediate goal.</p><p>"There is absolutely no need to 'explore' whether or not GW's endowment should divest from fossil fuels," <a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmtgwu/status/1225853155830878208" target="_blank">wrote</a> the group. "The moral imperative is clear and does not need a moment's thought as to whether or not it is actively contributing to the degradation of our planet."</p><p>The Sunrise Movement chapter vowed to make sure it was "sufficiently considered in this process" and demanded the university join Georgetown in fully divesting from fossil fuels.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/08/something-big-shifting-georgetown-announces-fossil-fuel-divestment-students-across" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em><em></em></p>From Your Site Articles
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British Medical Journal Praised for New Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign
28 January 2020
Health + Wellness
The British Medical Journal announced a fossil fuel divestment campaign. Andrew Matthews / PA Images via Getty Images
By Andrea Germanos
Respected medical journal The BMJ drew praise online from climate activists and medical professionals for its newly-announced fossil fuel divestment campaign.
<p>"Thank you for your leadership," pediatrician and child psychiatrist Elizabeth Pinsky <a href="https://twitter.com/PinskyElizabeth/status/1220794537666215936" target="_blank">wrote</a> Friday on Twitter.</p>
<div id="fef16" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="XUQT1S1580234713"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1220397709410127873" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The case for divestment from fossil fuels is clear. We call on health professionals and medical organisations to ac… https://t.co/0e2vJVuPZf</div> — The BMJ (@The BMJ)<a href="https://twitter.com/bmj_latest/statuses/1220397709410127873">1579800462.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>In an <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m167" target="_blank">editorial</a> published Jan. 23 titled "Investing in Humanity: The BMJ's divestment campaign," the journal's executive editor Kamran Abbasi and editor in chief Fiona Godlee explained how fossil fuel <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/divest">divestment</a> can restore hope that's "not yet abandoned in our world today" but "merely besieged" and exert pressure on politicians and the industry putting the planet's — and therefore humanity's — health in peril.</p><p>The publication will not accept funding or advertising from the industry, Abbasi and Godlee wrote. "We will also explore how else our business might be dependent on fossil fuel companies and take steps to end any such reliance. The BMA [the journal's owner] has no direct holdings in tobacco or fossil fuel companies."</p><p>"We are clear that income from companies that produce fossil fuels is revenue that The BMJ does not want now or in the future," they added.</p><p>The editorial praised other medical organizations like the <a href="https://www.psr.org/blog/2018/06/13/ama-passes-resolution-on-divesting-from-fossil-fuels/" target="_blank">AMA</a> who have already pledged to divest from fossil fuels. "Health professionals and medical organizations should not accept the world as it is," wrote Abbasi and Godlee. "Taking action is a duty to the people we serve and to future generations."</p><p>The piece was also a call to action.</p><p>Abbasi and Godlee encouraged other medical professionals and health organizations to sign an <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScviIHZN19Y0TVFFsaXvVP9-7mHqOYtsGndVnIHMMKhGeAMfA/viewform" target="_blank">online declaration</a> of intent to divest from fossil fuels and to back that action up with divestment in personal finances.</p><p>"Divestment offers us an opportunity to end despair and disempowerment, to begin to reclaim our world from misguided political and commercial agendas," the editorial said. "By divesting now we wish to restore hope for the future wellbeing of our planet and for human health."</p><p>Keith Stewart, climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada, <a href="https://twitter.com/climatekeith/status/1221797929037500417" target="_blank">shared</a> the editorial on social media, writing, "Fossil fuels are the new tobacco."</p><p>"The footnotes alone are devastating to the climate delayers' case," he added.</p><p>Others welcomed the new campaign as well: </p>
<div id="396d9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="G9TYNW1580234714"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1221589971791904768" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Bravo, @bmj_company! #Divest to #ProtectHealth. It is time healthcare organizations across the globe… https://t.co/EfuLTf2t95</div> — Naperville Environmentalist (@Naperville Environmentalist)<a href="https://twitter.com/NapervilleEnvi1/statuses/1221589971791904768">1580084719.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="e0ede" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5K76MI1580234714"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1221573942659280899" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Son of a gun, the British Medical Journal launches a campaign for fossil fuel divestment, also announces will no lo… https://t.co/oUWifyuiTn</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1221573942659280899">1580080898.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="7f81e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RAU7T31580234714"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1221789549237501954" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The BMJ launches a fossil fuel divestment campaign!
A stellar set of ambitions:
- encourage medical organisations… https://t.co/tAhvku91n5</div> — Divest Parliament (@Divest Parliament)<a href="https://twitter.com/MP_Divest/statuses/1221789549237501954">1580132302.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/27/investing-humanity-british-medical-journal-praised-new-fossil-fuel-divestment" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Private Planes, Mansions and Superyachts: Calculating Billionaires' Massive Carbon Footprint
16 February
Climate
A recent study finds that superyachts emit the most carbon emissions. xefstock / Getty Images
By Richard Wilk and Beatriz Barros
Tesla's Elon Musk and Amazon's Jeff Bezos have been vying for the world's richest person ranking all year after the former's wealth soared a staggering US$160 billion in 2020, putting him briefly in the top spot.
<p>Musk isn't alone in seeing a significant increase in wealth during a year of pandemic, recession and death. Altogether, the world's billionaires <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2020/12/16/the-worlds-billionaires-have-gotten-19-trillion-richer-in-2020/?sh=c44b6de7386f/" target="_blank">saw their wealth surge</a> over $1.9 trillion in 2020, according to Forbes.</p><p>Those are astronomical numbers, and it's hard to get one's head around them without some context. As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=d8efMHsAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">anthropologists who study</a> energy and consumer culture, we wanted to examine how all that wealth translated into consumption and the resulting carbon footprint.</p><h2>Walking in a Billionaire's Shoes</h2><p>We found that billionaires have <a href="https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gases-equivalencies-calculator-calculations-and-references" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">carbon footprints</a> that can be thousands of times higher than those of average Americans.</p><p>The wealthy own yachts, planes and multiple mansions, all of which contribute greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. For example, a superyacht with a permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools emits about 7,020 tons of CO2 a year, according to our calculations, making it by the far worst asset to own from an environmental standpoint. Transportation and real estate make up the lion's share of most people's carbon footprint, so we focused on calculating those categories for each billionaire.</p><p>To pick a sample of billionaires, we started with the 2020 <a href="https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Forbes List</a> of 2,095 billionaires. A random or representative sample of billionaire carbon footprints is impossible because most <a href="https://www.lovemoney.com/gallerylist/87931/the-most-reclusive-rich-people-ever" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wealthy people shy away from publicity</a>, so we had to focus on those whose consumption is public knowledge. This excluded most of the superrich in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2020/04/08/the-countries-with-the-most-billionaires-in-2020/?sh=2fcc19024429" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Asia and the Middle East</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY1MzM0OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDYzODQ1OX0.B3RKerhnVPVwJH0A-Wnrhincu1euyaQGzPqBJi04J1Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="7d8d9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ccf752fa355466aae39048641a3e4da3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1000" data-height="1000" />
<p>We combed 82 databases of public records to document billionaires' houses, vehicles, aircraft and yachts. After an exhaustive search, we started with 20 well-known billionaires whose possessions we were able to ascertain, while trying to include some diversity in gender and geography. We have submitted our paper for peer review but plan to continue adding to our list.</p><p>We then used a wide range of sources, such as the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Energy Information Administration</a> and <a href="https://www.carbonfootprint.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Carbon Footprint</a>, to estimate the annual CO2 emissions of each house, aircraft, vehicle and yacht. In some cases we had to estimate the size of houses from satellite images or photos and the use of private aircraft and yachts by <a href="https://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid:0f4b102a-c077-4568-993b-e01fd0f67268?collection=education" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">searching the popular press</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.102775" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drawing on other studies</a>. Our results are based on analyzing typical use of each asset given its size and everything else we could learn.</p><p>We did not try to calculate each asset's "<a href="https://circularecology.com/embodied-carbon.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">embodied carbon</a>" emissions – that is, how much CO2 is burned throughout the supply chain in making the product – or the emissions produced by their family, household employees or entourage. We also didn't include the emissions of companies of which they own part or all, because that would have added another significant degree of complexity. For example, we didn't calculate the emissions of Tesla or Amazon when calculating Musk's or Bezos' footprints.</p><p>In other words, these are all likely conservative estimates of how much they emit.</p><h2>Your Carbon Footprint</h2><p>To get a sense of perspective, let's start with the carbon footprint of the average person.</p><p>Residents of the U.S., including billionaires, <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2/country/united-states?country=%7EUSA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">emitted about 15 tons of CO2 per person</a> in 2018. The global average footprint is smaller, at just about 5 tons per person.</p><p>In contrast, the 20 people in our sample contributed an average of about 8,190 tons of CO2 in 2018. But some produced far more greenhouse gases than others.</p><h1>Billionaire Emissions</h1><p>Some of the biggest polluters have relatively little wealth, while the two richest – Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos – have relatively small carbon footprints. Yachts make up most of the emissions of those who have one. Mansions and other dwellings make up a very minor share of their carbon footprints. Values are in terms of tons of CO2 equivalent.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY1MzM1My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODMyNDk2Nn0.ojrhbNpCPgK5Ei3-10QH7dsDLXQFCC85v72sL3EV_Pw/img.png?width=980" id="098eb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fedacfd7013a8dedb6a4cfadbab3ac5f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1240" data-height="1252" />
<h2>The Jet-Setting Billionaire</h2><p>Roman Abramovich, <a href="https://www.headspacegroup.co.uk/orphan-to-billionnaire-roman-abramovich/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">who made most of his $19 billion fortune</a> trading oil and gas, was the biggest polluter on our list. Outside of Russia, he is probably best known as the <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1296796/Chelsea-News-Roman-Abramovich-Contacts-Kai-Havertz-Transfer-Rumours-Gossip" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">headline-grabbing</a> owner of London's Chelsea Football Club.</p><p>Abramovich cruises the Mediterranean in his superyacht, <a href="https://www.autoevolution.com/news/roman-abramovichs-eclipse-holds-its-own-as-worlds-most-expensive-superyacht-141067.html" target="_blank">named the Eclipse</a>, which at 162.5 meters bow to stern is the second-biggest in the world, rivaling some cruise ships. And he hops the globe on a <a href="https://luxurylaunches.com/transport/inside-chelsea-owner-roman-abramovichs-80-million-private-jet.php" target="_blank">custom-designed Boeing 767</a>, which boasts a 30-seat dining room. He takes shorter trips in his Gulfstream G650 jet, one of his two helicopters or the submarine on his yacht.</p><p>He maintains homes in many countries, including a mansion in London's Kensington Park Gardens, a chateau in Cap D'Antibes in France and a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204518504574418871692477730" target="_blank">28-hectare estate in St. Barts that once belonged to David Rockefeller</a>. In 2018, he left the U.K. and <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/chelsea-owner-roman-abramovich-immigrates-to-israel-after-uk-visa-woes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">settled in Israel</a>, where he became a dual citizen and bought a home in 2020 for $64.5 million.</p><p>We estimate that he was responsible for at least 33,859 metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2018 – more than two-thirds from his yacht, which is always ready to use at a moment's notice year-round.</p><h2>Massive Mansions and Private Jets</h2><p>Bill Gates, currently the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#6280bc883d78" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">world's fourth-richest person</a> with $124 billion, is a "modest" polluter – by billionaire standards – and is typical of those who may not own a giant yacht but make up for it with private jets.</p><p>Co-founder of Microsoft, he retired in 2020 to manage the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest charity, with an endowment of $50 billion.</p><p>In the 1990s, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/crazy-facts-about-bill-gates-house-2016-11" target="_blank">Gates built Xanadu</a> – named after the vast fictional estate in Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" – at a cost of $127 million in Medina, Washington. The giant home covers 6,131 square meters, with a 23-car garage, a 20-person cinema and 24 bathrooms. He also owns at least five other dwellings in Southern California, the San Juan Islands in Washington state, North Salem, New York, and New York City, as well as <a href="https://therealdeal.com/miami/2019/07/02/trust-tied-to-bill-gates-drops-21m-on-wellington-horse-farm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a horse farm</a>, <a href="https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht-owners/bill-gates/private-jet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">four private jets, a seaplane and "a collection" of helicopters</a>.</p><p>We estimated his annual footprint at 7,493 metric tons of carbon, mostly from a lot of flying.</p>
<h2>The Environmentally Minded Tech CEO</h2><p>South African-born Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, has a surprisingly low carbon footprint despite being the world's second-richest person, with $177 billion – and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/12/elon-musk-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-with-a-carbon-tax.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">he seems intent on setting an example for other billionaires</a>.</p><p>He doesn't own a superyacht and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/02/why-elon-musk-says-taking-vacations-will-kill-you.html" target="_blank">says he doesn't even take vacations</a>.</p><p>We calculated a relatively modest carbon footprint for him in 2018, thanks to his eight houses and one private jet. This year, his carbon footprint would be even lower because in 2020 he <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/01/elon-musk-sells-all-california-real-estate-moves-to-texas" target="_blank">sold all of his houses</a> and promised to <a href="https://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/elon-musk-now-says-he-wants-to-sell-his-possessions-and-go-homeless/news-story/34573e982b338480ed52817bd98f395d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">divest the rest of his worldly possessions</a>.</p><p>While his personal carbon footprint is still hundreds of times higher than that of an average person, he demonstrates that the superrich still have choices to make and can indeed lower their environmental impact if they so choose.</p><p>His estimated footprint from the assets we looked at was 2,084 tons in 2018.</p><h2>The Value of Naming and Shaming</h2><p>The aim of our ongoing research is to get people to think about the environmental burden of wealth.</p><p>While <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/world/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity#:%7E:text=The%20richest%2010%20percent%20(approx,of%20humanity%20(7%20percent)." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plenty of research</a> <a href="https://wid.world/document/chancel-l-piketty-t-carbon-and-inequality-from-kyoto-to-paris-wid-world-working-paper-2015-7/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has shown</a> that rich countries and wealthy people produce far more than their share of greenhouse gas emissions, these studies can feel abstract and academic, making it harder to change this behavior.</p><p>We believe "shaming" – for lack of a better word – superrich people for their energy-intensive spending habits can have an important impact, revealing them as models of overconsumption that people shouldn't emulate.</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/5-celebrities-busted-as-part-of-droughtshaming-1882065398.html" target="_self">Newspapers, cities and local residents made an impact</a> during the California droughts of 2014 and 2015 by "drought shaming" celebrities and others who were wasting water, seen in <a href="https://pagesix.com/2015/05/09/3941513" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">their continually green lawns</a>. And the Swedes came up with a new term – "<a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/esmagazine/flight-shame-europe-sweden-a4120231.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">flygskam</a>" or flying shame – to raise awareness about the climate impact of air travel.</p><p>Climate experts say that to have any hope of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-08/the-world-is-moving-toward-net-zero-because-of-a-single-sentence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">countries must cut their emissions</a> in half by 2030 and eliminate them by 2050.</p><p>Asking average Americans to adopt less carbon-intensive lifestyles to achieve this goal can be galling and ineffective when it would take about 550 of their lifetimes to equal the carbon footprint of the average billionaire on our list.</p>
<p>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-wilk-368097" target="_blank"><em>Richard Wilk</em></a><em><strong> </strong>is a </em><em>Distinguished Professor and Provost's Professor of Anthropology; Director of the Open Anthropology Institute, Indiana University.</em>
</p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/beatriz-barros-1208262" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Beatriz Barros</a> is a </em><em>Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, Indiana University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></em>
</p><p>
<em><em></em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/private-planes-mansions-and-superyachts-what-gives-billionaires-like-musk-and-abramovich-such-a-massive-carbon-footprint-152514" target="_blank">The Conversation.</a></em>
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Protesters used a tractor blockade and climbed a smokestack to halt construction of the Cricket Valley fracked gas power plant in Wingdale, New York, citing the plant's large contribution to climate change and air pollution, on Nov. 16, 2020. Erik McGregor / LightRocket via Getty Images
There's a growing push from large investors in publicly traded companies to hold the companies accountable for the environmental impact of their practices. In the latest salvo, global companies worth more than $10 trillion are urging companies to disclose their environmental impact to investors, as Forbes reported.
<p>Activist campaigns have proven remarkably effective recently, as major investment firms have <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/divest">divested</a> from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a> and refused to support coal or Arctic drilling. Investor activism has also been credited with securing a series of net-zero emissions pledges from a number of companies, including energy and mining companies.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en/investor/engage-with-companies/non-disclosure-campaign" target="_blank">Non-Disclosure Campaign organized by CDP</a>, a non-profit global environmental disclosure platform, is composed of more than 100 investors, holding assets worth upwards of $10 trillion, from 23 different countries. They issued a letter to 1,051 countries, including Facebook, Amazon, Domino's and Exxon, insisting that the companies make a more complete disclosure of their environmental impact and risks to their business from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a>, as <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/investors-are-now-asking-big-companies-to-disclose-environmental-impact-report/articleshow/76317696.cms" target="_blank">The Economic Times</a> reported.</p>
<p>The 1,051 companies targeted for lobbying have a combined market value of more than $8 trillion and emit the equivalent of more than 4,800 megatons of CO2. That's equivalent to the amount of CO2 emitted by the U.S. in 2017, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2020/06/09/investors-step-up-pressure-on-companies-that-dont-disclose-environmental-risks/#2d1ca1ff727f" target="_blank">Forbes</a>.</p><p>The companies that the CDP wrote to declined to provide relevant information on their environmental impacts to investors in the past. While nearly 20 percent do disclose some information about information on their greenhouse gas emissions, climate strategies, and policies relating to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/water">water</a> use and deforestation, even those companies have been asked to disclose other issues that are germane to their business.</p>
<p>CDP said publicly naming companies helped to improve engagement with investors, as <a href="https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4016232/investors-publish-list-companies-failed-disclose-climate" target="_blank">Business Green</a> reported. The CDP found that when 88 large investors pinpointed 707 companies through the campaign, the companies were more than twice as likely to offer up new information.</p><p>"The importance of investor engagement to drive disclosure cannot be overstated," said Emily Kreps, global director of capital markets at CDP, as <a href="https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4016232/investors-publish-list-companies-failed-disclose-climate" target="_blank">Business Green</a> reported. "Climate change, water security and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation">deforestation</a> present material risks to investments, and companies that are failing to disclose their impact risk trailing behind their competitors in their access to capital.</p><p>"As the growth of this campaign shows, investors require decisive data that is consistent, comparable and comprehensive. To make this possible, they expect companies to wholeheartedly engage with TCFD-aligned standards on environmental disclosure and reporting. With business resilience and adaptation to unexpected, systemic risks exposed by the recent public health crisis, the tide is rapidly turning against companies not taking note of investor demands."</p>
<p>The 105 institutional investors who joined the Non-Disclosure Campaign marks a 20 percent increase over last year. They range from the New York State Common Retirement Fund to Trillium Asset Management to Legal and General, one of the UK's largest investors. The investors echoed Kreps.</p><p>"Climate change, deforestation and water security have become material issues to many industries. Investors require more comprehensive information and scientific analysis to address risks and opportunities derived from these issues," said Sophia Cheng, chief investment officer at Cathay Financial Holdings, as <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2020/06/09/investors-step-up-pressure-on-companies-that-dont-disclose-environmental-risks/#2d1ca1ff727f" target="_blank">Forbes</a> reported.</p>
<p>Katarina Hammar, head of active ownership at Nordea Asset Management, said her investment company believes "that increased transparency around companies' environmental performance is a key enabler to improve company performance and to create a more resilient economy," as <a href="https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4016232/investors-publish-list-companies-failed-disclose-climate" target="_blank">Business Green</a> reported.</p><p>"Consistent and comparable data is key in our company analysis and in particular in the climate risk and opportunity analysis," she added.</p>
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Green New Deal Champion Chloe Maxmin Unseats Powerful GOP Incumbent in Rural Maine
07 November 2020
Politics
John Lamparski / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
The results of the U.S. Senate race this week in Maine — won by four-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins after Democrats poured $50 million into challenger Sara Gideon's campaign — may have given the impression that a Trumpian right-wing agenda has an iron grip on the state's more conservative rural voters, but the victory of Democratic state Rep. Chloe Maxmin, a progressive champion who ran on the promise of a Green New Deal and offering a "politics as public service" in a strong GOP district, tells a much different story.
<p>Two years after winning a seat in the state House of Representatives, representing conservative, rural District 88, Maxmin secured a win in her challenge to state Senate Republican Leader Dana Dow. As in her first campaign for elected office, Maxmin won over voters in state Senate District 13 — where residents <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-maine-senate.html" target="_blank">chose Collins </a>over Gideon — by engaging deeply with her community and <a href="https://chloe.mainecandidate.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">offering a platform</a> focused on climate action, investing in universal broadband access, and treating healthcare as a human right. </p>
<p>Maxmin's campaign was focused on providing help to people in a part of Maine where many feel disillusioned by politics and neglected by leaders in the state legislature and Washington, D.C. — but her energy was spent less on convincing voters to back a progressive agenda and more on giving them a platform to talk about their own experiences.</p><p>"When I talk to folks, I mostly listen, I don't show up and talk about myself," Maxmin told Common Dreams on Thursday. "I really try and listen and make sure that the voices that I hear are reflected in our campaign ... The work that we do on our side is to really think about campaigns differently, because we see them as one of the primary ways that we can start building a new type of politics. So we didn't use any party consultants. We designed all of our mailers, palm cards, postcards ourselves. We're all about authentic conversation and just had dozens and dozens of volunteers writing postcards or having conversations with voters and using the same style of just listening, and not going around saying, 'You should vote for Chloe because of this,' but trying to understand where people are at."</p><p>"My sense is that people really saw that we were doing it differently and that I could be in office differently, too," she added.</p><p>When the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, the Maxmin campaign further stepped up its commitment to engaging directly with voters, enlisting 200 volunteers to check on voters' wellbeing.</p><p>"Maxmin called upon her volunteers to reach out to every senior in her district and her network of campaign volunteers provided food, assistance with prescription drugs and identified transpiration needs," Marie Follayttar, director of the progressive grassroots group Mainers for Accountable Leadership, told Common Dreams. "Chloe is both a community organizer and an elected official. Not only is Chloe willing to listen to the people where they are — at their dinner table or at their door — she is demonstrably responsive to their needs and leverages the organizing structure of her campaign to assist her in accomplishing mutual aid work."</p><p>Other Democratic campaigns in the state, Follayttar noted, "could have done this as well. We transform lives by being present in them and building community to support one another. We move into legislative action by turning the concerns heard at the door into legislation."</p><p><span></span>Maxmin, who introduced <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/10/19/were-not-polarized-everywhere-maine-democracy-and-green-energy-win-big" target="_blank">the state's Green New Deal</a> in 2019, with the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/04/16/great-example-local-organizing-maine-afl-cio-signs-greennewdeal" target="_blank">notable backing </a>of the state AFL-CIO, and co-founded the fossil fuel divestment campaign Divest Harvard while in college, won applause from national climate action campaigners at 350.org and Friends of the Earth.</p>
<div id="0d2d5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b4c2cdc6328f9c94bb65f389a2037ca9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1324037287127252993" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Hats off to new Maine State Senator Chloe Maxmin, a true climate champ who managed to beat the incumbent Senate Minority Leader.</div> — Bill McKibben (@Bill McKibben)<a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/statuses/1324037287127252993">1604510063.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="9ee73" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="af2a00b60ef3fad71bd5cb93c84f1cdc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1324084291199029248" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Congrats to progressive champion (and Friends of the Earth board member) Chloe Maxmin! https://t.co/qKVceZQAfu</div> — Friends of the Earth (Action) (@Friends of the Earth (Action))<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1324084291199029248">1604521269.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"Just seeing the amazing news that Chloe Maxmin — who was a young leader of Divest Harvard — has won a seat in the Maine State Senate!" exclaimed Thelma Young-Lutunatabua, an organizer with 350.org, on Wednesday. "Youth of the climate movement gaining political office!"</p><p>Maxmin's tactic of engaging authentically with voters in reminiscent of "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/15/groundbreaking-study-shows-deep-listening-over-100-times-more-effective-winning" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deep canvassing</a>," a method of campaigning used by the national grassroots network People's Action and found to be 102 times more effective at winning over undecided voters than a typical brief interaction during a door-knocking or phone-banking campaign.</p><p>"Deep canvassing differs from traditional campaign tactics because it relies on soul," People's Action Director George Goehl told Common Dreams<em>.</em> "In a deep canvass conversation, you break down your walls and the canvasser and voter really connect with one another. This is the kind of organizing that changes hearts and minds."</p><p>Maxmin told Common Dreams that her campaign led her to "thousands" of similar interactions.</p><p>"I had thousands of conversations with people," she said. "And it's so interesting when you have that kind of breadth to your exposure of humanity, just the themes that you hear. And it was really, really consistent—rarely hearing direct issues, mostly hearing about how people are so frustrated with everyone and everything on both sides and just hating the negative campaigning."</p><p>Mike Tipping of Maine People's Alliance, an affiliate of People's Action, credited Maxmin's ability to connect with voters across party lines, stressing that Maxmin ran a campaign she defined as "bipartisan" rather than "progressive" because issues that matter to voters in her rural district are important to people of all political beliefs. </p><p>"These are universal progressive values," Tipping told Common Dreams<em>.</em> "Too often we talk about these things in a partisan lens, but overwhelmingly people believe we need to tax the wealthy, that we need to raise the minimum wage, that we need sick days, paid family leave, healthcare access that's real, that everyone can see a doctor when they need to. Those are not limited to a party. And when you build a multi-race, multi-class coalition like Chloe did ... That's how you win in those places."</p><p>In "Rural Runner," a short film by Forest Woodward about Maxmin and her campaign manager, Canyon Woodward, Maxmin is seen knocking on doors in rural Maine, talking to voters about how their lives could be impacted by a Green New Deal for the state and other progressive legislation. </p><p>"Every year we keep electing the same kind of folks," she says in the film. "They tell us the same things, they act the same way, we elect them, they get into the state House, and they break the same promises and we're left with the same disillusionment that we had before."</p>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/473942482" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4e637980c1062805b99e6bfec753d3f6"></iframe><p>In 2018, Maxmin began her campaign in House District 88 as an underdog, 16 points behind her opponent, but credited her tireless face-to-face campaigning with securing victory.</p><p>"What Chloe and I have done is pretty simple," said Woodward in "Rural Runner," which was filmed as the team was beginning Maxmin's campaign for the state Senate race. "We put one foot in front of the other, we listen, we show up every day rain or shine, we do our best. We never really know what we're capable of unless we try."</p><p>After becoming the first Democrat ever to win House District 88 at the age of 26, Maxmin introduced her state's own Green New Deal, <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/maine-passes-state-level-green-new-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">centering</a> the legislation on a just transition for workers in the fossil fuel sector and investing in solar installations for newly-built schools. </p><p>In the State House, she has also sponsored legislation to provide access to rural public transportation, an issue she campaigned on this year and <a href="https://chloe.mainecandidate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called</a> "the great equalizer in rural communities." Maine Senate District 13 has been <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Maine_State_Senate_District_13" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">represented</a> by Republicans for most of the last decade. </p><p>While the national Democratic Party often express wariness about engaging with voters in traditionally conservative areas about issues erroneously deemed "left wing," such as far-reaching action to solve the climate emergency, Maxmin's winning campaigns suggest Democrats can find more success with rural voters by being unapologetic proponents of policies aimed at helping working people.</p><p>"She is no shrinking violet and didn't try and moderate herself or be anyone other than who she is, and I think voters responded to that," Tipping said.</p><p>During the campaigns Maxmin and Woodward have run together, they <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/11/02/what-rural-maine-house-race-can-teach-left" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> in an article for The Nation in 2018, "We dig into the local, cultivating relationships and utilizing the resourcefulness of our rural communities to build a rooted movement... We see that rural America is alive and beautiful, eager to be heard and remembered."</p><p>"Many have welcomed us into their homes and honored us with stories of family members who are registering to vote just for our campaign, who are voting Democrat for the first time, who have never voted in a midterm but now are because our movement gives them hope," they continued.</p><p>"We view our campaign as a movement, built on shared values and authentic conversations," Maxmin and Woodward wrote. "We build real political power, with lasting muscle for the long fight, with an inside-outside movement that elects authentic representatives to fight for everyone and continues to organize beyond the election to maintain pressure on our politicians."</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/06/i-mostly-listen-offering-blueprint-democrats-green-new-deal-champion-chloe-maxmin" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em></p>
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Activists gather in John Marshall Park for the Global Climate Strike protests on September 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. Samuel Corum / Getty Images
By Alexandra Villarreal
As West coast wildfires color the skies dystopian red and orange and an aggressive hurricane season batters the U.S. Gulf coast, college students are demanding their schools take bold action to address the climate crisis.
<p><br/></p>
<p>Caitlyn Daas is among them. The senior at Appalachian State University and organizer with the Appalachian Climate Action Collaborative (ClimACT) stands on the frontlines of her school's grassroots push to go "climate neutral," part of a years-long, national movement that has inspired <a href="https://reporting.secondnature.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hundreds</a> of institutional commitments to reduce academia's carbon footprint.</p><p>Carbon neutrality commitments typically require schools to dramatically cut their carbon emissions by reimagining how they run their campuses — everything from the electricity they purchase to the air travel they fund. Colleges across the country, from <a href="https://secondnature.org/climate-action-guidance/carbon-neutral-colleges-and-universities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the University of San Francisco</a> to American University in Washington DC have already attained carbon neutrality. Other academic institutions, including the University of California system, have taken steps to <a href="https://www.kpbs.org/news/2020/may/20/university-of-california-completes-fossil-fuel/#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20California%20announced,as%20solar%20and%20wind%20power." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fully divest from fossil fuels</a>.</p><p>But as young activists like Daas urge their universities to do their part to avert climate disaster, many are frustrated by tepid responses from administrators whom they feel lack their same sense of urgency and drive. Appalachian State, part of the University of North Carolina system, has committed to reaching net-zero emissions decades down the line, but Daas and her fellow activists fear that's far too late. She's baffled that an institution devoted to higher learning is seemingly ignoring the science around the climate emergency.</p><p>"If our voices don't matter, can you please stop telling us that they do?" Daas says.</p>
<p>College activists concerned about the climate crisis have largely focused their efforts on two popular movements that go hand-in-hand: reaching<a href="https://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_3cbb5394-d27a-11ea-8d95-efad3d7293d1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> carbon neutrality</a>, and<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/opinion/letters/colleges-divestment-fuels.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> divesting university endowments</a>. Broadly, the term "net carbon neutrality" means that a campus zeroes out all of its carbon emissions, says Timothy Carter, president of<a href="https://secondnature.org/mission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Second Nature</a>, a nonprofit focused on climate action in higher education. This can be achieved through modifying campus operations, often with the help of alternatives, such as renewable energy certificates and voluntary carbon offsets (activities that atone for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/carbon-offset" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other emissions</a>). In Second Nature's definition, investment holdings don't factor in a school's carbon footprint. Carbon neutrality often falls within a wider umbrella of climate neutrality, which also incorporates justice and other concerns.</p><p>Divestment campaigns, meanwhile, pressure universities to shed investments in fossil fuels in their endowments. "We cannot truly be climate neutral if we continue to invest in a fossil fuel industry," says Nadia Sheppard, chair of the Climate Reality Project <a href="https://climaterealityproject.org/chapters-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">campus corps chapter</a> at North Carolina State University, where oil, gas and consumable, nonrenewable fuels account for around <a href="http://www.technicianonline.com/news/article_2aed037e-4b7b-11e9-9660-73d3cbdd1487.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$43m</a><a href="http://www.technicianonline.com/news/article_2aed037e-4b7b-11e9-9660-73d3cbdd1487.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> in university investments</a>.</p><p>Across North Carolina, the heated campus battles brewing over climate policy this fall represent a microcosm of the national conversation. The University of North Carolina system – <a href="https://www.northcarolina.edu/about-us/" target="_blank">which includes 16 universities</a> and one gifted public residential high school – has set a <a href="https://rmi.org/our-work/electricity/elab-electricity-innovation-lab/elab-accelerator/elab-accelerator-teams-2014/elab-accelerator-2014-teams-university-north-carolina-system-energy-future/" target="_blank">2050 goal</a> to go carbon neutral, the same year as the state <a href="https://deq.nc.gov/energy-climate/climate-change/nc-climate-change-interagency-council/climate-change-clean-energy-16#:~:text=Clean%20Energy%20Plan%20Goals&text=Reduce%20electric%20power%20sector%20greenhouse,attain%20carbon%20neutrality%20by%202050.&text=Foster%20long%2Dterm%20energy%20affordability,modernizing%20regulatory%20and%20planning%20processes." target="_blank">at large</a>.</p><p>But students are frustrated by the distant deadline. "I do believe 2050 is realistic," says Isaiah Green, president of the UNC system-wide Association of Student Governments. "But it's so realistic that it's just not enough, in my opinion."</p>
<p>Laura England, a ClimACT member and senior lecturer in sustainable development at Appalachian State, approaches the issue with similar gravity as the undergraduates at her school. "That concept, 'our house is burning,' was a metaphor. But really in 2020, it is literal," she says.</p><p>Students and faculty at Appalachian State are angling for net zero emissions by 2025, or at least 2035, but have felt unheard. ClimACT lambasted the school's administration last week in a letter emancipating themselves from the official climate action planning process, at least until its leadership declares a climate emergency and responds accordingly. "The question we face is astonishingly simple," the group wrote. "Do we have the political will to chart a path toward a safe and just climate future, or will we continue careening toward hot house earth?"</p><p>Lee F Ball Jr, chief sustainability officer at Appalachian State, admires young people's passion and would "bottle" and "serve it" if he could. But to reach neutrality by 2025, the university would need to spend tens of millions of dollars it doesn't have.</p><p><span></span>"There's no real silver bullet of clean energy out there that we've been able to find, so we're in a wild west of carbon accounting and climate action," Ball says. "There's no rulebook, there's no prescription for this stuff."</p>
<p>Other students in the UNC system are advocating for more transparency and accountability around their school's investments.</p><p>Kelsey Hall, the leader of a divest campaign at UNC Asheville, <a href="https://www.unca.edu/events-and-news/stories/unc-asheville-commits-to-environmental-social-and-governance-criteria-for-portion-of-endowment/" target="_blank">successfully pushed the school administration</a> to divest around 10% of its endowment from fossil fuels last year. But the other 90% remains in the hands of the UNC management company, which invests in a nebulous category of "<a href="https://uncmc.unc.edu/files/2020/02/FY-2019-UNCIF-Annual-Report-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">energy and natural resources</a>" – oil, natural gas, power, etc.</p><p>"Returns [on investments] are very, very close" between the competing portfolios so far, says John G Pierce, vice-chancellor for budget and finance at UNC Asheville. But university leadership isn't prepared to entertain divesting more of its endowment just yet.</p><p>"It's frustrating," Hall says. "But it's something that I've learned since becoming involved with the campaign, is just that, like, universities move slowly."</p>
<p>At Duke University, a top tier private institution in North Carolina, the administration has agreed to a much quicker <a href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/12/duke-university-carbon-neutrality-2024-offsets" target="_blank">2024 climate neutrality date.</a> There, students have been more concerned with how they arrive at that target.</p><p>They want the school to reduce actual emissions as much as possible, "rather than relying on more questionable, less rigorous ways of offsetting emissions in the books", says Claire Wang, a recent Duke alumna and Rhodes scholar.</p><p>"It'd be very easy for a huge polluter to, you know, only pick a low-hanging fruit, maybe bring emissions down 10%, and instead buy very cheap carbon credits for the remaining 90% and say they've reached carbon neutrality," Wang says.</p><p>Although student activists often direct their ire toward school administrations, their greatest antagonist may simply be a ticking clock. Undergraduates generally only get a four-year window on campus to make a difference, and they've lost precious time because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has in some ways pulled focus from climate issues.</p><p>Environmental campaigns, meanwhile, require long-term, dedicated attention spans. Gabriela Duncan, co-president of UNC Reinvest at UNC Chapel Hill, found article after article in her school paper about past divestment movements, and she knows that "there realistically is no way" that the university will divest during her academic career.</p><p>To avoid yet another loss of momentum, she's focusing on creating "a really strong foundation, so that we can have a sustainable movement for many years."</p>
<p><em>This story originally appeared in</em> <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> </em><em>and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Climate Action Nonprofit Launches Campaign Pressuring PR and Ad Firms to Drop Fossil Fuel Clients
23 November 2020
Climate
An aerial view shows pumpjacks in the South Belridge Oil Field on April 24, 2020 near McKittrick, California. David McNew / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
A new campaign unveiled this weekend by the nonprofit organization Fossil Free Media aims to expand on the goals of the fossil fuel divestment movement, cutting into oil and gas companies' profit margins through their public relations and ad campaigns.
<p>Along with the support fossil fuel giants get from Wall Street, the industry has been propped up for decades by PR and advertising agencies that aren't always transparent about their relationships with companies including Shell, Exxon, and BP.</p><p>"PR and ad agencies pollute the airwaves so that fossil fuel companies can pollute the atmosphere," <a href="https://www.cleancreatives.org/news/clean-creatives-campaign-calls-on-pr-and-ad-agencies-to-stop-working-with-fossil-fuel-clients" target="_blank">said</a> Duncan Meisel, campaign manager for Fossil Free Media's project, titled Clean Creatives. "The spread of climate misinformation can be directly traced back to firms with names like WPP, Omnicom, and Edelman. As long as they continue to engage in polluter relations, these firms will be one of our greatest barriers to climate progress. It's time for PR and ad agencies to come clean."</p><p>Fossil fuel companies have spent more than <a href="https://grist.org/energy/big-oil-spent-3-6-billion-on-climate-ads-and-its-working/" target="_blank">$3.6 billion</a> on advertising since the 1990s, increasingly focusing their efforts on convincing the public that they're concerned about the climate crisis and committed to "sustainability" even as they continue extracting planet-heating oil and gas. </p><p>Tens of millions of dollars also go into advertising by industry groups like the American Petroleum Institute (API), which paid PR firm Edelman<a href="https://www.cleancreatives.org/news/clean-creatives-campaign-calls-on-pr-and-ad-agencies-to-stop-working-with-fossil-fuel-clients" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> $327.4 million</a> between 2008 and 2017.</p><p>Clean Creatives' campaign will be a multi-pronged one, engaging directly with PR and ad firms as well as the creative artists who work for them—often helping to prop up the reputations of companies whose work is <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/2167/energy.aspx" target="_blank">increasingly unpopular </a>with the public—non-fossil fuel clients, and lawmakers.</p><p>The campaign "will be reaching out to creatives directly, including high profile directors and artists...who likely feel conflicted making propaganda for oil and gas companies," Clean Creatives said.</p>
<div id="1dcf1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d5e39a5a3812bc2589ba8aa0563756e0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330177734799208465" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">PR and ad companies' work for the fossil fuel industry is pushing the planet past the breaking point.… https://t.co/wOuDBM26ne</div> — Clean Creatives (@Clean Creatives)<a href="https://twitter.com/cleancreatives/statuses/1330177734799208465">1605974060.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>At its website, Clean Creatives urged creative artists in the PR and ad industries to <a href="https://www.cleancreatives.org/creatives" target="_blank">take a pledge</a> stating, "We are the heart of our industry, and our best brands want creatives that will help them find their purpose and make a difference—not take their money and then sit down with the biggest polluters on the planet."</p><p>"Sign the pledge if you are committed to using your power for good, not fossil fuels," the website reads.</p><p>The campaign will run targeted ads on LinkedIn and other social media to find employees who are willing to sign the pledge. </p><p>Clean Creatives will also expose the fossil fuel companies that major ad and PR agencies work with—information that often isn't made public by the agencies.</p><p>"Despite their sustainability goals and past pledges to stop working with climate deniers, nearly all of the world's largest PR and ad firms continue to work with fossil fuel industry clients," said Jamie Henn, founder of Fossil Free Media and producer of the Clean Creatives campaign. "WPP does business with Shell and Chevron, Omnicom's BBDO does much of ExxonMobil's advertising, Ogilvy runs branding exercises for BP. Our campaign will expose the depth and breadth of these relationships." </p>
<p>As the relationships are made public, Clean Creatives will engage with other clients who work with the agencies, calling on them to withhold their business unless they stop "spinning fossil fuel industry propaganda."</p><p>"Clean Creatives will be circulating a business sign-on letter via networks like the American Sustainable Business Council and the Ceres BICEP Network (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy) in the coming days," the group said.</p><p>Fossil Free Media was encouraged recently by global PR firm Porter Novelli, which announced it would cut ties with the American Public Gas Association (APGA) at the end of the year after 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-creatives-turn-destructive-image-makers-and-the-climate-crisis" target="_blank">wrote </a>about the relationship in <em>The New Yorker</em> in an article published Saturday. </p><p>Starting in 2017, the firm helped the APGA develop a campaign called "Natural Gas Genius," the message of which "was 'I choose natural gas to live better,' and the firm found a mid-tier Instagram influencer to help disseminate it."</p><blockquote>According to the APGA, the campaign's "target audience is homeowners who are looking to buy or renovate a home in the next five years. We are confident in the ability of this new type of message that speaks to the emotional aspect of natural gas, to help us achieve our goal of increasing consumer consideration of natural gas direct use in their homes."<br></blockquote><blockquote>That is, they were trying to do the opposite of what climate science suggests. If you're buying a new home or renovating an old one, you can install an electric air-source heat pump instead of a gas boiler. It will heat (and also cool) your home effectively and cheaply, and produce far fewer greenhouse gases in the process. You can also install, instead of a gas stove, an induction cooktop—an appliance whose use is growing rapidly in Asia and Europe.<br></blockquote><p>Responding to McKibben's inquiries, Porter Novelli announced it had "determined our work with the American Public Gas Association is incongruous with our increased focus and priority on addressing climate justice."</p><p>Fossil Free Media applauded the move, and the climate action movement's role in pushing the agency, on social media.</p>
<div id="21b90" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bdc23e69ff18075b4fb5df6d4939b9f5"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330205383848288257" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Porter Novelli isn't some small shop: they've got offices and clients in 60 countries and are part of @Omnicom, the… https://t.co/iw0BCmrdzx</div> — Jamie Henn (@Jamie Henn)<a href="https://twitter.com/jamieclimate/statuses/1330205383848288257">1605980652.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"It's a BIG deal that they're dropping fossil fuel clients—let's make sure it's the drop that starts a flood," wrote Henn. </p>
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